Brussels, 15/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 13 July, the final report of the Energy Efficiency Watch (EEW) on national energy efficiency action plans was published and which appeals for a standardised format for these plans in the future. Coordinated by the European Forum on Renewable Energies (Eurofores), the EEW is also backed by several parliamentary members of Eurofores who are actively involved in sustainable energy matters (the German Social Democrat, Mechtild Rothe, the Luxembourg Green, Claude Turmes and the British Liberal, Fiona Hall), the European Commission and other stakeholders (NGOs and industry).
The 2006/32/EC Directive on Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services (ESD) aims at enhancing the cost-effective improvement of energy and end-use efficiency in member states of the EU (mechanisms, incentives, institutional, legal and financial frameworks). In the context of the ESD, member states are aiming to set an indicative 9% target and to create the conditions for the development and promotion of markets for energy services by 2017. All these elements were compiled in the first raft of action plans for presentation for the 2008-11 period and were due in for presentation in June 2007 at the latest. Member states will then have to submit a second national action plan by June 2011 for the 2012-14 period, then a third for 2015-17.
12 of the 27 national action plans submitted in June 2007 were subject to an in-depth examination by the EEW. The action plans of Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom and Sweden were selected on the basis of several criteria (size of the country, GDP, geographical location, future Council presidencies etc). The report underlines, in particular, that in the absence of a standardised format, the national action plans are vary widely regard to the structure and quality of information provided. The EEW also deplores the methodological disparities between calculating the energy saving targets and the measures listed to attain them. The writers of the report also express doubts about obtaining the objectives within an exclusively indicative remit, particularly if they are compared to the binding targets assigned to member states over renewables and CO2 emissions (20% by 2020). The EEW welcomes, however, the coherency of the political measures planned in most of the national action plans, which promote mutual learning by member states through their individual experiences, particularly in view of the second series of plans for 2011. Although, the first plans are expected to provide basic information about the targets and measures, the second and third plans are due to provide additional information on assessing the impact of previous plans and the final results regarding the attainment of indicative energy saving targets. The EEW is therefore calling on the Commission to provide a standardised format for the next national action plans to facilitate the development of these plans and assess the impact of the measures outlined. (E.H./trans/rh)