Brussels, 21/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), which defends consumer interests, and the European Federation for Transport and the Environment (T&E), which campaigns for sustainable transport, have joined the Coalition for Energy Savings to call on Wednesday 21 October for new “credible and ambitious” legislation to improve energy efficiency (that the European Commission is due to unveil in 2016.
This enlargement means that the Coalition for Energy Savings now has 29 member associations defending the interests of the energy efficiency industry in areas such as the energy performance of buildings and domestic equipment, insulation, cogeneration, heat and cooling systems, along with civil society, consumers, environmental protection and local government organisations. The coalition explains in a press release that this comes at a time when some member states are trying to water down energy efficiency requirements for the future governance system for Energy Union.
T&E explains that it is joining forces with industry, consumers and other environmental NGOs to ensure that 'putting energy efficiency first' becomes a reality as it will enable the EU and its member states to achieve their climate change targets for 2030, through the introduction of strict energy efficiency rules for cars and vans in 2025 and the very first limits for lorries at EU level.
BEUC says that the energy world has to work for the benefit of consumers while ensuring a sustainable energy system and this will only be possible with ambitious energy savings policies and transparent governance mechanisms anchored in legislation.
The Coalition for Energy Savings therefore urges the Commission to unveil a bold proposal to enable the 'energy efficiency first' principle, warning that “too much flexibility in the governance system will not create the necessary confidence to release the many advantages of energy efficiency”. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)