Brussels, 06/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - During a final trilogue with the Commission, on 30 November, Parliament and Council reached, at second reading, an agreement on the directive on energy efficiency in final use and energy services, an agreement endorsed the same day by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper). On 23 November this year, the parliamentary committee on industry had already made a downward review of the ambition of fixing binding energy saving and energy production objectives at the end user stage, taking a stance for indicative objectives as advocated by the Council (EUROPE 9077). In its negotiation with the Council, the EP - although strongly positioned with consensus between German rapporteur Mechtild Rothe (PES) and shadow rapporteurs Alejo Vidal Quadreas (EPP-Ed, Spain), Fiona Hall (ALDE, UK), Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) and Umberto Guidoni (GUE/NGL, Italy) - was unable to reach an agreement on strengthening the energy saving objective. The directive will therefore invite Member States to make energy savings of 9% over 9 years during the 2008-2017 period, i.e. 1% on average per year. Furthermore, the Council only agreed to a single intermediary objective, in 2011, to be fixed by the Member States.
During a press conference on Tuesday with Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs welcomed the fact that an agreement had been reached with the Council, allowing conciliation to be avoided and foreseeing swift implementation of a highly important directive for the EU's sustainable energy objectives. Although it was necessary to make concessions on the nature of energy saving objectives, the EP nonetheless obtained strict conditions, Ms Rothe stressed, or “binding measures”, as Mr Piebalgs noted. According to the terms of the directive (and Mr Turmes' proposal), Member States should produce action plans presenting measures that they will take to attain their indicative targets, measures and objectives. They will free to establish these plans as long as the 9% energy efficiency is achieved end 2017. The first action plan should reach the Commission end June 2007 to cover the period 2008-2011, the second in June 2011 for the period 2012-2014 and the third in June 20124 for the period 2015-2017. If, after examination of the action plans, the Commission considers that Member States will not be able to achieve their targets, or if it considers after implementation of the first plan that Member States are drifting from the objectives set, then it may set out additional measures and possibly review the nature and the value of the objectives. Also, the EP bitterly negotiated and obtained from the Council that June 2014 would be the date for the second action plan that will allow the Commission to assess action plans before 2015 in order, possibly, to make a new proposal intended to take over from the directive when it expires end 2017. Also, in order to measure energy saving through indicators and benchmarking, the Commission must develop a system common to all Member States. Speaking at the press conference, Mr Turmes welcomed the fact that the development of action plans will make it possible to open debate at national level on energy efficiency, debates in which political decision-makers, NGOs and other parties will participate.
On the role of the public sector, to which the Commission and the EP hopes to assign binding targets, the Council has kept to its stance: the public sector will only set an example in energy efficiency through the exchange of best practices. It should therefore develop and publish guidelines aimed at making energy efficiency an assessment criterion for awarding public contracts. In addition, rapporteurs welcomed the fact that the EP had managed to have more information for consumers on the possibilities of energy saving, as information shortfalls were often the main cause of energy services not being used. Mr Vidal Quadras mainly stressed that the importance of diffusing information to citizens is to make them aware of energy saving. Ms Hall welcomed the fact that the directive contains, through its amendments introduced at first reading, provisions on a more regular invoicing system based on real consumption measured by intelligent computers to be installed in every new building or when old buildings are renovated. Mr Turmes was pleased that the EP had finally obtained a structure that will compel reticent governments to suggest new measures for energy efficiency but deplored the dramatic lack of commitment for energy policy on the part of European conservative forces, which prefer to impose the nuclear risk on the population rather than impose binding objectives on energy saving. The Luxembourg national nonetheless congratulated Denmark where the parliament has forced the liberal government to adopt an annual increase of 1.7% in energy efficiency. The Parliament/Council compromise will be put to the plenary vote on 13 December.