30. 11.90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 301/11 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision concerning the promotion of energy efficiency in the 
Community 
COM(90) 365 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 16 November 1990) 
(90/C 301/08) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas in its resolution of 15 January 1985 on the 
improvement of energy saving programmes in the 
Member States (l), the Council invited the latter to 
pursue and, where necessary, increase their efforts to 
promote the more rational use of energy by the further 
development of integrated energy saving policies; 
Whereas in its resolution of 15 September 1986 (2) the 
Council considered that the energy policy of the 
Community and the Member States must endeavour to 
achieve the objective of more secure conditions of supply 
through a vigorous policy for energy savings and the 
rational use of energy; whereas in that resolution the 
Council adopted for the Community the objective of 
achieving a more rational use of energy through 
improved energy efficiency and decided that the ef­
ficiency of final demand should be improved by at least 
20 % by 1995; Whereas Article 130r of the Treaty requires a prudent 
and rational utilization of natural resources and the 
rational use of energy is one of the principal means by 
which this objective can be respected and environmental 
pollution reduced; 
Whereas the Commission in its communitcation to the 
Council of 3 May 1988 on the principal results of the 
review of Member States' energy policies (3) noted that 
the Community would fail to achieve the energy ef­
ficiency objective of a further 20 % saving if vigorous 
measures were not adopted; 
Whereas the promotion of energy efficiency in all 
regions of the European Community will help to 
reinforce the economic and social development of the 
Community as a whole, an objective which, according to 
Article 130r of the Treaty, should be taken into account 
when implementing common policies and the internal 
market; 
Whereas the Commission in its communication to the 
Council of 8 February 1990 on energy and the en­
vironment (4) stressed that energy efficiency had to be 
increased to reduce the negative impact of energy on the 
environment; 
Whereas improved energy efficiency will have a positive 
impact on both the security of energy supplies and the 
environment, and as these are by nature of global signifi­
cance, a high level of international cooperation is 
desirable to produce the most positive results; 
Whereas the Council in its Decision 89/364/EEC estab­
lished a Community action programme for improving the 
efficiency of electricity use (s); 
(') OJ No C 20, 22. 1. 1985, p. 29. 
(2) OJ No C 241, 25. 9. 1986, p. 1. (') COM(88) 174 final, 3. 5. 1988. 
O COM(89) 369 final, 8. 2. 1990. 
(') OJ No L 157, 9. 6. 1989, p. 32. 
No C 301/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 11. 90 
Whereas the Treaty makes no provision for powers other 
than those of Article 235 for the adoption of this 
Decision, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
Article 1 
The Community shall, under the conditions laid down in 
this Decision, support a series of energy efficiency 
initiatives within the context of the programme entitled 
SAVE (Specific Actions for Vigorous Energy Efficiency). 
The cost to the Community of giving effect to the 
actions established by this Decision shall be determined 
annually by the budgetary authority. 
Article 2 
Three categories of action on energy efficiency shall be 
financed under the SAVE programme, namely: 
(a) technical evaluations for gathering the data needed 
for defining technical standards or specifications; 
(b) measures to support the Member States' initiatives 
for extending or creating infrastructures concerned 
with energy saving. These initiatives include: 
— training and information activities with regard to 
energy efficiency at regional level, 
— sectoral pilot measures, 
— measures to implement the programme for 
improving the efficiency of electricity use 
adopted by Decision 89/364/EEC; 
(c) the creation of an information network aimed at 
promoting better coordination between national, 
Community and international activities through the 
establishment of appropriate means for exchanging 
information and at evaluating the impact of the 
various measures provided for in this Article. 
Article 3 
1. All costs incurred by the action referred to in point 
(a) of Article 2 shall be borne by the Community. 2. The level of Community support for the action 
referred to in points (b) and (c) of Article 2 shall be 
between 30 and 50 % of its total cost. The balance may 
be made up from either government or private funding 
or by a combination of both. In exceptional and justi­
fiable cases, Community funding may exceed the 50 % 
limit. 
Article 4 
1. The Commission shall establish guidelines annually 
for the support measures referred to in point (b) of 
Article 2. 
2. The proposed initiatives referred to in point (b) of 
Article 2 shall be presented annually by the Member 
States to the Commission, which shall decide on the level 
and conditions of Community funding according to the 
procedure referred to in Article 6. 
Article 5 
1. The Commission shall be responsible for the 
implementation of the programme. 
2. The Commission shall be assisted by an advisory 
committee, hereinafter referred to as 'the Committee', 
composed of the representatives of the Member States 
and chaired by the representative of the Commission. 
Article 6 
As regards the measures referred to in point (b) of 
Article 2, 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 within 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 ask 
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 7 
The Member States shall nominate national or regional 
bodies which shall be responsible for implementing the 
initiatives referred to in point (b) of Article 2. The 
Commission shall sign contracts with the nominated 
bodies relating to the support measures. 
30. 11.90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 301/13 
Article 8 
Three years after the entry into force of this programme 
and also at its expiry, the Commission shall present to 
the European Parliament and the Council, with a view to 
evaluating the results obtained, a report on the 
application of the present Decision and on the coherence 
of national and Community action. Article 9 
This Decision shall apply from 1 January 1991 to 31 
December 1995. 
Article 10 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.