Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on an Action Plan to Improve Energy Efficiency in the European Community"

(2001/C 144/06)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on an Action Plan to Improve Energy Efficiency in the European Community (COM(2000) 247 final);

having regard to the decision taken by the Commission on 26 April 2000, under the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee of the Regions on the matter;

having regard to the decision of the President of the Committee of the Regions of 5 July 2000 to instruct Commission 4 - Spatial Planning, Urban Issues, Energy, Environment - to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to its opinion on the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on preparing for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (CdR 295/99 fin)(1);

having regard to its opinion on a proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Promotion of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources in the Internal Electricity Market (CdR 191/2000);

having regard to the resolution of the Council on Energy Efficiency on 7 December 1998;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 270/00 rev 1) adopted by Commission 4 on 4 October 2000 for which the rapporteur was Ms McNamara (IRL, EA);

whereas energy efficiency makes a key contribution to the requirement of climate protection and to meeting the Union's reduction obligations as agreed in Kyoto;

whereas recent events with regard to the rising price of fuel and the resultant shortages have focused attention on the problems of energy supply and the need to promote the efficient use of energy,

adopted the following opinion unanimously at its 36th plenary session on 13 and 14 December 2000 (meeting of 13 December).

Views and recommendations of the Committee of the Regions

1. welcomes the Commission's determination, to improve energy efficiency in the European Union, which will lead to a more sustainable energy policy and enhanced security of supply, and will provide a key step towards reducing greenhouse-gas emission to protect the climate, as agreed in Kyoto;

2. shares the Commission's view that the obligations for Member States in producing definitive/realistic timetables and adopting specific programmes is likely to give an added impetus to the promotion of Energy Efficiency and stresses the need to distinguish between EU and Member States responsibilities in the area of energy efficiency;

3. stresses that the Action Plan is designed to compliment and reinforce Member State activity;

4. regrets that the Action Plan has been issued separately from other proposals on energy; would have preferred that the proposals on liberalisation of the electricity and gas markets, the Renewables Directive, the Energy Efficiency Action Plan as well as the Climate Change Programme had been presented together in the same policy document, thereby increasing the coherence of the Union energy policy;

5. underscores the necessity for the Action Plan to contribute substantially to the integration of energy and environmental objectives into other policy areas, and looks forward to specific proposals to integrate coherently energy efficiency into other policy areas;

6. stresses the unique position which local and regional authorities have, particularly in terms of information dissemination at the level of the consumer;

7. shares the Commission's view that energy prices should fully reflect the external costs associated with energy consumption including social and environmental costs;

8. welcomes the Commission's target for reduced energy intensity of one percentage point per year, which will realise 66 % of the estimated 18 % savings potential by the year 2010. It should be made clear in which areas the concept of "energy intensity" is to be applied and how it is to be measured;

9. stresses the need to promote goals that surpass the 1 % per annum target;

10. emphasises the need to meet the Community-wide target of doubling the use of cogeneration to 18 % of EU electricity production by 2010 as set out in the European Cogeneration Review, in this Action Plan, and in the Cogeneration Plan;

11. welcomes the consolidation of the SAVE programme within the Action Plan;

12. considers that the present budget available to the SAVE programme should be increased in order to allow a more comprehensive package of measures and projects to be implemented;

13. points out that the SAVE programme should be expanded to provide for an area of activity specific to local and regional authorities;

14. welcomes the objective in the Action Plan to integrate energy efficiency measures into non-energy policies and programmes, and calls for increased dissemination through the SAVE programme of the energy implications of these areas, particularly in dealing with the integration of energy efficiency into spatial development, environment, and social policies;

15. applauds the Commission's tax proposal, to broaden the minimum tax base for energy products, and stresses the necessity to implement tax exemptions or concessions on a sliding scale basis for energy efficient investments;

16. points out that under the EC Treaty, the term support is restricted to mean state aid, thus establishing the basis whereby price-fixing rules involving legal trade are not subject to the ban on aid;

17. recognises that conditions are not yet in place for a decision on community rules for support instruments;

18. welcomes initiatives to harmonise Member State activities in energy efficiency, and to make them more coherent in the broader European context;

19. stresses the need to expand pre-accession activities especially in the areas of energy audits, and the establishment of regional and local energy offices;

20. emphasises the need to consolidate the Commission's proposal for a 50 % reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre and per payload kilometre, however the shorter term aim should be increased to 15-20 % in order to copperfasten the achievability of this aim;

21. considers it essential that the Commission guidelines on state aid for environmental protection should contain appropriate assessment criteria that reflect the need for public support for increased energy efficiency;

22. welcomes the Commission proposal to provide improved consumer information and in particular the strengthening and the extension of the EU labelling scheme to cover all major appliances and installed equipment, and the Committee of the Regions further stresses the need to do so not only in the domestic and business sectors, but also in selected forms of light and heavy industry;

23. welcomes the forthcoming report to the Parliament and the Council on the impact of the EU labelling scheme, and welcomes the proposal to increase enforcement of the scheme by the Member States;

24. urges the Commission to strengthen its efforts regarding market transformation towards more energy-efficient electrical appliances; proposes therefore that the Commission set up rules, or alternatively reach agreements on minimum efficiency standards for a broad range of electrical appliances;

25. supports the promotion of negotiated voluntary agreements between Member States and equipment manufacturers as a means of self-regulation in the absence of legislation;

26. point out that local and regional authorities are already participating in, voluntary agreements, energy audits, labelling, and best practice initiatives in energy efficiency;

27. points out that local and regional authorities are ideally positioned to lead the way in terms of public procurement of energy efficiency technologies, which would nurture a developing industry, and also allow for increased dissemination of results;

28. welcomes the extension of the SAVE Directive (93/76/EEC) to cover such areas as thermal insulation in existing buildings, installed equipment, expanded certification and granting of licences;

29. welcomes the launch of the EU Green Light Programme to promote efficient lighting and best practice in commercial and public buildings;

30. welcomes the fact that the Commission recognises the central role of local and regional authorities in energy management, and in particular would highlight the important role in energy efficiency promotion which is undertaken by the energy-management agencies which have been established in cities, regions, and islands through the SAVE programme;

31. stresses the need to continue to establish energy-management agencies throughout all cities and regions;

32. suggests that the Commission should further promote the establishment of more Energy Agencies and should consider methods whereby financial support would be available beyond the initial three-year period as is presently the case in the SAVE Programme;

33. stresses the need to strengthen the role played by existing and proposed energy-management agencies in energy efficiency at local and regional levels, through their participation in the implementation of the Action Plan;

34. urges the Commission to seek to raise the level of implementation of energy auditing amongst commercial consumers, especially since it is proven that it improves competitiveness;

35. stresses the need to ensure that, in the absence of harmonisation, national support schemes are not put under undue strain by trade between the Member States.

Brussels, 13 December 2000.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Jos Chabert

(1) OJ C 57, 29.2.2000, p. 81.