REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2022 report on the achievement of the 2020 energy efficiency targets
Date: 2022-11-15
Institutions: Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU energy policy, EU programme, energy consumption, energy cooperation, energy efficiency, energy saving, energy use, renewable energy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 15.11.2022  COM(2022) 641 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 2022 report on the achievement of the 2020 energy efficiency targets  
 
 
2022 report on the achievement of the 2020 energy efficiency targets  

1.  Introduction and overview 

The  Energy  Efficiency  Directive 2012/27/EU (EED)  and  the  Energy  Performance  of  Buildings 
Directive 2010/31/EU (EPBD),  both  respectively  amended  by  Directive (EU) 2018/2002  and 
Directive  (EU) 2018/844,  form  a  key  part  of  the  European  Union  (EU)  climate  and  energy 
legislation, setting the EU’s energy efficiency targets and laying the foundation for measures to 
realise the full energy efficiency potential of the EU economy. 

The  EED  requires  all  EU  Member  States  to  implement  policy  measures  to  improve  energy 
efficiency  throughout  the  different  stages  of  the  energy  chain,  from  production  to  final 
consumption. These efforts are key to achieve the EU’s energy efficiency targets and an essential 
contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU economy by 2050. The EU’s energy efficiency target 
for 2020 (Article 3 of the EED) corresponds to  a 20% reduction in the EU’s primary  and final 
energy consumption by 2020 compared to the energy consumption projected in the 2007 PRIMES 
scenario  for  2020.  In  terms  of  primary  energy  consumption  (PEC)  this  target  results  in  a 
consumption level of 1312 Mtoe and for final energy consumption (FEC) it amounts to 959 Mtoe.  

The  EPBD  contains  a  broad  range  of  policies  and  supportive  measures  aiming  to  increase  the 
currently low renovation rates of the existing building stock. In particular, Article 2a of the EPBD 
requires  Member States  to establish  comprehensive  long-term renovation strategies  to  mobilise 
investment for the decarbonisation of national building stocks by 2050 (with indicative milestones 
for  2030,  2040  and  2050);  and  to  support  the  transformation  towards  a  highly  efficient  and 
decarbonised  building  stock  by  2050.  Article 5  requires  the  Member  States  to  set  cost-optimal 
minimum  energy  performance  requirements  for  new  buildings  and  for  existing  buildings 
undergoing major renovation. Article 9 states that all new buildings must be nearly zero-energy 
buildings  (NZEBs)  by  31  December  2020  (and  after  31  December  2018  for  all  new  public 
buildings). 

Article 27 of Regulation 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action 
(Governance Regulation), requires Member States to report to the Commission, by the 30 April 
2022, the information set out in Part 2 of Annex IX of this Regulation. As regards the EED, this 
includes the progress towards Article 3 on the energy efficiency targets, Article 5 on the exemplary 
role of public bodies’ buildings, Article 7 on energy savings obligation and Article 8 on energy 
audits.  Additionally,  as  regards  the  EPBD  reporting  is  required  under  Article  9  on  new  and 
renovated nearly zero-energy buildings. In addition, Article 21 of Regulation 2018/1999 requires 
that  the  integrated  national  energy  and  climate  plans  (NECPs)  progress  reports  include  the 
indicative  milestones  of  the  long-term  renovation  strategy  and  specify  how  they  contribute  to 
achieving  the  EU's  energy  efficiency  targets,  as  well  as  the  relevant  policies  and  measures 
presented in the long-term renovation strategies. Information is required on cost-optimal levels of 
minimum energy performance standards resulting from national calculations, in accordance with 

 
 
Annex I, Section B of Regulation 2018/1999 and the number and floor area of new and renovated 
NZEBs, in accordance with Annex IX of Regulation 2018/1999. 

This  report  analyses  the  information  provided  by  the  Member  States  in  their  reports  and 
complements it with Eurostat data. Additionally, it analyses the assessment of the national long-
term  renovation  strategies  and  the  cost-optimal  reports  submitted  by  Member  States  to  the 
Commission.  For  the  2022  reporting  obligation,  all  27  Member  States  submitted  their  reports. 
However, the report from Hungary does not contain any information on energy efficiency and the 
reports from Romania and Croatia are considered very incomplete.  

2.  Progress towards the 2020 energy efficiency targets – Article 3 of the EED 

In the period from 2005 to 2020, the EU energy consumption has followed a general downward 
trend, as shown in Figure 1. This decrease in energy consumption was accompanied by an overall 
drop in energy intensity and energy consumption per capita. In 2020, the EU targets for PEC and 
FEC were overachieved, amounting to 1 236 Mtoe and 907 Mtoe respectively. It should be noted 
that the 2020 PEC and FEC values were significantly influenced by the COVID-19 crisis and the 
lockdown measures imposed by national authorities, which significantly restricted overall activity 
and  consequently  reduced  the  energy  demand1.  Nevertheless,  the  2019  values  (i.e.  before  the 
impact  of  COVID-19  pandemic  in  the  EU)  already  indicated  a  decreasing  trend  in  energy 
consumption  despite  the  fact  that  2019  PEC  and  FEC  values  were  above  the  2020  target, 
1 354 Mtoe and 986 Mtoe respectively. 

Figure 1: Final and primary energy consumption trends of the EU27 (the line represents the trajectory between 2005 
consumption and the 2020 consumption and the dots represent the 2020 PEC and FEC targets) 

Source: Joint Research Centre (JRC) based on Eurostat data, Dataset of April 2022.

 2

1  10  Member  States  explicitly  mentioned  COVID-19  as  one  of  the  factors  influencing  the  achievement  of  the  2020  targets  in  their  Article 3 

notifications. 

2 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 2  identifies  the  drivers  that  allowed  compliance  with  the  2020  PEC  target  through  an 
additive decomposition of the 2014-2020 changes in the EU27. After a period of slight rebound in 
energy  consumption  in  2014-2017,  primary  energy  intensity  started  to  compensate  economic 
growth in 2018. However, consumption only decreased below 2013 figures in 2020 – due to the 
combined  effect  of  the  economy  drop  (6%)  caused  by  the  pandemic  crisis  and  the  continuous 
improvement  in  primary  energy  intensity  (3%),  which  reflects  the  impacts  of  EU  energy  and 
climate policies and legislation.  

Figure 2: Contribution of different effects to the variation in PEC in the EU27 in 2014-2020 

Source: JRC based on Eurostat data, Dataset of April 2022. 3 

The pandemic crisis provoked a decrease in PEC and FEC in every Member State in 2020. Drops 
in PEC ranged from 15% (Malta) to 1% (Lithuania). Figure 3 shows the contribution of different 
effects to the variation in PEC in the EU27 and Member States from 2019 to 2020. In this period, 
the exceptional drop of the economy was a determinant factor for energy consumption reduction, 
in all but two Member States, Ireland and Lithuania. 

Improvements in final energy intensity4 also contributed to reduce PEC by approximately 2% in 
the EU27 collectively and in most Member States. In Ireland and Malta, improvements in final 
energy intensity contributed to a decrease in energy consumption of 15%. However, there were 
exceptions in Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary and Sweden, where it increased by 
up to 3%. A warmer winter in 2020 than in 2019 also slightly reduced demand.  

3 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

4 Intensity indicators are often used as energy efficiency indicator for a country. They are presented as a ratio between energy consumption and 
activity data. In this case, final energy intensity is built as the ratio between final energy consumption and gross domestic product (GDP) of 
EU27. 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 3: Contribution of different effects to the variation of PEC in the EU27 and individual Member States in 
2019-2020 

Source: JRC based on Eurostat data, Dataset of April 2022.

 5

As regards FEC, variations in trends are appreciated by sector. Overall FEC fell by 8.0% between 
2019 and 2020,  after a  consistent increase in  2014-2018.  In 2020 all the  Member  States had a 
decrease in FEC in the transport sector and a stable (change within the range of ±1%) or downward 
FEC in the service sector. As depicted in Table 1, the FEC pattern for industry and households 
varied between the Member States. 

Table 1: Trends in consumption in key sectors at national level in 2019-2020 

Total 

Industry 

Transport 

Households 

Services 

Final Energy 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↗ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 
→ 

↘ 

↗ 

↗ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↗ 

↗ 

↘ 

→ 

→ 

↗ 

→ 

→ 

↘ 

↗ 

↘ 
→ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

→ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

MS 

BE 

BG 

CZ 

DK 

DE 

EE 

IE 

EL 

ES 

FR 

HR 

IT 

CY 

LV 

5 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

4 

-60%-50%-40%-30%-20%-10%0%10%20%30%40%EU27BEBGCZDKDEEEIEELESFRHRITCYLVLTLUHUMTNLATPLPTROSISKFISEEffect of the economyEffect of the final energy intensityEffect of the efficiency in the distributionEffect of the efficiency in the transformationTotal effect 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
LT 

LU 

HU 

MT 

NL 

AT 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SI 

SK 

FI 

SE 

EU 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↗ 

→ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↗ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↗ 

↗ 

↗ 

↘ 

→ 

→ 

↗ 

↗ 

↗ 

↗ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

↘ 

→ 

↘ 

Source: JRC based on Eurostat data, Dataset of April 2022.

 6

For the residential sector, the exceptional situation of the pandemic crisis led to a slight increase 
in  the  FEC,  due  to  lockdowns  and  teleworking.  Figure 4  shows  that  the  combined  impact  of 
weather and wealth effects7 offset both the overall positive population and intensity effects at EU 
level  in  the  residential  sector.  Warmer  winter  conditions  in  2020  (compared  to  2019)  limited 
consumption  in  all  Member  States  except  in  Bulgaria,  Czechia,  Ireland,  Croatia,  Hungary, 
Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Greece, Austria and Romania. The wealth effects linked to growth of 
per capita floor area and disposable income exerted an opposite force in half of the Member States, 
driving  consumption  up  in  Belgium,  Czechia,  France,  Ireland,  Lithuania,  Latvia,  Luxembourg, 
The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden. Intensity8 gains drove 
up consumption in all Member States except Czechia, Latvia, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.  

6 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

7 It reflects changes in energy consumption due to changes in the wealth represented the total floor area of dwellings (𝑇𝐹𝐴) per capita for the 

heating end use and gross disposable income in purchasing power standard (𝐺𝐷𝐼) per capita for all other end uses. 

8 The intensity is calculated as the ratio between final energy consumption and total floor area (TFA) divided by the gross disposable income (GDI) 

of the residential sector. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 4: Contribution of different effects to the variation of residential FEC in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat, JRC and Odyssee-Mure, 2022.

 9

The increase in FEC in the residential sector was significantly offset by a decrease in FEC in the 
transport sector. For the transport sector, the decrease in FEC was driven by the activity effect, 
mainly  as  a  result  of  transport  restrictions  due  to  the  pandemic,  which  significantly  reduced 
passenger transport volumes. 

As depicted in Figure 5, for the industry and service sectors, the employment effect and the number 
of hours worked drove the decrease of FEC for the EU in 2020. With the employment effect being 
the  most  important  driver  behind  the  decrease  in  the  Member  States’  energy  consumption.  By 
contrast, the intensity factor contributed to an increase in FEC in the productive sectors. These 
results can be explained by the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Even if 
the Member States handled the COVID-19 crisis in relatively different ways, it remains possible 
that lockdowns led to a drastic reduction in working hours as well as an increase in unemployment, 
even if only temporarily. The structural effect results highlight a shift from sub-sectors of higher 
energy intensity towards sub-sectors of lower intensity in eight Member States, Bulgaria, Czechia, 
Estonia, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Slovakia. Finally, the intensity effect inhibited 
FEC for nine Member States, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, 
Poland, Romania and Finland. By contrast, the other Member States experienced an increase in 
FEC per value added in monetary terms. 

9 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 5: Contribution of different effects to the variation of the productive sectors FEC in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat, JRC, Dataset of April 2022.

 10

3.  Progress towards the 2030 energy efficiency targets 

When analysing the progress towards the 2030 targets, the EU FEC and PEC in 2020 were 7.2% 
and 9.6% above the 2030 target levels, respectively. The 2030 target level represents a reduction 
of 32.5% compared to the 2007 Reference Scenario. In 2020, the pace of decline towards the 2030 
targets appeared to be sufficient for both  PEC and FEC, mainly due to the contingent situation 
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Far more efforts are needed in order to achieve a structural 
reduction in energy consumption and to avoid rebound effects following the phasing out of the 
COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on national economies. 

As Figure 6 shows, the Commission proposed an EU target for 2030 of 9% reduction compared to 
the 2020  reference  scenario  as part of its  July 2021 proposal  for a recast  of the EED11. This  is 
equivalent  to  a  reduction  of  36%  for  FEC  and  39%  for  PEC  compared  to  the  2007  reference 
scenario, and this in turn equates to 1 023 Mtoe for PEC and 787 Mtoe for FEC. This target was 
further  increased  to  13%  by  the  REPowerEU  package,  adopted  in  May 2022,  which  would 
correspond to a maximum energy consumption in the EU of 980 Mtoe for PEC and 750 Mtoe for 
FEC. 

10 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

11 COM(2021) 558 final. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 6: Reduction of PEC and FEC compared to REF2007 scenario projections 

9% compared 
to REF 2020 

13% compared 
to REF 2020 

Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, 2022.  

4.  Achievement of the 2020 energy efficiency targets per Member State  

Table 2 provides an overview of PEC and FEC targets. 24 out of the 27 Member States achieved 
their  2020  PEC  target,  while  21  achieved  their  2020  FEC  target.  The  magnitude  of  the 
underachievement  was  in  general  low.  Only  Bulgaria  and  Belgium  missed  their  PEC  or  FEC 
targets.  Excluding  Lithuania,  which  underachieved  FEC  by  19%,  the  underachievement  is  on 
average 0.9% for missed PEC target and 6.7% for FEC.  

Table 2: Achievement of FEC and PEC targets per Member State 

PEC  PEC Target  % Achieved 

FEC  FEC Target  % Achieved 

MS 

BE  
BG  
CZ  
DK  
DE  
EE  
IE  
EL  
ES  
FR  
HR  
IT  

43.9  
17.2  
37.5  
15.3  
262.3  
4.3  
13.4  
19.2  
105.0  
208.4  
7.8  
132.3  

43.7  
16.9  
44.3  
17.5  
276.6  
5.5  
13.9  
24.7  
123.4  
226.40  
10.7  
158.0  

33.3  
9.5  
24.5  
13.1  
201.7  
2.8  
11.2  
14.5  
73.8  
130.1  
6.5  
102.7  

32.5  
8.6  
25.3  
15.2  
194.3  
2.9 
11.7  
18.4  
86.3  
137.9  
7.0  
124.0  

FEC 
97.6%  
90.6%  
103.4%  
115.4%  
96.4%  
105.4%  
104.7%  
127.3%  
117.0%  
106.0%  
107.6%  
120.7%  

PEC 
99.6%  
98.1%  
118.2%  
114.3%  
105.4%  
127.5%  
103.5%  
128.4%  
117.5%  
108.6%  
137.9%  
119.4%  

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CY  
LV  
LT  
LU  
HU  
MT  
NL  
AT  
PL  
PT  
RO  
SI  
SK  
FI  
SE  

2.2  
4.3  
6.2  
3.9  
23.9  
0.7  
58.4  
29.7  
96.9  
19.5  
30.9  
6.1  
15.2  
29.9  
41,7  

2.2  
5.4  
6.5  
4.5  
26.6  
0.8  
60.7  
31.5  
96.4  
22.5  
43.0  
7.1  
16.4  
35.9  
43,4  

101.6%  
126.0%  
104.4%  
113.9%  
111.4%  
111.1%  
103.9%  
106.1%  
99.5%  
115.1%  
139.1%  
115.8%  
108,0%  
120,0%  
104,1%  

1.6  
3.9  
5.3  
3.8  
18.0  
0.5  
45.5  
26.1  
71.1  
15.0  
23.5  
4.4  
10.4  
23.3  
30.9  

1.9  
4.5  
4.3  
4.2  
18.2  
0.6  
52.2  
25.1  
71.6  
17.4  
30.3  
5.1  
10.4  
26.7  
30.3  

121.8%  
115.9%  
81.0%  
111.2%  
101.1%  
116.4%  
114.7%  
96.2%  
100.6%  
115.8%  
128.9%  
116.6%  
100.2%  
114.5%  
97.8%  

Source: JRC based on Member States’ reporting, Eurostat, Dataset April 2022.12 

5.  Exemplary role of public bodies’ buildings – Article 5 of the EED 

Article 5(1)  of  the  EED  requires  Member  States  to  ensure  yearly  renovations,  as  from 
1 January 2014, of 3% of the total floor area of heated and/or cooled buildings owned and occupied 
by their central government and not in compliance with minimum energy requirements. The aim 
is for Member States to at least meet the minimum energy performance (MEPS) set by Article 4 
of the EPBD. Alternatively, Member States may opt for an alternative approach (under Article 5(6) 
of the EED) and by 2020 achieve energy savings that are equivalent to or greater than those that 
Article 5(1) requires for the same building stock. Tables 3 and 4 provide a summary of the latest 
progress  made  by  the  Member  States  in  connection  with  Article 5(1),  for  the  default  and  the 
alternative approach, respectively. 

12 For France both PEC and FEC targets were adjusted to include international aviation, with an estimation 6.5 Mtoe.  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Table 3: Implementation status of Article 5 of the EED by Member States which chose the default approach 13 14 15 
1617  

Central government 
buildings with floor area > 
250 m2 in 1 January 2021 

Article 5. 
annual 
requirement 

Article 5 progress in 2020 

Member 
State 

All [m2] 

Non-
compliant 
with MEPS 
 [m2] 

Floor area 
renovation 
obligation 
[m2] 

Renovated 
floor area 
[m2] 

Annual 
obligation 
achieved in 
2020 in terms 
of floor area 
[%] 

Sum of 
savings in 
2014-2020 

Total 
renovated 
floor area 
over the 
period 2014-
2020 

BG 
EE 
EL 
ES 
HU 
IT 
LT 
LU 
LV 
PT 
RO 
SI 

2 571 112 

1 386 400 

212 725 

1 761 062 

853 951 

200 725 

11 273 677 

9 198 323 

n.a. 

n.a. 

54 903 

26 600 

6 030 

279 902 

n.a. 

16 485 850 

13 401 778 

404 023 

n.a. 

126 253 

1 862 320 

4 478 805 

n.a. 

1 996 799  

61 050 

1 862 320 

849 415 

n.a. 

957 014 

890 992 

62 541 

1 832 

53 550 

24 967 

n.a. 

24 822 

91 796 

9 471 

0 

304 763 

n.a. 

89 180 

2 720 

0 

98 102 

3 107 

n.a. 

2 528 

167.2% 

35.6% 

0.0% 

108.9% 

n.a. 

22.1% 

4.3% 

0.0% 

183.2% 

12.4% 

n.a. 

10.2% 

Source: JRC based on Member States’ reporting, Eurostat, Dataset April 2022.

n.a. 

n.a. 

0,25 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

0.33 
 18

480 595 

209 041 

12 000 

1 930 977 

n.a. 

3 107 612 

504 249 

23 013 

409 659 

28 034 

n.a. 

59 717 

Total 
obligation 
achieved in 
2014-2020 
in terms of 
floor area 
[%] 
59.3% 

105.4% 

27.7% 

95.7% 

n.a. 

99.6% 

113.8% 

148.9% 

91.9% 

27.2% 

n.a. 

n.a. 

13 Spain’s report: ‘The total building floor area [m2] of buildings renovated in 2020 in connection with Article 5(6) was 304 763 m2. This equates 
to a 109% fulfilment of the target of 279 944 m2 (calculated as 3% of the 9 331 465 m2 total building floor area [m2] of those buildings which 
did not meet the Article 5(1) energy performance requirements on 1 January 2020). Taking into account the 1 930 977 m2 of building floor 
area renovated in 2014-2020, 96% of the target of 2 016 921 m2 has been fulfilled.. 

Italy’s report: ‘The difference with respect to the total value of the surface referred to in the upper row indicates the total  surface of the heated 
and/or cooled buildings owned and occupied by the central public administration and with a total useful floor area of over 250 m2, which 
have been redeveloped or whose redevelopment was scheduled during the year’. 

14 Unless otherwise stated, the annual renovation obligation is calculated by multiplying the previous year’s reported non-compliance with MEPS 

for the floor area by 3%. 

15 Luxembourg: the overall objective for the whole period has been more than achieved. No additional buildings were therefore renovated in 2020. 
16 Portugal: the report concerned the first year of application of the default approach. It was not possible to assess the cumulative achievement 

because the renovated area was only reported in 2019 and 2020. 

17 Slovenia: data for the years 2015 and 2016 is missing, therefore the Total obligation achieved in 2014-2020 in terms of floor area [%] is not 

available. 

18 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Table 4: Implementation status of Article 5 of the EED by Member States which chose the alternative 
approach19202122 2324  

Central government buildings 
with floor area > 250 m2 in 1 
January 2021 

Article 5. 
annual 
requirement 

Article 5 progress in 2020 

Non-compliant 
with MEPS 
[m2] 

Annual 
energy 
savings 
obligation 
[ktoe] 

Savings 
achieved 
[ktoe] 

Annual obligation 
achieved in 2020 in 
terms of energy 
savings [%] 

Sum of 
savings in 
2014-2020 

Total 
renovated 
floor area 
over the 
period 
2014-2020 

750 000 

n.a. 

n.a. 

0.15 

0.11 

0.11 

0.49 

0.89 

1.13 

0.17 

0.60 

593.3% 

1054.8% 

153.3% 

121.4% 

2 405 077 

1 599 209 

2 900 000 
(2019) 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

167 166 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

0.61 (2019) 

5.58 (2019) 

909% (2019) 

988 782 

2 195 943 

22 200 000 

n.a. 

335 954 

49 715 

n.a. 

n.a. 

86 871 

1 339 616.22 

0.38 

0.09 

35.55 

0.12 

0.16 

n.a. 

4.18 

0.37 

0.24 

4.49 

0.80 

0.14 

98.02 

0.00 

0.77 

0.02 

1.87 

0.58 

-3.71 

10.63 

210.5% 

156.4% 

275.7% 

0.0% 

478.8% 

n.a. 

44.7% 

155.3% 

0.0% 

236.9% 

Source: JRC based on the reports by Member States, 2022 

25

4.90 

8.42 

1.78 

7.60 

83.996 (2014-
2019) 

4.20 

1.55 

764.40 

4.07 

4.24 

0.04 

185.90 

3.22 

1.57 

43.22 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

All 
[m2] 

n.a. 

n.a. 

n.a. 

Member 
State 

AT 
BE 
CY 
CZ 

DE 

DK 
FI 
FR 
HR 
IE 
MT 
NL 
PL 
SE 
SK 

Total 
obligation 
achieved 
in 2014-
2020 in 
terms of 
floor area 
[%] 
478.9% 

1119.2% 

97.8% 

219.6% 
2128% 
(2014-
2019) 
157.9% 

206.1% 

307.2% 

497.9% 

378.2% 

n.a. 

635.4% 

123.2% 

83.7% 

160.6% 

19 Malta: data for the years 2014-2020 is missing, therefore the Total obligation achieved in 2014-2020 in terms of floor area [%] is not available 
20 Cyprus: hospitals and health centres were removed from the list in 2020 because they had fallen under the administration of the State Health 
Services Organisation (SHSO) instead of the Ministry of Health. The SHSO is independent of the central government and was established as 
part of the recent public health sector reform. The new annual energy-saving target based on the 2021-2030 long-term renovation strategy is 
1.31 GWh. The target for 2020 will therefore be 1.31 GWh instead of 3.316 GWh. 

21From the report for Croatia: ‘The 2020 target has not been met. 205 energy renovation projects in the public building sector were completed in 
2020, but none of the buildings were owned and occupied by central government. Please note that 2020 was particularly problematic because, 
in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Republic of Croatia was hit by terrible earthquakes, which have significantly slowed down the 
renovation of buildings and postponed renovation deadlines’. 

22  The  Netherlands:  the  cumulative  savings  in  energy  (gas,  heat  and  electricity)  consumed  by  buildings  owned  and  occupied  by  the  central 
government was 227 ktoe in 2014-2021. This equates to a 5% average annual reduction in energy consumption (2021:-0.2 ktoe of energy 
savings, 2014-2021: 226.7 ktoe of energy savings). 

23  Ireland’s  annual  target  was  notified in  additional information  that it  provided  in 2018.  It  is  assumed  that the  target  has  remained  the  same 

throughout the period in question. 

24  Primary  energy  savings:  Belgium, Denmark,  Germany,  Ireland,  Cyprus and  Poland.  Final  energy  savings:  Czechia,  Spain,  France,  Croatia, 

Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia and Finland. Not clear if primary or final: Italy, Slovakia and Sweden. 

25 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
6.  Energy savings obligation – Article 7 of the EED 

Article 7  of  the  EED  refers  to Member  States’  obligation  to,  inter  alia,  provide  the  cumulative 
amount  of  energy  savings  achieved  in  2019  and  2020  in  order  to  assess  whether  their  energy 
savings obligation for the 2014-2020 period have been fulfilled. 

As Table 5 shows, the cumulative energy savings in 2014-2020 in 24 Member States26 amounted 
to 197.4 Mtoe – i.e. 103% of the sum of the cumulative end-use energy savings obligations for 
2014-2020 (191.7 Mtoe) for those 24 Member States. This is equivalent to 97.5% of the sum of 
the cumulative end-use energy savings obligations for the 2014-2020 period (202.5 Mtoe) for the 
27 Member States. Depending on the final figures for the remaining three Member States, the total 
cumulative savings target for the 27 Member States as a whole could have been met27. 

Out of the 24 Member States that submitted data28 regarding their final achievement, 14 Member 
States met their energy  savings obligation. Seven Member States  – Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, 
Estonia, Finland, Ireland, and the Netherlands – overachieved their energy savings obligation by 
more  than  20%,  with  Austria,  Denmark  and  Finland  overachieving  it  by  more  than  50%.  Six 
Member  States  –  France,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Malta,  Slovakia  and  Sweden  –  overachieved  their 
energy savings obligation by 5 to 18%. Belgium met its energy savings obligation with a margin 
of about 1%. 

Ten  Member  States  have  not  met  their  energy  savings  obligation,  with  four,  Bulgaria,  Italy, 
Slovenia and Spain, missing their energy savings obligation by less than 10%. Germany missed 
its  energy  savings  obligation  by  about  12%.  Four  Member  States  –  Czech  Republic,  Greece, 
Poland and Portugal – missed their energy savings obligation by 25 to 30%. Luxembourg missed 
its energy savings obligation by about 48%. 

Table 5: Cumulative energy savings over 2014-2020 reported by the Member States – compared to the amount of 
cumulative energy savings required in 2014-2020 under Article 7 of the EED (in ktoe) 

REPORTED 
cumulative 
energy savings 
over 2014-2020 

REQUIRED 
cumulative 
energy savings 
over 2014-2020 

% of 
achievement 

10 309 

6 815 

1 785 

325 

3 459 

5 200 

6 759 

1 942 

1 296 

242 

4 882 

198% 

101% 

92% 

134% 

71% 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Czech 
Republic 

26 Data is not available for Croatia, Hungary and Romania. 
27 The data reported by the Member States are still under evaluation and the Member States have been providing additional clarifications. The 

results presented in this report may therefore be subject to further change. 

28  The  data  reported  and  referred  to  does  not  consider  potential  concerns  about  eligibility,  additionality  and  materiality,  or  inconsistencies  or 

possible mistakes in the data reported. 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
                                                           
Denmark 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Hungary 

Ireland 

Italy 

Latvia 

Lithuania 

Luxembourg 

Malta 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

Sweden 

TOTAL  

5 821 

790 

7 831 

35 757 

36 812 

2 450 

2 627 

23 239 

898 

1 115 

267 

78 

16 043 

10 473 

1 885 

2 550 

913 

15 207 

9 940 

3 841 

610 

4 213 

31 384 

41 989 

3 333 

4 001 

2 164 

25 502 

851 

1 004 

515 

67 

11 512 

14 818 

2 532 

5 511 

2 284 

945 

15 979 

9 114 

151% 

130% 

186% 

114% 

88% 

73% 

121% 

91% 

106% 

111% 

52% 

116% 

139% 

71% 

74% 

112% 

97% 

95% 

109% 

197 389 * 

202 489 

97.5% * 

* Total for 24 Member States 

Source: information reported by Member States and supplemented by the Commission’s calculations and estimates where necessary. 29 

It is important to underline that energy efficiency obligation systems (EEOS) contribute around 
33%  of  the  energy  savings  achieved  by  each  type  of  implemented  policy  measure,  whereas 
financing schemes contribute around 14%. Taxes on energy and CO2 account for 17% of total 
achieved energy savings (see Figure 7 below). 

29 The analysis is in line with the data reported in  the reporting template. The data might be reviewed if further clarifications are provided by 

Member States. 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 7: Share of reported cumulative energy savings by type of policy measure (left) and distribution of the 
number of policy measures per type of policy measure (right) at EU level 

Source: European Commission (Directorate-General for Energy) calculations based on the data submitted by the Member States in 2022 on the 
policy measures reported under Article 7(1) EED for 2014-2020 and the cumulative energy savings reported for 2014-2020 (data available for 24 
Member States). 

On the sectors targeted by the implemented policy measures under Article 7 of the EED, the largest 
share of energy savings  reported by  Member States results from cross-cutting measures, which 
cannot be attributed to a single sector, as observed in Figure 9. Most policy measures, by count of 
policy measures reported under Article 7(1) of the EED, target services and industry (which cover 
most companies, except  for transport  companies) and the public sector (except  for the housing 
owned by public bodies, which is included in the private households sector).  

Figure 8: Share of reported cumulative energy savings by sector at EU level (data for 24 Member States) 

Source: European Commission (Directorate-General for Energy) calculations based on the data submitted by the Member States in 2022 on the 
cumulative energy savings reported for 2014-2020 (data available for 24 Member States). 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 6, provides the list of the top 3 measures per Member State, showing which policy measures 
brought the largest shares of cumulative energy savings for each Member State. In their reporting, 
Member States submitted updated lists of the policy measures they reported under Article 7(1) of 
the  EED  for  the  2014-2020  period.  In  total,  498  measures  were  reported30,  of  which  40  were 
reported for the first time31. It is worth nothing that new EEOS were not reported, although some 
are planned for the 2021-2030 period. 

Table 6: Overview of the top three measures per Member State (based on the cumulative energy savings in 2014-
2020 reported for each policy measure)32 

Member 
State* 

Top 3 policy measures per Member State (per decreasing 
order of cumulative savings) 

Energy taxation 

Austria 

Energy efficiency obligation scheme for energy suppliers  

Provincial support for housing construction, energy support and 
environmental support, and private sector renovation vouchers  

Flanders: Energy policy agreements with companies 

Belgium 

Flanders: Public service obligations for rational energy use 
imposed on network operators (REG) 

Wallonia: Branch agreements 2 (AdB) 

Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes from Derogation on 
article 7 (8) of the EED - previous scheme for obligations in the 
period 2011-2013 

Bulgaria 

Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes 

National Program for energy efficiency in multifamily 
residential buildings (2016-2020) 

 Transport fuel taxes  

Cyprus 

Minimum energy performance requirements in buildings prior 
to the transposition of Directive 2010/31/EU. 

Grant Scheme «Saving Energy – Upgrading of Households». 

Cumulative 
energy 
savings 
2014-2020  

% of the 
Member 
State’s 
cumulative 
savings 

3809 

3068 

1440 

2950 

1184 

1116 

780 

451 

271 

278 

19 

13 

37% 

30% 

14% 

43% 

17% 

16% 

44% 

25% 

15% 

85% 

6% 

4% 

Czech 
Republic 

Sustainable Development Strategic Framework – Improvement 
of technological processes 

1371 

40% 

30 Energy savings were reported for only 422 of the 498 measures either because some of the notified measures were not implemented or because 

no energy savings were reported from them. 

31 The new measures implemented by the Member States as part of their Recovery and Resilience Plan or to face the current energy crisis are not 

included in this report because it deals with the 2014-2020 obligation period. 

32 Not all the Member States have reported 3 policy measures 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
New Green Savings Programme 2014-2020 (MoE) 

Operational Programme for Entrepreneurship and Innovation 
2007-2013 (MIT) 

Denmark 

Energy efficiency obligation scheme 

Excise and value added tax of diesel fuel and light fuel oil 

Estonia 

Renewable energy fee 

Excise and value added tax of gasoline 

Energy Efficiency Agreements 

Finland 

Transport fuel taxation/car traffic 

Heat pumps for detached and terraced houses 

France 

White certificates scheme (CEE) 

Energy and electricity tax 

Germany 

Energy Savings Ordinance (existing buildings) 

KfW support programmes for energy-efficient construction and 
renovation 

Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes 

Greece 

Oil products specific consumption tax 

Replacing old private passenger vehicles 

EEOS 

Ireland 

2005 / 2008 Building Regulations - Buildings other than 
dwellings 

VRT/Motor tax aligned with emissions 

Tax reductions 

Italy 

White Certificates 

Enterprise 4.0 Plan 

Energy taxes 

Latvia 

Implementation of measures identified as a result of energy 
audits of large companies and major electricity consumers 

Climate change financial instrument project competitions  

Transport fuel taxation 

Lithuania 

Programme for the renovation (modernisation) of multi-
apartment buildings 

16 

320 

298 

5821 

169 

94 

86 

2868 

1761 

923 

35757 

12205 

7543 

4140 

578 

536 

463 

1185 

402 

240 

10394 

8392 

1830 

359 

168 

116 

473 

251 

9% 

9% 

100% 

21% 

12% 

11% 

37% 

22% 

12% 

100% 

33% 

20% 

11% 

24% 

22% 

19% 

45% 

15% 

9% 

45% 

36% 

8% 

40% 

19% 

13% 

42% 

22% 

 
 
 
 
 
Agreements with energy companies 

Luxembourg 

Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme 

Financing schemes and instruments and fiscal incentives 

Malta 

Regulations and Voluntary Agreements 

Progressiveness of the domestic residential household tariff 
system and the eco-reduction mechanism. 

Policies targeted at households 

Netherlands 

Energy Investment Allowance (EIA) 

Long Term Agreement big industry (MEE), excl. Refineries 

White certificates scheme 

Poland 

Thermomodernisation Fund 

Fuel tax 

NEEAP measures not reported separately 

Portugal 

SGCIE - Management System of Intensive Energy 
Consumption 

Programme to support the use of public transport.  

Voluntary Energy Saving Agreement, Contractual relationship 
with the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, Own 
resources 

Slovakia 

Improvement of the thermal and technical properties of 
buildings (EHB), Apartment buildings, Own resources 

Slovenia 

Application of legislative measures, Mandatory energy audits in 
industrial enterprises, including management 

EEO scheme: the obligation on energy suppliers to provide 
proof of energy-saving operations 

Energy efficiency measures financed from the supplement to 
energy price payed by all final energy users (financed through 
the Slovenian ECO Fund - Eko sklad) 

Law 15/2012 on taxation measures for energy sustainability 

Spain33 

Programmes implemented by the Autonomous Communities 
(MENAE) 

Programme to promote industrial competitiveness 

162 

267 

45 

25 

4 

6794 

5238 

2892 

9159 

662 

355 

864 

362 

210 

653 

524 

164 

512 

15% 

100% 

58% 

32% 

5% 

42% 

33% 

18% 

87% 

6% 

3% 

46% 

19% 

11% 

25% 

20% 

6% 

56% 

401 

44% 

2947 

2534 

1613 

19% 

17% 

11% 

33 The analysis is in line with the data reported in the reporting template. The data might be reviewed if further clarifications are provided by 

Member States. 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Sweden 

Energy and CO2 tax 

9940 

100% 

* Croatia, Hungary and Romania are not included in this table because they have not reported the cumulative savings they made in 2014-2020. 

Source: information reported by Member States and supplemented by Commission’s calculations and estimates where necessary. 

7.  Energy audits and energy management systems – Article 8 of the EED 

Article 8 of the EED requires companies that are not small or medium enterprises to carry out an 
energy audit or to implement an energy management system at least once every four years. In their 
2022  reporting,  Member  States  were  required  to  state  the  total  estimated  number  of  large 
companies  in  their  territory  to  which  Article 8(4)  of  the  EED  is  applicable  and  the  number  of 
energy  audits  carried  out  in  those  enterprises.  Figure  9  provides  an  overview  of  the  2020 
notifications submitted by 23 Member States34. 

Figure 9: Energy audits carried out in large companies in 202035 

Source: information reported by Member States. 36 

The  reported  number  of  large  companies  differs  from  the  number  of  energy  audits  on  large 
companies, because such energy audits are not required every year, but only once every four years 
as  a  minimum.  In  addition,  given  the  circumstances  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  several 
companies postponed their energy audits37. 

34  Greece,  Croatia,  Hungary  and  Romania  did  not  report  the  number  of  large  companies  or  the  number  of  energy  audits  carried  out  in  those 

companies. 

35 The graph’s vertical axis uses a logarithmic scale for presentational reasons. Malta and Spain did not report the number of large companies in 

2020. For Malta, the 2019 data is assumed for 2020 

36 Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under Article 27 of the Governance 

Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

37 This is explicitly mentioned by some Member States, for example NL and LV. 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
8.  Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) 

Article 2a  of  the  EPBD  requires  Member  States  to  submit  their  LTRS  by  March 202038.  The 
Commission has analysed the national strategies39 with a view to sharing best practices between 
the  Member  States.  The  national  strategies  and  the  Commission’s  assessment  were  a  key 
contribution  to  the  national  Recovery  and  Resilience  Plans  in  which  energy-efficient  buildings 
renovation features prominently. 

The  great  majority  of  2020  strategies  include  a  good  overview  of  policies  targeting  public 
buildings and provide a long-term roadmap towards the 2050 goal of decarbonising the building 
stock. Most of these roadmaps include specific intermediate milestones for 2030 and 2050, and to 
a lesser extent for 2040. 

As  the  Renovation  Wave  Communication40  indicates,  policies  and  measures  tackling  energy 
poverty and worst performing buildings deserve specific attention. A majority of Member States 
have recognised the importance of the issue and in general presented several actions and measures 
to  tackle  energy  poverty.  Different  approaches  have  been  chosen  to  identify  worst  performing 
buildings to be targeted (e.g. energy class, age and energy consumption). 

All  2020  LTRS  contain  a  specific  section  presenting  expected  energy  savings,  wider  benefits 
related  to  health  and  indoor  air  quality  and  positive  economic  impacts.  However,  half  of  the 
Member States did not quantify these potential benefits. 

The  strategies  generally  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  EPBD41,  but  the  Commission’s 
analysis  highlights  the  fact  that  not  every  LTRS  is  sufficiently  ambitious  towards  the  2050 
decarbonisation goals. The Commission’s analysis of the 2020 LTRS recognises that since the first 
round of LTRS (first submission in 2014 followed by updates in 2017), the quality of the strategies 
has improved, but underlines the need for a more uniform approach, supported by guidelines and 
harmonised templates.  

The differences in Member States' approaches when setting national milestones make it difficult 
to  assess  the  ambition  at  EU  level.  Most  Member  States  provided  absolute  values  for  CO2 
emissions  in  buildings  in  2030,  2040  and  2050,  including  a  reference  emissions  value  used  to 
estimate the relative reduction. However, inconsistencies between the Member States suggest that 
a direct comparison of their greenhouse gas reduction ambitions may be misleading. 

Table 7 summarises the indicative renovation milestones for the buildings stock for 2030, 2040 
and 2050 as reported by the Member States in the 2020 LTRSs42. 

38 Given the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, a certain number of Member States delayed the submission of their long-term renovation 

strategies. 

39 SWD(2021) 365 final/2: Analysis of the national long-term renovation strategies (to be noted that the final version of the SWD is to be published 

soon). 

40 COM(2020) 662 final. 
41 Castellazzi L., Paci D., et al. (2022), Assessment of the first long-term renovation strategies under the Energy Performance of Building Directive, 

Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg (forthcoming). 

42 JRC’s own calculation based on Member States reporting, 2022. See: 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Belgium – 
Brussels 

Belgium – 
Flanders 

Belgium – 
Wallonia 

Bulgaria 

Table 7: Renovation rates reported in national long-term renovation strategies 

Member 

State 

Completed 
renovation 

Planned renovation 

2020 

2030 

2040 

2050 

Austria 

1.5% p.a. 

1.5% p.a. 

1.5% p.a. 

1.5% p.a. 

less than 1% p.a. 

100% public 
buildings energy 
neutral 

80% cumulative 
residential 

3.5% p.a. residential 

3% p.a. residential 

3% p.a. residential 

3% p.a. residential 

 105 000 dwellings 

32% cumulative 
973 500 dwellings  

64% cumulative 
1 923 500 dwellings 

96.5% cumulative 
2 873 500 dwellings 

12% cumulative 
residential (194 571 
buildings) 

51% cumulative 
residential (830 158 
buildings) 

63 400 000 m2 
cumulative non-
residential 

114 000 000 m2 
cumulative non-
residential 

8% (22 203 509 m2) 
cumulative floor area 

26% 
(71 774 177 m2) 
cumulative floor 
area 

99% cumulative 
residential (1 605 485 
buildings) (25% deep 
renovated 399 103) 

114 000 000 m2 
cumulative non-
residential 

46% 
(127 597 192 m2) 
cumulative floor area 

1% p.a. 

1% p.a. 

1% p.a. 

10% cumulative 
(43 000) 

Cyprus 

1% cumulative 
buildings 

Czechia 

45% cumulative 
buildings with more 
than 25% shallow 
renovation 

1.4% p.a. SFH, 0.79% 
p.a. MFH; 2% p.a. 
public buildings 

55% cumulative 

1.4% p.a. SFH, 
0.79% p.a. MFH; 
2% p.a. public 
buildings 

60% cumulative 

1.4% p.a. SFH, 0.79% 
p.a. MFH; 2% p.a. 
public buildings 

70% cumulative 

  Maduta, C., Economidou, M., Castellazzi, L., D’Agostino, D., Paci, D., Tsemekidi Tzeiranaki, S. and Bertoldi, P., Progress of the Member 
States  in  implementing  the  Energy  Performance  of  Building  Directive  -  2021  assessment,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg (forthcoming); and 
Castellazzi L., Paci D. et al., Assessment of the first long-term renovation strategies under the Energy Performance of Building Directive, 
Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022 (forthcoming). 

 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Germany 

1.3% to 2% p.a. SFH 
and 1.5% to 2% p.a. 
MFH for the period 
2020-2030 

Denmark 

80% renovated (55-
60% light, 20-25% 
medium, 5% deep) 

Estonia 

500 000 m2 cumulative 
floor area 

22% cumulative 
(11 880 000 m2) 

64% cumulative 
(34 560 000 m2) 

100% cumulative 
(54 000 000 m2/ 

141 000 buildings) 

Greece 

23% residential 9% 
non-residential 

36-42% residential; 
14-16% non-
residential 

45-49% residential; 
19-20% non-
residential; 

Spain 

56 017 cumulative 
dwellings 

1 256 017 cumulative 
dwellings (300 000 
dwellings/year) 

4 756 017 
cumulative 
dwellings 

7 156 017 cumulative 
dwellings 

29% cumulative 
buildings 

Finland 

France 

54% cumulative 

98% cumulative 

100% cumulative 

1.5% to 3% p.a. over 
2020-2050 

Croatia 

0.7% p.a. 

3% p.a. 

5% cumulative 
buildings 

3.5% p.a. (4% p.a. 
buildings with 
cultural value) 

60% cumulative 
NZEBs 

4% p.a. 

100% cumulative 
NZEBs 

Hungary 

1% p.a. 

Ireland 

3% p.a. residential; 
5% p.a. public 
buildings 

3% p.a. residential; 
5% p.a. public 
buildings 

3% p.a. residential; 
5% p.a. public 
buildings 

20% cumulative 
NZEBs 

60% cumulative 
NZEBs 

90% cumulative 
NZEBs 

500 000 dwellings 
cumulative 

1 000 000 dwellings 
cumulative 

1 500 000 dwellings 
cumulative 

100% public 
buildings 

66% commercial 
buildings 

100% commercial 
buildings 

33% commercial 
buildings 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Italy 

0.86% p.a. 

1.9% p.a. residential; 
2.8% p.a. non-
residential 

2.7% p.a. 
residential; 2.6% 
p.a. non-residential 

2.7% p.a. residential; 
2.6% p.a. non-
residential 

Lithuania 

8% cumulative 
buildings 

17% cumulative 
(99 281 units) 

43% cumulative 
(225 421 units) 

74% cumulative 
(436 008 units) 

Luxembourg 

10-14% cumulative 
residential buildings 

3% p.a. residential 

3% p.a. residential 

3% p.a. residential 

(4 500 
dwellings/year) 

(4 500 
dwellings/year) 

(4 500 dwellings/year) 

Latvia 

3% (678 460 m2) 
cumulative public 
buildings 

8 100 units MFH 
(30%) and 7 500 units 
SFH 

Malta 

0.5% p.a. (0.7% p.a. 
2025) 

Netherlands 

Poland 

Portugal 

Romania 

0.5% p.a. 

6% cumulative floor 
area (32 352 000 m2) 

2.5%- 5% p.a. 2016-
2019 

10% p.a. after 2019 

1 795 000 m2 
cumulative public 
buildings 

Sweden 

Slovenia 

All NZEBs 

16 200 units MFH 
(60%) cumulative 

3% per year public 
building 

5-6% p.a. residential 
(0.6% deep 
renovation) 

5-6% p.a. residential 
(0.6% deep 
renovation) 

4.1% p.a. 

507 000 cumulative 
buildings 

3.7% p.a. 
751 000 cumulative 
buildings 

500 000 m2 public 
buildings 

5-6% p.a. residential 
(0.6% deep 
renovation) from 
2025 

1 500 000 dwellings 

3.6% p.a. 
236 000 cumulative 
buildings 

69% cumulative 
buildings 
(363 680 501 m2) 

99% cumulative 
buildings 
(635 637 685 m2) 

100% cumulative 
buildings 
(747 953 071 m2) 

from 0.5% to 3.39% 
p.a. in 2030 

19% cumulative floor 
area 

3.79% p.a. 

4.33% p.a. 

57% cumulative 
floor area 

100% cumulative 
floor area 

29 733 000 m2 
cumulative 

28 850 600 m2 
cumulative SFH 

12 778 700 m2 
cumulative MFH 

32 549 000 m2 
cumulative SFH 
(74%) 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13 924 700 m2 
cumulative MFH 
(91%) 

Slovakia 

100% cumulative 
MFH 

100% cumulative 
SFH 

Source: JRC 2022 based on information reported by Member States. 

As Table 7 shows, renovation target indicators are not standardised across the EU. 14 Member 
States provided absolute values for the number of planned renovations of buildings/dwellings or 
for  renovated  floor  area  (in  square  metres).  By  contrast,  13  Member  States expressed  the 
renovation  targets  in  terms  of  annual  renovation  rate.  Three  Member  States  provided  only  the 
cumulative share of renovated buildings. 19 Member States covered both the residential and the 
non-residential sector, but some Member States focused on the residential sector or on specific 
segments within the non-residential sector (e.g. commercial buildings or public buildings). 

The annual renovation rate planned for the next decades varies from as low as 1% to 6%. Some 
Member States (Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Finland) aim to renovate their 
entire building stock by 2050, while other Member States (Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Austria) 
plan to renovate less than half of their building stock by 2050. It is also important to recall that the 
impact of energy renovations is heavily dependent on the depth of the renovation and this is often 
not comparable or is not specified in the national strategies. Nonetheless, the available information 
is sufficient to conclude that most Member States are aiming to increase their annual building stock 
renovation rate by an average of 1.5% to 3%.  

The Commission’s analysis reveals that not every LTRS is sufficiently ambitious towards the 2050 
decarbonisation goals and that more efforts, resources and sustainable solutions will be necessary 
in order to prepare for climate change and contribute to climate neutrality in line with the European 
Green Deal43. 

9.  Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings 44 

In  accordance  with  Article 9  of  the  EPBD,  NZEBs  became  the  new  building  standard  in  the 
Member States by 31 December 2020 (and after 31 December 2018 for all new public buildings)45. 
NZEB performance requirements have progressively increased over the last decade and make an 
important contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU’s building stock46. 

43 These would include R&I solutions, in line with Horizon Europe Cities Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, by 2030. 
44 This session complements the relevant session on NZEBs in the 2020 assessment of the progress made by the Member States in implementing 
the EED and in meeting the NZEB and cost-optimal minimum energy performance requirements of the EPBD. The aim is to reflect further 
analysis by the Commission. 

45 The circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the actual implementation of the NZEB requirements was delayed for a short period of 

time in some Member States. 

46  Economidou,  M.,  Todeschi,  V.,  Bertoldi,  P.,  D’Agostino,  D.,  Zangheri, P.  and Castellazzi,  L.,  ‘Review  of  50  years  of  energy  policies  for 

buildings’, Energy and Buildings, Vol. 225, 2020. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
The Member States have established national NZEB definitions and provided numerical indicators 
for primary energy use expressed in kWh/(m2y) that appear on average less ambitious than the 
benchmarks  presented  in  the  Commission’s  2016  Recommendation47,  noting  that  a  direct 
comparison of national definitions is not always possible48 because the Member States’ approaches 
vary due to differences in their specific climate, market, energy mix, construction traditions and 
other local conditions. 

The average renewable share is  estimated  at between 20% and 50% of overall building energy 
needs and is projected to increase due to the need to accelerate the phasing out of fossil fuels in 
accordance with the Renovation Wave and the REPowerEU49. 

More than half of the Member States have an energy performance class corresponding to the NZEB 
level. Some Member States draw a distinction in the energy performance level between residential 
and non-residential NZEBs, but others distinguish between new and existing NZEBs. 

Table 8: Number and floor area of new and renovated NZEBs 

Number and floor area of new NZEBs 

Number and floor area of renovated 
NZEBs 

Number 

Floor area (m2) 

Number 

Floor area (m2) 

2019 

2020 

2019 

2020 

2019 

2020 

2019 

2020 

TOTAL 

330 704 

585 340 

77 316 865.46 

141 013 006 

165 130 

203 394 

62 180 459 

73 600 197 

Source: JRC 2022 based on information reported by Member States. 

The reported data form a scattered picture of the uptake of NZEBs in different Member States. A 
few Member States appear to be front runners and report very high numbers for both new and 
renovated NZEBs.50 

10. Cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings51 

The implementation of the cost-optimality methodology required by Article 5 of the EPBD 
marks a novel approach in the establishment of minimum energy performance requirements for 

47 Commission Recommendation 2016/1318 of 29 July 2016 on guidelines for the promotion of nearly zero-energy buildings and best practices to 

ensure that, by 2020, all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings. 

48 D'Agostino, D. and Mazzarella, L., ‘What is a Nearly zero energy building? Overview, implementation and comparison of definitions’, Journal 

of Building Engineering, Vol. 21, 2019, pp. 200-212. 

49 REPowerEU Plan, COM(2022) 230 final, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:fc930f14-d7ae-11ec-a95f-01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_1&format=PDF. 
50 For disaggregated data, see Tsemekidi-Tzeiranaki S.., Paci D., Clementi E., Gonzales Torres M., Analysis of the Reports on 2020 Targets under 

Article 27 of the Governance Regulation – Energy Efficiency, 2022 

51 This section complements the relevant sections in the 2020 assessment of the progress made by Member States in implementing the EED and 
in meeting the NZEB and cost-optimal MEPS requirements of the EPBD. The aim is to reflect progress in implementation by the Member 
States and further analysis by the Commission. 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
new and existing buildings. Since 2013 and every five years thereafter, Member States have had 
to carry out cost-optimality calculations and update their national requirements accordingly. 

Based on the Joint Research Centre’s assessment of the Member States cost-optimal reports52, the 
average cost-optimal level for new buildings is around 80 kWh/(m2y) for residential buildings and 
140 kWh/(m2y) for non-residential buildings. For existing buildings undergoing major renovation, 
the  average  cost-optimal  level  is  around  130 kWh/(m2y)  for  residential  buildings  and 
180 kWh/(m2y) for non-residential buildings. 

A comparison of the cost-optimal levels for 2013 and 2018 shows a reduction of primary energy 
demand was observed for almost  all building types in  the Member States, with  average values 
reduced by 21% and 11% for new residential and office buildings respectively, and by 14% and 
12% for existing residential and office buildings respectively. 

Member States have used the cost-optimality methodology to set minimum requirements for the 
energy  performance  of  new  and  existing  buildings,  including  for  NZEBs.  Regardless  of  the 
differences between Member States in relation to building types, markets and climates, renewable 
energy solutions, the cost-optimal minimum energy performance requirements are usually worse 
than the NZEB requirements (in some Member States cost-optimal and NZEB requirements are 
similar). 

11. Conclusion 

Highly influenced by COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 both primary and final energy consumption 
targets were overachieved. All Member States achieved their 2020 national contributions, except 
Belgium, Bulgaria, and Poland for primary energy consumption, and Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany 
Lithuania, Austria, and Sweden for final energy consumption.  

Regarding progress towards the 2030 targets of 32.5% compared to the 2007 Reference Scenario, 
the EU FEC and PEC in 2020 were 7.2% and 9.6% above the 2030 target levels, respectively. Far 
more efforts are needed if the EU aims to achieve a structural reduction in energy consumption 
and meet the new target of 13% proposed by the Commission in REPowerEU. 

For  Article  7  of  the  EED,  the  cumulative  energy  savings  over  2014-2020,  available  from  24 
Member States, amounted to 197.4 Mtoe, which is equivalent to 103% of the sum of the cumulative 
end-use energy savings obligations for 2014-2020 (191.7 Mtoe) and 97.5% (202.5 Mtoe) for 27 
Member States. Depending on the final achievements by the three missing Member States, the sum 
of cumulative savings required for the 27 Member States could be met. Out of the 24 Member 
States  that  submitted  the  complete  data  regarding  their  final  achievement,  14  Member  States 

52 The Member States’ results are not fully comparable because they were free to choose the macroeconomic or financial basis for calculating cost-
optimal levels and to apply their own individual national standards and methodologies when calculating the energy performance of buildings. 
Other differences relating to investment costs and other factors reflect national market conditions. 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
fulfilled their energy savings obligation, whereas ten Member States did  not  meet  their  energy 
savings obligation. 

The  information  gaps  in  Article  5  of  the  EED  as  well  as  the  different  approaches  in  reporting 
between Member States, do not allow to understand the level of target achievement at EU level. 
Nevertheless,  the  majority  of  the  Member  States  have  achieved  either  the  annual  obligation  in 
2020 or the 2014-2020 total obligation. 

To meet the 2030 climate and energy targets, energy efficiency needs to be prioritised. To step up 
its efforts, the Commission put forward in July 2021 a proposal for a recast directive of the EED. 
The  proposal  sets  new  targets  and  scopes  for  the  aforementioned  articles  with  an  increase  in 
ambition. Therefore, it is  crucial that the reporting of Member States in  the upcoming national 
integrated energy and climate progress reports (Article 17 of the Governance Regulation) and in 
the NECPs is complete and consistent in order to allow both the Commission and Member States 
to assess the progress towards the energy efficiency targets and identify the possible need for new 
policy measures. 

For the Renovation Wave it is important to keep the momentum and deliver clear and ambitious 
measures  and  mechanisms  that  can  ensure  that  buildings  will  be  renovated  at  higher  rate  and 
exploiting  much  more  than  today  their  energy  efficacy  potential,  so  as  to  contribute  to  the 
achievement of the energy efficiency target, to the reduction of energy demand and energy bills 
for citizens. 

Long-term  strategies  aim  to  accelerate  the  cost-effective  renovation  of  existing  buildings,  and 
ensure  an  increase  in  deep  renovations.  The  differences  in  national  approaches  to  setting 
renovation targets make it difficult to compare them directly and estimate an aggregate EU target. 
The  Commission’s  analysis  highlights  the  fact  that  some  Member  States’  efforts  will  not  be 
sufficient to fully decarbonise their building stock by 2050, and therefore further actions and higher 
ambition  will  be  needed.  The  Commission’s  proposal  to  revise  the  EPBD  strengthens  and 
streamlines the requirements for LTRS (which would be renamed as national Building Renovation 
Plans)  so  that  they  would  become  strategic  planning  and  reporting  tools  that  would  be  more 
focused on measures with clear, quantified, comparable and verifiable objectives, milestones and 
resources. 

NZEBs became the new building standard in the Member States by 31 December 2020, which has 
proved  to  set  a  'future-proof'  vision  for  the  construction  sector  and  mobilise  stakeholders 
accordingly. NZEBs share in the building stock is still low but it is expected that the number of 
NZEBs will increase in the coming years, paving the way to zero-emission buildings, as proposed 
in the Commission’s proposal to revise the EPBD.  

Moreover, for both new and existing buildings, the choice of a cost-optimal methodology to steer 
existing national energy performance requirements towards cost-efficient levels has proved to be 
an  efficient  approach.  The  minimum  energy  performance  requirements  have  progressively 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
improved over the last decade and made an important contribution to the improvement of the EU’s 
building stock. The recent Commission’s review of the EPBD has highlighted the need to update 
the cost-optimality framework in order to take better account of the costs of GHG emissions and 
the effects of environmental and health externalities. 

27