A4-0084/99

Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a multiannual programme for the promotion of energy efficiency (1998 - 2002) (COM(97)0550 - C4-0072/98 - 97/0371(SYN))

The proposal was approved with the following amendments:

(Amendment 1)

Recital 4

>Original text>

Whereas to achieve significant reductions in Community CO2 emissions further efforts will have to be made, particularly since CO2 emissions due to energy consumption are expected to increase by 5 to 8% between 1995 and 2000, assuming normal economic growth; whereas, therefore, additional measures are indispensable;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas to achieve significant reductions in Community CO2 emissions further efforts will have to be made, particularly since CO2 emissions due to energy consumption are expected to increase by 5 to 8% between 1995 and 2000, assuming normal economic growth

; whereas therefore additional legislative measures at Community level and at the level of the Member States are indispensable;

(Amendment 2)

Recital 7

>Original text>

Whereas improvement in the management of energy is urgently needed in order to contribute to the protection of the environment, to a better security of energy supply and to sustainable development;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas improvement in the management of energy

, above all enabling the extensive potential for energy savings to be exploited, is urgently needed in order to contribute to the protection of the environment, to a better security of energy supply and to sustainable development;

(Amendment 3)

Recital 9

>Original text>

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 levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions; whereas energy should be integrated into that effort;

>Text following EP vote>

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 levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions; whereas energy should be integrated into that effort;

whereas, in particular, the promotion of sustainable and renewable energies and energy-saving technologies should be taken into account in this connection;

(Amendment 4)

Recital 11

>Original text>

Whereas the Community recognised 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 Council on this communication, and the Resolution of the European Parliament of 16 July 1993 stated that those activities should be pursued, amplified and utilised as a support for the energy strategy of the Community; whereas this initiative for regional actions should now be totally incorporated into a new SAVE II programme;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas the Community recognised the SAVE programme as an important element of the Community's CO2 reduction strategy;

whereas the SAVE programme has not, however, achieved the major objective of improving energy intensity of final consumption and energy efficiency; 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 Council on this communication, and the Resolution of the European Parliament of 16 July 1993 stated that those activities should be pursued, amplified and utilised as a support for the energy strategy of the Community; whereas this initiative for regional actions should now be totally incorporated into a new SAVE II programme;

(Amendment 5)

Recital 14

>Original text>

Whereas the SAVE II programme aims at improving energy intensity of final consumption by a further one percentage point per annum over that which would have been otherwise attained;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas the SAVE II programme aims at improving energy intensity of final consumption by a further

1.5 percentage points per annum over that which would have been otherwise attained;

(Amendment 6)

Recital 14a (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas legislation is the most cost-effective way of improving energy intensity of final consumption and energy efficiency; whereas the form of the legislation should be left to the Member States;

(Amendment 7)

Recital 16

>Original text>

Whereas, in its opinion on the Commission's Green Paper on energy policy, the European Parliament called for the formulation of objectives and a common programme for energy efficiency and savings compatible with the objectives concerning the emissions of greenhouse gases as agreed in Rio de Janeiro (1992) and Berlin (1995), called for a SAVE II programme and requested that the Commission clarify the role which it intends to play in energy savings and efficiency by creating practical projects;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas, in its opinion on the Commission's Green Paper on energy policy, the European Parliament called for the formulation of objectives and a common programme for

minimum objectives in the areas of energy efficiency and savings compatible with the objectives concerning the emissions of greenhouse gases as agreed in Rio de Janeiro (1992), Berlin (1995) and Kyoto (1997), called for a SAVE II programme endowed with considerably more resources than the SAVE programme and requested that the Commission clarify the role which it intends to play in energy savings and efficiency by creating practical projects;

(Amendment 8)

Recital 18

>Original text>

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;

>Text following EP vote>

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 such figures could be increased by an appropriate shift in the use of energy sources;

(Amendment 9)

Recital 19

>Original text>

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

>Text following EP vote>

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

whereas one of the main points of the programme is the drafting of Community legal provisions since the progress achieved under the SAVE programme in terms of improved energy efficiency is primarily due to Community legislative acts (directives) providing for the implementation of binding provisions by the Member States;

(Amendment 10)

Recital 20

>Original text>

Whereas in order to prevent duplication and achieve synergy, care should be taken in implementing the programme to ensure close cooperation with other Community programmes linked directly with energy efficiency promotion;

>Text following EP vote>

Whereas in order to prevent duplication and achieve synergy, care should be taken in implementing the programme to ensure close cooperation with other Community programmes linked directly with energy efficiency promotion

, and with complementary activities in the field of renewable energy sources;

(Amendment 11)

Article 1(1)

>Original text>

1. The Community shall implement, within the Energy Framework Programme, a multiannual specific programme for the preparation and implementation of schemes and measures in a cost-effective manner in order to promote energy efficiency within the Community. The general overall objectives of this programme shall be:

>Text following EP vote>

1.

The Community shall implement, within the Energy Framework Programme, a multiannual specific programme for the preparation and implementation of legislative and non-legislative schemes and measures in a cost-effective manner in order to promote energy efficiency within the Community, aimed in particular at the enacting of additional legal provisions to those issued under SAVE. The general overall objectives of this programme shall be:

>Original text>

(a) to stimulate energy efficiency measures in all sectors;

>Text following EP vote>

(a)

to stimulate energy efficiency measures in all sectors;

>Original text>

(b) to encourage investments in energy conservation by private and public consumers and by industry;

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

to encourage investments in energy conservation, and conversion to renewable energy sources, by private and public consumers and by industry;

>Original text>

(c) to create the conditions for improving the energy intensity of final consumption.

>Text following EP vote>

(c)

to create the conditions for improving the energy intensity of final consumption by a further 1.5 percentage points per annum over that which would otherwise have been attained.

(Amendment 12)

Article 1(1)(ca) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

(ca) to lay the foundations for the development of new instruments and mechanisms to speed up and coordinate market penetration by all sustainable energy technologies.

(Amendment 13)

Article 2(a)

>Original text>

(a) studies and other related measures designed to implement and supplement Community schemes (such as voluntary agreements, mandates to standardisation bodies, cooperative procurements and legislation) for improving energy efficiency, studies concerning the effects of energy pricing on energy efficiency, and studies with a view to establishing energy efficiency as a criterion within Community programmes;

>Text following EP vote>

(a)

studies and other related measures designed to introduce additional and implement and supplement existing Community schemes (such as voluntary agreements, mandates to standardisation bodies, cooperative procurements and legislation in the following areas:

- an energy certificate for buildings,

- insulation for new buildings,

- the promotion of third-party funding of energy-saving investments in the energy sector,

- regular checks on boilers,

- minimum standards for electrically-operated office machinery (in particular computers/screens) and household appliances,

- combined heat and power

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

and, in particular, energy standards in transport) for improving energy efficiency, studies concerning the effects of energy pricing on energy efficiency, with a view to introducing minimum prices and tariff systems adapted to the structure of renewable energy, and studies with a view to establishing energy efficiency as a criterion within Community programmes. Furthermore, studies to assess the effects of Community energy legislation and other measures, studies for the development of voluntary agreements on objectives and the monitoring thereof and involvement in internationally coordinated activities, inter alia, are planned. Finally, targeted research is to be undertaken aimed at reducing private and commercial individual transport in conurbations, accompanied by a survey of the studies already carried out on this subject by governmental and non-governmental organisations worldwide;

(Amendment 14)

Article 2(aa) (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

(aa) measures to encourage the switch from conventional power stations to renewable energy facilities and decentralised heat and power plants;

(Amendment 15)

Article 2(b)

>Original text>

(b) targeted sectoral pilot schemes aimed at speeding up investment in energy efficiency and/or improving energy use patterns, to be carried out by public and private firms or organisations and by existing Community-wide networks or temporary Community-wide groupings of organisations and/or firms set up to carry out these schemes;

>Text following EP vote>

(b)

targeted sectoral pilot schemes aimed at speeding up investment in energy efficiency with a view to switching from one source of energy to another and/or improving energy use patterns, to be carried out by public and private firms or organisations, local independent energy centres, and by existing Community-wide networks or temporary Community-wide groupings of organisations and/or firms set up to carry out these schemes (these concern in particular ad hoc actions through closer cooperation between the key operators by means of Community-wide networks; for example, projects by associations in the building sector (for instance, associations of architects), by firms/associations in the electricity and/or gas sectors (for example, integrated planning of resources) and by municipal associations (for example, projects to increase energy efficiency in urban transport)); studies of the implications of measures proposed by the European institutions (for example on EU tax legislation) for the objectives of the SAVE II programme;

(Amendment 16)

Article 2(c)

>Original text>

(c) measures proposed by the Commission for fostering exchanges of experience aimed at improving coordination between international, Community, national, regional and local activities, using appropriate means of disseminating information;

>Text following EP vote>

(c)

measures proposed by the Commission for fostering exchanges of experience aimed at improving coordination between international, Community, national, regional and local activities, using appropriate means of disseminating information; as regards the dissemination of information via networks, specific target groups, or consumers in general, should be reached by all the available media (publications, videos, workshops, conferences and seminars and databases);

(Amendment 19)

Article 2(e)

>Original text>

(e) monitoring energy efficiency progress in the Community and in each Member State; ongoing evaluation and monitoring of the schemes and measures carried out under the Programme;

>Text following EP vote>

(e)

monitoring energy efficiency progress in the Community and in each Member State; ongoing evaluation and monitoring of the schemes and measures carried out under the Programme, with actual measurements (for example, energy auditing) before and after the implementation of measures, interventions, incentives, etc. An independent group of experts should be set up in this context to monitor the utilisation of the instruments developed under SAVE and to assess progress as regards energy efficiency. Furthermore, by using SAVE II as a catalyst in other Community programmes such as the Regional Fund, potential energy efficiency projects which can be supported by these programmes should be identified.

(Amendment 20)

Article 2(f)

>Original text>

(f) specific measures to improve energy management at regional and urban level with a view to achieving greater cohesion between Member States and regions in the field of energy efficiency.

>Text following EP vote>

(f)

specific measures to improve energy management at regional and urban level and the introduction of renewable energy (such actions shall include, inter alia, an improvement in the energy efficiency of primary energy production units causing environmental pollution, a reduction in the consequences for local consumers and the utilisation of the existing potential of production units) with a view to achieving greater cohesion between Member States and regions in the field of energy efficiency. This action is designed to promote ties between the various Member States or the regions of various Member States with a view to the exchange of information. Furthermore, the requisite sources of information (including databases) should be established to allow access to information on local initiatives. Finally, regional centres of excellence should be set up to act as centres for local energy management research and training activities and to contribute to the development of solutions as regards the use of regional sources of energy.

(Amendment 18)

Article 6, 2nd and 3rd paragraphs (new)

>Original text>

>Text following EP vote>

The Committee shall be responsible for monitoring the priority given throughout the framework programme to those activities designed to enhance the contribution of sustainable energy technologies, in particular those which promote the efficient use of renewable energies, given its potential in terms of environmental protection and job creation.

In so doing, the Committee shall take account of the guidelines and recommendations issued by the working party composed of representatives of the Commission and the Member States provided for in the White Paper on renewable energies and by the similar (or joint) body which results from the development of the energy efficiency strategy proposed by the Commission.

Legislative resolution embodying Parliament's opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting a multiannual programme for the promotion of energy efficiency (1998-2002) (COM(97)0550 - C4-0072/98 - 97/0371(SYN))(Cooperation procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(97)0550 - 97/0371(SYN)),

- having been consulted by the Council pursuant to Articles 130s (1) and 189c of the EC Treaty (C4-0072/98),

- having regard to Rule 58 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection(A4-0084/99),

1. Approves the Commission proposal, subject to Parliament's amendments;

2. Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 189a(2) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to incorporate Parliament's amendments in the common position that it adopts in accordance with Article 189c(a) of the EC Treaty;

4. Should the Council intend to depart from the text approved by Parliament, calls on the Council to notify Parliament and for the conciliation procedure to be initiated;

5. Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and Commission.