Brussels, 20/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The own-initiative report by András Gyürk (EPP-ED, Hungary) was adopted in plenary by 616 votes to 24 and 17 abstentions on Thursday 19 February, on following-up National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAP). This underlines the concern of the European Parliament given the delays noted in the presentation of plans and given the failings in the content of several plans likely to endanger the success of the Community target of 20% energy saving by 2020. Parliament again stressed the need to make this key target of European climate policy legally binding. The Gyürk report calls on member states to go beyond the national indicative energy saving target of 9% by 2016, a target set out in Directive 2006/32/EC on end-use of energy and on energy services. The Parliament calls for the above directive to be re-examined in 2012 in order to set strict intermediary objectives. Placing emphasis on the strong potential for energy efficiency in buildings (nearly 27%), the Parliament also calls on the Commission to significantly increase the proportion of Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds earmarked for improving energy efficiency in existing housing. According to the Gyürk report, national action plans should mainly seek to improve the quality of low-income housing to prevent unforeseeable price developments in fuel causing social problems. Finally, the Parliament recommends new measures for improving energy efficiency such as the compulsory introduction of intelligent energy metres in all buildings within 10 years after directives on the internal energy market take effect, as well as the definition of energy efficiency criteria concerning public procurement and toll methods for road freight transport, not covering the motorway network only. (E.H./transl.jl)