Brussels, 28/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - As expected (EUROPE 8979), EU ministers for energy, meeting in Luxembourg on 28 June for their last Council meeting under the Luxembourg presidency, adopted by unanimity, a political agreement on the Council's common position on two important legislative proposals:
- the decision establishing orientations on Trans-European Networks (TEN) in the enlarged Europe. The EU25 approved the Luxembourg presidency's compromise text, which was broadly based on the general orientation decided on by the Council on 10 June 2004 (EUROPE 8723) and which took into account certain amendments adopted in first reading by the Parliament on 7 June (EUROPE 8965). Nevertheless, the persistence of divergences between the Council, the Commission and Parliament on provisions proposed by the Commission for implementing priority projects, projects of European interest and the Commission being able to designate a European Coordinator for a given axis or priority project prevented complete agreement although the draft directive on TENs will be submitted to a second reading. The Commission has again underlined the need for a coordinated approach from Member States on TEN, given the Union's budgetary constraints.
- energy efficiency in end users and energy services. In a press conference, the president of the Council Jeannot Krecké, said that the three institutions agree on the need to promote energy efficiency, which constitutes a “political priority for the EU as all Member States have made commitments to attain the Kyoto objectives, ensure security of supply and strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy”. However, there are reservations that remain from the Commission and the Parliament which, contrary to Member States, remain attached to setting binding objectives on energy efficiency and prevented a total agreement on the legislative text as well, which will be submitted to a second reading. Member States remain in favour of setting indicative objectives alone (6% over a 6 year period, according to the Council's proposals) for different reasons. The most important reasons is the fact that the “starting point” for efforts to be made in terms of energy efficiency are totally different in one country from another. Therefore, countries that have already made an enormous effort in energy efficiency “shave to make a corresponding percentage and obligatory effort as countries that have done less, which poses a problem to those who have been” respectful of the objectives, explained Mr Krecké. For example, as underlined by the energy minister Mauri Pekkarinen, Finland, which has done a lot of work on energy efficiency in the recent past, does not want the setting of binding objectives “to become an unacceptable burden”. The minister added that the proposed 6% target over 6 years was too high for hid country, given that efforts already made. Germany thinks the bureaucratic demand of parliament to set an obligatory 11.5% objective fore energy efficiency by 2015, is “unacceptable”. Slovakia considers that it is indispensable to “conserve a certain flexibility”…binding objectives would be an excessive cost to governments”. The other divergence between the Council, Commission and Parliament is based on the specificity of the public sector: the Commission, supported by Parliament is proposing a binding energy efficiency target of 1.5%. Member States want to include public sector energy efficiency in the indicative objective of 6%. Denmark, however, wants to launch an ambitious energy efficiency programme with a binding objective of 1.7% of energy savings a year (without counting transport). It wants the public sector to provide a specific effort on heating. Krecké underlined the “importance of technology in the public sector”. In a reply to EUROPE, French industry minister, François Loos, pointed out that France had recently adopted a new energy orientation law, setting out an indicative energy efficiency objective of 2% a year. Loos said that, “everyone had to continue their efforts towards greater energy efficiency”. Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, pointed out that the obligatory objectives in energy efficiency would provide a “strong political message from Europe” on its commitments on meeting the sustainability challenge. Mr Krecké's final contribution made as president of the Council focused on his optimism about getting “an agreement in second reading under the British presidency, which has made energy efficiency one of its priorities”.