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Energy efficiency - European Parliament votes on new EU approach
Specialist Press Release (EP/SP05/2005) - June 8th, 2005
SUMMARYMEPs have this week adopted far-reaching targets for energy-saving measures, as they voted through their 1st reading of a new EU directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services. The European Parliament has set more ambitious, binding targets than those proposed by the European Commission in its draft. MEPs want to see energy savings going up in three stages from 2006-2015, so that the overall amount of energy saved would be at least 11.5% by 2015, compared to the levels of energy sold to consumers today. Attention now turns to the Council of Ministers, who must give their views before the proposal can become law - if the Council does not accept all of the 97 amendments adopted this week, the proposal will return to the European Parliament for a 2nd reading at a later date. Among the other issues raised in the amendments adopted this week:
CONTACTSimon Duffin, Press Officer, European Parliament UK Office, tel 020 7227 4300, simon.duffin@europarl.europa.eu
DEBATEEXCERPTS from Monday's debate (6 June 2005) in Strasbourg:Commissioner Piebalgs: As you know, I consider energy efficiency in the Union to be a priority area for Community energy policy. I am gratified that the European Parliament strongly shares this view. The proposal for a directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services can prove to be one of the most effective tools at our disposal, not only as a means of combating climate change and improving competitiveness, but for improving our security of supply, increasing employment within the EU and establishing a viable market for energy efficiency... Two issues that were discussed extensively in the European Parliament and in the Council were the compulsory character of the targets and the measurement systems for energy efficiency achievements. Throughout the debates in Parliament and in the Council, the Commission has maintained its position on the importance of mandatory targets, for both the overall target and for the public sector target. Fiona Hall (Liberal Democrat, North East): we need this European directive first and foremost because of what the United Kingdom scientific adviser has called the 'elephant in the living room'; that is, the enormous threat posed by climate change which we largely pretend not to notice, even though it is sitting massively in front of us. We also need this directive because of a large and growly bear in our living room. That bear is the threat to our energy supply. By 2020, Europe will be 90% dependent on Russia for oil. Already we get a quarter of our oil and half our gas from Russia. The easiest way to lessen our energy dependency is by using less energy. I welcome, in particular, the provisions for accurate metering and billing. In the United Kingdom, the single biggest cause of consumer debt is the arrival of a sudden, enormous utility bill on the doorstep. The requirement for regular bills, based on actual consumption, will put an end to that problem. The targets in this directive are not ambitious; they are way below what is technologically possible. The advantage of sticking with these modest targets is that they are absolutely realistic and attainable. There are whispers coming from the Council that higher targets might be acceptable if they were merely indicative, not mandatory. But high targets are meaningless if they are just a wish list Catherine Stihler (Labour, Scotland): Consumers deserve to have full and fair information on their energy use. The UK gas and energy watchdog, Energywatch, does an excellent job in giving information to consumers. For example, if you type in your postcode on their website you can find out who is your cheapest supplier. I hope implementation of this directive will be fast-tracked in Britain to make it easier for consumers to play their part in reducing energy consumption and tackling climate change. The directive will require the introduction of smart metering services that allow consumers to check at a glance how much energy they are using and how much it will cost. The new meters are obviously part of a package of measures that will also force energy companies for the first time to give individual consumers accurate and detailed bills, along with information about the environmental impact of their energy use. This directive will enable people and businesses to assess accurately the environmental and financial impacts of their energy consumption and make informed choices on how to reduce such impacts. I fully support this directive.
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