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"
Date: 2000-12-13
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU programme, energy consumption, energy policy, energy saving, environmental protection, price of energy

16.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 144/17

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

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;

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 green-
house-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

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

stresses that the Action Plan is designed to compliment

3.
and reinforce Member State activity;

regrets that the Action Plan has been issued separately
4.
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;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

16.5.2001

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

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

7.
shares the Commission’s view that energy prices should
fully reflect the external costs associated with energy consump-
tion 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;

stresses the need to promote goals that surpass the 1 %

9.
per annum target;

emphasises the need to meet the Community-wide
10.
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 Cogener-
ation Plan;

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;

recognises that conditions are not yet in place for a

17.
decision on community rules for support instruments;

welcomes initiatives to harmonise Member State activi-
18.
ties 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;

welcomes the consolidation of the SAVE programme

11.
within the Action Plan;

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;

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;

points out

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

that

welcomes

the Commission proposal

22.
to provide
improved consumer information and in particular the strength-
ening 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;

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

welcomes the forthcoming report to the Parliament
23.
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;

urges the Commission to strengthen its efforts regard-
24.
ing 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;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 144/19

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

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;

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

stresses the need to continue to establish energy-

31.
management agencies throughout all cities and regions;

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;

the

welcomes

extension of

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

32.
suggests that the Commission should further promote
the establishment of more Energy Agencies and should
consider methods whereby financial support would be avail-
able 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 partici-
pation in the implementation of the Action Plan;

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

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;

welcomes the fact that the Commission recognises
30.
the central role of local and regional authorities in energy
management, and in particular would highlight the important

stresses the need to ensure that,

in the absence of
35.
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