Proposal for a Council Decision concerning a multiannual programme for the promotion of energy efficiency in the Community - SAVE II (95/C 346/06) COM(95) 225 final - 95/0131(SYN)

(Submitted by the Commission on 7 November 1995)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Union, and in particular Article 130s (1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

In cooperation with the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

Whereas Article 130r of the Treaty states that one objective of the action of the Community relating to the environment shall be to ensure a prudent and rational utilization of natural recources;

Whereas the Council of Environment and Energy Ministers at their meeting on 29 October 1990 set an objective of stabilizing total CO2 emissions by the year 2000 at the 1990 level in the Community as a whole;

Whereas Council Decision 93/389/EEC (1) established a monitoring mechanism for CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases;

Whereas nonetheless, despite efforts made, the CO2 emissions in the Community generated by energy consumption are expected to increase by 5 to 8 % between 1995 and 2000, assuming normal economic growth;

Whereas the Commission in its communication of 8 February 1990 on energy and the environment highlighted energy efficiency as the cornerstone of future efforts to reduce the negative impact of energy on the environment;

Whereas the improvement in the management of energy will have a positive effect on the environment, the security of energy supply and sustainable development;

Whereas the Commission has communicated to the Council by means of the Green Paper of 11 January 1995 its views on the future of energy policy in the Community, and the role of energy-saving and energy efficiency measures;

Whereas Article 130a of the Treaty provides that the Community should develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion, and that it should, in particular, reduce disparities between the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions; whereas energy should be integrated into that effort;

Whereas by Council Decision 91/565/EEC (2) a Community energy efficiency programme (SAVE), aimed at strengthening energy efficiency infrastructures within the Community, was adopted; whereas that programme will expire on 31 December 1995;

Whereas the Community recognized the SAVE programme as an important element of the Community's CO2 reduction strategy; whereas the communication of the Commission of 8 May 1991 on the European Community's energy programming activities at regional level, the conclusion of the Energy Council on this communication, and the resolution of the European Parliament of 16 July 1993 (3) stated that those actions should be pursued, amplified and utilized as a support to the energy strategy of the Community; whereas this initiative for regional actions should now be totally incorporated into a new SAVE II programme;

Whereas by Decision No 1110/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) a Fourth Framework Programme for actions in technological research, development and demonstration was established; whereas energy efficiency policy constitutes an important instrument for the use and promotion of the new energy technologies that the Framework Programme will establish; and whereas the SAVE II programme represents a policy instrument which complements this programme;

Whereas the Council of Environment Ministers at their meeting of 15 and 16 December 1994 stated that the target of stabilizing CO2 emissions can only be achieved by a coordinated package of measures to improve energy efficiency and the rational use of energy which are based on supply and demand at all levels of energy production, conversion, transport and consumption and to exploit renewable energies, and that a local energy management programme should be one of these measures;

Whereas improved energy efficiency will have a positive impact on both the environment and the security of energy supplies which are global in nature; whereas a high level of international cooperation is desirable to produce the most positive results;

Whereas all the elements of the Community action programme for improving the efficiency of electricity use set out in Council Decision 89/364/EEC (5) should be incorporated into the SAVE II programme; whereas therefore that Decision should be repealed;

Whereas between 180 and 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided by the year 2000 by an improvement of 5 % in the energy intensity of final demand additional to the conventional expectations;

Whereas a strengthened SAVE II programme is an important and necessary instrument for promoting increased energy efficiency;

Whereas it is politically desirable to open the SAVE II programme to the associated Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) in accordance with the conclusions of the European Council meeting in Copenhagen in June 1994, and as outlined on the Commission communication to the Council on the subject in May 1994;

Whereas, since the budget for the SAVE II programme is reserved only for participants from the Member States, the appropriations required for the participation of the associated CEECs in the programme will be made available from other Community resources,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. The Community shall support a five-year programme of measures and actions in order to promote energy efficiency within the Community. The general overall objectives of this programme are to stimulate energy efficiency measures and increased levels of investment for energy saving, and to contribute to improving the energy intensity of final demand by a further percentage point per annum over that which would have been otherwise attained.

2. Community financing will be given under the 'SAVE II programme to promote energy efficiency in the Community` hereafter referred to as 'the programme`, for actions which fall within the objectives of this Decision.

Article 2

Under the programme, the following categories of actions and measures on energy efficiency policy shall be financed:

(a) studies and other actions leading to the implementation and completion of Community legislation and performance standards governing energy efficiency;

(b) sectoral pilot actions aimed at accelerating energy efficiency investment and/or improving consumer energy use patterns, to be carried out essentially by Community-wide networks;

(c) targeted sectoral pilot actions aimed at accelerating energy efficiency investment and improving consumer energy use patterns, to be carried out essentially by public and private enterprises;

(d) measures proposed by the Commission to foster the exchange of experience, mainly through information networks, aimed at promoting better coordination between Community, international, national, regional and local activities through the establishment of appropriate means for exchanging information;

(e) measures proposed otherwise than by the Commission to foster the exchange of experience, mainly through information networks, aimed at promoting better coordination between Community, international, national, regional and local activities through the establishment of appropriate means for exchanging information;

(f) an action relating to the detailed sectoral monitoring of energy efficiency progress in the Community, in individual Member States and including the programme itself;

(g) specific actions in favour of greater cohesion between Member States and regions in the field of energy efficiency through support for the creation of energy efficiency infrastructures in those Member States and regions where energy efficiency policies are not yet sufficiently developed;

(h) specific actions in favour of energy management at the regional and urban level;

(i) studies and other actions in support of energy efficiency initiatives, within other programmes, with a view to establishing energy efficiency as a criterion within Community strategic programmes;

(j) evaluation and monitoring of the actions and measures undertaken under points (a) to (i).

Article 3

1. All the costs relating to the actions and measures referred to in Article 2 (a), (d), (f), (i) and (j) shall be borne by the budget of the Community.

2. The level of funding for the actions and measures referred to in Article 2 (b), (c), (e), (g) and (h) shall be set at a maximum of 50 % of their total cost.

3. The balance of the funding of the actions and measures referred to in Article 2 (b), (c), (e), (g) and (h) may be made up from either public or private sources or from a combination of the two.

Article 4

1. The Commission will be responsible for the financial execution and implementation of the programme at Community level.

2. The conditions and guidelines to be applied for the support of all actions and measures referred to in Article 2 shall be defined each year in accordance with cost effectiveness criteria, the list of priorities referred to in the second paragraph of Article 6, the trends in energy efficiency identified by the action described in Article 2 (f) and according to the procedure laid down in Article 5.

Article 5

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee of an advisory character composed of the representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft wthin a time-limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if necessary by taking a vote.

The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the right to have its position recorded in the minutes.

The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the committee. It shall inform the committee of the manner in which its opinion has been taken into account.

Article 6

The Member States shall report to the Commission annually on national energy efficiency programmes with a view to assisting the Commission in formulating appropriate flanking measures.

The Commission shall formulate on an annual basis a list of priorities for funding under the programme which shall reflect an examination of the reports submitted under the first paragraph. This list shall take into account the complementarity between the SAVE II programme and the national programmes. Priority shall be given to those areas where such complementarity is greatest.

Article 7

1. After the third year of the programme, the Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the energy efficiency measures undertaken at Community and Member State level and on the results achieved, with particular reference to the objective outlined under Article 1. The report shall be accompanied by proposals for any amendments which may be necessary to the programme in the light of these results.

2. On expiry of the programme, the Commission shall make an overall assessment of the results obtained through the application of this Decision, and of the consistency of national and Community actions. It shall present a report thereon to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, stating, in particular, how far the objective outlined under Article 1 has been achieved.

Article 8

Decision 89/364/EEC is hereby repealed.

Article 9

The programme shall be open to the associated Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) in accordance with the conditions contained in the additional protocols to the association agreements concerning their participation in Community programmes.

Article 10

This Decision shall apply from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2000.

Article 11

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

(1) OJ No L 167, 9. 7. 1993, p. 31.

(2) OJ No L 307, 8. 11. 1991, p. 34.

(3) OJ No C 255, 20. 9. 1993, p. 252.

(4) OJ No L 126, 18. 5. 1994, p. 1.

(5) OJ No L 157, 9. 6. 1989, pp. 32-34.