Brussels, 12/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 12 March, the European Commission announced that it would be elaborating concrete measures for using new technologies to help create a greener Europe. At the same time it is encouraging the information and communications technologies (ICT) to show an example and set concrete targets to improve its energy efficiency. “Targeting energy-efficient and low-carbon growth will help Europe face its biggest challenges: climate change, energy security and the economic crisis." said Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media. She also stated, “I see from the response of European ICT companies to the Commission's ongoing work that Europe is already well ahead in using ICT for greening the economy”.
Based on the observation that ICTs are now used by almost all branches of the economy, the Commission is seeking to promote their use in the belief that they will help reduce European carbon emissions. ICT-enabled systems can reduce, for example, energy consumption of buildings in the EU by up to 17% and carbon emission in transport logistics by up to 27%. The Commission is also encouraging consumers to use smart meters, which can give consumers comprehensive information about their energy consumption. According to Commission estimates, smart meters can lower energy consumption by up to 10%. The Commission also announced a new public consultation to establish a common base for commitments to and claims of improved energy efficiency. Only by identifying who does what within the set deadlines, that targets have a real chance of being achieved. According to an analysis of the contributions, the Commission will adopt in the second half of 2009 a Recommendation with more specific measures once the results of this consultation have been analysed. At an industrial level, the Commission will encourage the ICT sector to reduce it own carbon emissions (which are around 2% of all emissions in Europe) and develop partnerships with big energy consuming industries (particularly buildings, construction and transport) to further improve the energy performance through the use of energy-efficient ICT tools such as heating, ventilation, lighting and design. Member States, central, regional and local authorities are urged to take the lead in driving demand for innovative ICT-based solutions through procurement, innovation programmes, pilot projects and exchange of best practices. (I.L./trans/rh)