Brussels, 19/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - One year on from the deadline for transposition of the energy efficiency directive, only 18 countries have transposed the provisions on energy audits for large companies, regrets Eurochambres, the association of EU chambers of commerce.
According to a study, published by Eurochambres on Wednesday 17 June to coincide with Sustainable Energy Week, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland and Spain are all lagging behind in implementing clear rules on energy audits, causing considerable legal uncertainty among businesses.
Equally, in those countries that have transposed at least some of the rules, provisions on energy audit obligations, qualification requirements for auditors and audit conditions vary considerably and are leading to unnecessary bureaucratic burdens, the association adds.
Eurochambres is unhappy that about half of EU member states are still behind schedule in the provision of support programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to undergo energy audits. (Emmanuel Hagry)