23/05/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 23 May, the European Commission opened infringement proceedings by sending letters of formal notice to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia to comply with their obligations under EU rules on the energy performance of buildings (see EUROPE 13390/20). Among these obligations, Member States must submit their third report to the European Commission on cost optimisation – also known as cost-optimal levels’, which involves setting minimum requirements for the energy performance of buildings in order to achieve the best combination of investment and savings. Once these letters of formal notice have been sent, the Member States in question have 2 months to respond and remedy the shortcomings that have been raised by the European Commission. (PLD)