Press release

Feeble EU energy efficiency programme set to fail

22 June 2011

A new draft European Directive on energy efficiency published by the European Commission today (Wednesday 22 June) is too timid even to deliver on the EU's own modest ambitions for energy savings, Friends of the Earth warned today.

The draft Directive aims to boost activity from Member States to kick start progress towards meeting the EU's target to save 20 per cent of its energy by 2020.

But Friends of the Earth says the Directive is destined to fail because it only proposes voluntary targets for Member States, with a progress review in 2014 - despite an EU Impact Assessment which concludes that only binding targets will deliver on the 20 per cent target.

Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said:

"When it comes to taking real action on energy efficiency the EU appears to have switched off.

"This Directive is far too feeble to meet the EU's target to slash energy waste by 20 per cent by 2020. 

"Despite the Commission's own analysis showing that binding targets are needed to meet EU energy efficiency aims, the draft Directive only sets voluntary goals. 

"Slashing energy waste by 20 per cent would create two million new jobs, reduce our dependence on energy imports, and save householders over €1000 per year - as well as being the bare minimum needed to cut carbon emissions at the speed required to tackle climate change."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1.    The draft Directive, 'Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC', was published by the European Commission on 22 June 2011.

2.    The European Commission's Impact Assessment for the draft Directive states that of the options it considers, only in the event of "binding national targets for primary energy consumption" will the 20% target be achieved. 

3.    The UK is one of only four of the 27 EU member states that declined to set a national energy efficiency target in its National Reform Programme (NRP), submitted as part of the Europe 2020 strategy.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust