Brussels, 07/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption, on 1 June, of the own-initiative report by Spanish MEP Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP-ED) on the Green Paper on energy efficiency adopted by the Commission in June 2005 (EUROPE 8975), the European Parliament has reaffirmed its requirements for the Action Plan on Energy Efficiency- on which the Commission is working at the moment- to be ambitious and concrete. Stressing the fact that "the Union can viably afford to save at least 20% of its current energy consumption", the Vidal-Quadras report calls for an objective for energy saving which is greater than the one mentioned in the Green Paper (20% between now and 2020) and lays emphasis on research and development and the need to carry out a combined action at all decision-making levels: Community, national, regional local and international. The Parliament stresses that energy efficiency should be integrated into all Community policies: be it external policy, agriculture or transport. In the transport sector in particular, the Parliament has called for concrete measures, particularly a directive and legislative proposals to double the energy efficiency of automobiles, step up the transfer of freight from road and air transport to rail and water and further promote public transport. Among the other main requirements laid out by the Parliament features the gradual extension of the scope of directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings to all kinds of buildings.
The Parliament also recommends: - the creation of a fund for energy efficiency to promote energy-efficient products; - the creation of new tax measures; - the extension of energy efficiency labelling (to road vehicles in particular, indicating the energy consumption per kilometre for all modes of transport); - the development of new information vectors for energy efficiency, targeting consumers, and a European information and awareness campaign on practical measures to improve energy efficiency; - the creation of a European initiative to coordinate the updating of energy standards for new buildings; - the development of incentives to investment in energy efficiency measures; - the replacement of old household goods.
The Vidal-Quadras report points out that the Member States and the European institutions alike should adopt an exemplary attitude, by taking measures designed to promote energy savings in the public sector. Lastly, the report stresses that the full implementation of the Community legislative arsenal already in place on the subject of energy efficiency- directives on buildings, on the combined production of electricity and heat, on eco-design, on the trading in emissions rights and energy efficiency in and consumption- has already allowed the Union to do "half of what it has to do to achieve its objective of saving 20% of its consumption between now and 2020". The European Parliament therefore calls on the Commission to speed up all proceedings in the pipeline against any Member States still dragging their heels over coming into line with adopted Community legislation.