Council Resolution of 7 December 1998 on energy efficiency in the European Community
Date: 1998-12-07
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, energy consumption, energy policy, energy supply, energy use, exchange of information

17.12.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  394/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL  RESOLUTION

of  7  December  1998

on  energy  efficiency  in  the  European  Community

(98/C  394/01)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

Having  regard  to  the  Council  resolution  of  8  July  1996
on  the  White  Paper,  "An  energy  policy  for  the  European
Union’(cid:216)(˛),

Having  regard  to  the  Council  resolution  of  8  June  1998
on  renewable  sources  of  energy(cid:216)(ˇ),

Having  regard  to  the  Council  resolution  of  18  December
1997  on  a  Community  strategy  to  promote  combined
heat  and  power(cid:216)(—),

Having  regard  to  the  Council  conclusions  of  11  May
and  16  and  17  June  1998  on  climate  change,

Having  regard  to  the  Kyoto  Protocol  to  the  United
Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change,

Having  regard  to  the  Energy  Charter  Treaty  and  the
Protocol  on  energy  efficiency  and  related  environmental
aspects,  and 
the  pan(cid:220)European  energy  conservation
initiative,

Having  regard  to  the  Presidency  conclusions  of  the
Cardiff  European  Council  concerning  the  integration  of
environmental  considerations  and 
sustainable  devel(cid:220)
opment  into  all  relevant  policy  areas,

Having  regard  to  the  SAVE  II  programme  and  to
the  discussions  concerning 
framework
programme  as  well  as  the  fifth  framework  programme  of
the  European  Community  for  research,  technological
development  and  demonstration  activities,

the  energy 

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  224,  1.8.1996,  p.  1.
(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  C  198,  24.6.1998,  p.  1.
(—)(cid:217)OJ  C  4,  8.1.1998,  p.  1.

1. WELCOMES  the  general  thrust  of  the  Commission’s
communication  on  energy  efficiency  in  the  European
Community,  "Towards  a  strategy  for  the  rational  use
ofenergy’  as  a  basis  for  the  development  of  actions  at
Community 
actions
undertaken  by  Member  States.

complementary 

level 

to 

and 

2. EMPHASISES  the  contribution  of  efficient  use  of
energy  to  security  of  supply,  economic  competi(cid:220)
tiveness 
and
environmental 
CONFIRMS  the  important  role  of  energy  efficiency
the  creation  of  business  opportunities  and
in 
employment  as  well  as 
its  global  and  regional
benefits.

protection 

specific 

3. REAFFIRMS  the  importance  of  the  further  devel(cid:220)
opment  and  implementation  of  appropriate  common
and  coordinated  policies  and  measures  (CCPMs)  for
the  energy  efficiency  sector,  as  a  complement  to
into
national  policies  and  measures  and 
account 
and
national 
priorities,  in  order  to  enable  the  Community  and
respective
Member 
commitments  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol;  CONFIRMS
that  such  CCPMs  should  be  developed  in  a  manner
which  is  consistent  with  the  three  key  objectives  of
energy  policy,  which  are  to  promote  security  of
the
supply,  competitiveness  and  protection  of 
environment.

taking 
characteristics 

achieve 

States 

their 

to 

level,  complementary 

4. CONFIRMS  the  importance  of  an  energy  efficiency
strategy  at  Community 
to
Member  States’  policies;  STRESSES  the  crucial  role
to  be  played  by  Member  States  in  achieving  this
strategy,  and  RECOMMENDS  Member  States  to
develop  and  implement,  in  conformity  with  national
procedures,  national  energy  efficiency 
strategies,
taking 
if  appropriate,  the  strategic
into  account, 
approach  at  Community  level.

5. NOTES 

the  Communication’s  assessment  of  an
economic  potential  for  energy  saving  available  in  the

C  394/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

17.12.98

Community  as  a  whole  by  the  year  2010  at  an
estimated  18(cid:216)%  of  1995  energy  consumption.

(i)(cid:217)the  increased  use  of  combined  heat  and  power
(CHP),  including  district  heating  and  cooling,
where  appropriate;

6. CONSIDERS 

to 

improve 

intensity  of 

that  the  Communication’s 

indicative
target  for  the  Community  as  a  whole  up  to  the  year
2010 
final
energy 
consumption  by  a  further  one  percentage  point  per
annum,  on  average,  over  that  which  would  have
otherwise  been  attained  is  ambitious  and  provides
useful  guidance  for  increased  efforts  at  Community
level  as  well  as  in  Member  States,  bearing  in  mind
the  need  to  reflect  differing  national  cricumstances
and  energy  price  levels.

raised 

7. STRESSES  that  the  profile  of  energy  efficiency  must
be 
renewed
commitment  strongly  made  by  the  Community  and
Member  States  to  the  rational  use  of  energy 
is
necessary.

significantly 

that 

and 

a 

8. BELIEVES  that,  inter  alia  in  the  context  of  the  new
commitments  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol,  present
Community  and  Member  States  activities  with
relevance  to  energy  efficiency  should  be  reassessed
in  order,  if  necessary,  to  adapt  their  focus,  improve
their  effectiveness  and  monitor  more  closely  these
activities.

9. NOTES  that  many  different  types  of  barriers  persist
which  prevent  the  realisation  of  the  potential  for
energy  saving,  and  that  it  is  a  challenge  to  public(cid:220)
policy  makers  to  create  a  framework 
in  which
energy  efficiency  initiatives  of  economic  operators
that  appropriate
can 
measures  are  either  already  available  or  could  be
developed  in  order  to  reduce  and  eliminate  these
barriers,  taking  into  account  the  principle  of  subsi(cid:220)
diarity.

flourish,  but  CONSIDERS 

10. CONSIDERS  that  increased  exchange  of  information
and  other  cooperation  between  Member  States  and
the  Commission  on  energy  efficiency  policies,
programmes,  measures  and  results  are  necessary.

11. CONFIRMS 

that 

the  development  of 

further
Community  activities  in  cooperation  with  Member
States  is  desirable,  for  example  in  relation  to  CCPMs
as  referred  to  in  point  (3);  RECALLS  its  conclusions
of  11  May  1998  (energy)  and  16  and  17  June  1998
in  the  field  of  energy  efficiency;
(environment) 
CONSIDERS  that  those  activities  could,  taking  into
account  the  principle  of  subsidiarity,  consist  for
example  of  measures  of  the  following  types:

(ii)(cid:217)increased  emphasis  especially  on  the  building
sector,  but  also  on  energy  use  by  industry  and
households;

(iii)(cid:217)increased  and  extended  use  of  labelling,  certifi(cid:220)

cation  and  standardisation;

(iv)(cid:217)increased 

dissemination 

best(cid:220)practice
the  application  of  energy

of 

information  on 
efficient  technologies  and  techniques;

(v)(cid:217)increased  use  of  negotiated  and 

long(cid:220)term
agreements  on  energy  efficiency  on  a  voluntary
basis;

legislation  and  the
(vi)(cid:217)the  revision  of  existing 
development 
instruments,
legal 
new 
including  the  use  of  mandatory  minimum  effi(cid:220)
if  other
ciency  standards, 
measures  are  not  appropriate;

if  necessary  and 

of 

(vii)(cid:217)the  use  of 

instruments  such  as  cooperative
in  compliance  with
technology  procurement 
competition  law  and  principles,  and  the  taking
account  of  energy  efficiency  in  public  sector
procurement  practices,  as  well  as  energy
audition,  if  appropriate;

(viii)(cid:217)wider  use  of  innovative  financing  instruments
including  third(cid:220)party  financing  and  guarantee(cid:220)
of(cid:220)results  schemes.

12. RECOGNISES 

of 

the 

importance 

spreading
knowledge,  experience  and  awareness  throughout
the  Community  in  the  field  of  energy  efficiency,  and
of  developing  and  supporting  specific  measures  and
legislation,  where  appropriate,  and  the  need  for
continuous  development  of  new  and  more  effective
this
measures  and 
context  the  importance  of  the  SAVE  II  programme,
which  will  become  an  integral  part  of  the  energy
framework  programme,  and  the  fifth  framework
programme  of 
for
technological  development  and  demon(cid:220)
research, 
stration  activities,  inter  alia,  in  relation  to  small  and
medium(cid:220)sized  enterprises.

the  European  Community 

technologies;  CONFIRMS 

in 

13. BELIEVES  that  it  is  highly  desirable  to  build  energy
efficiency  into  other  Community  policies  where  it  is
appropriate  to  do  so  while  respecting  the  basic

17.12.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  394/3

objectives  of  these  policies;  RECOGNISES  that  other
regional  policy,
Community  policies, 
research 
industry,
external  relations  and  State  aid,  could  make  a
significant  contribution  to  the  promotion  of  energy
efficiency.

technology, 

transport, 

including 

and 

in  the  Commission’s  working
14. NOTES  attentively 
list  of  possible  policy  measures
document(cid:216)(˛)  the 
include  appropriate  energy(cid:220)fiscal  measures,
which 
economic 
incentives  and  other  similiar  economic
measures  to  help  reduce  emissions;  NOTES  that  the

(˛)(cid:217)Energy  policy  options  for  responding  to  the  climate  change
challenge:  Towards  the  definition  of  a  "post(cid:220)Kyoto  energy
policy  strategy’.

discussion  at  Union  level  is  being  pursued  in  the
appropriate  formation  of  the  Council.

15. CONSIDERS  that  possible  modifications  in  relation
to  energy  efficiency  during  the  revision  of  the
Community  guidelines  for  State  aid  must  not  have  a
distorting  effect  on  competition.

16. INVITES  the  Commission  to  come  forward  as  soon
as  possible  with  a  proposal  for  a  prioritised  action
plan  for  energy  efficiency,  using  as  a  basis  the  above
items,  in  particular  those  included  as  examples  in
point  (11).  The  action  plan  should  also  take  account
of  the  contribution  that  other  Community  policies
can  make  to  the  promotion  of  energy  efficiency.  It
should 
indicate  Community  and  Member  State
responsibilities  and  contain,  in  particular,  indications
on  financing  and  timetables.