CELEX: 51988PC0576
Language: en
Date: 1988-10-20
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ON A COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMME FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF ELECTRICITY USE

No C 307/6                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                     2. 12. 88
                                                               II
                                                        (Preparatory Acts)
                                                 COMMISSION
              Proposal for a Council Decision on a Community Action Programme for improving the
                                                  efficiency of electricity use
                                                       COM(88) 576 final
                                    (Submitted by the Commission on 28 October 1988)
                                                         (88/C 307/09)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                            Whereas improvements in the efficiency of electricity use
                                                                    would bring benefits in terms of lower primary energy
                                                                    consumption,       reduced       investment  in    electricity
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European               production capacity, reduced emission levels and lower
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235                   electricity costs to consumers;
thereof,
                                                                    Whereas significant potential for improvements in the
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                  efficiency of electricity use exists and specific actions are
                                                                    necessary to ensure its achievement;
Having regard      to  the   opinion   of    the   European
Parliament,                                                         Whereas, to achieve improvement in the efficiency of
                                                                    electricity use, electricity consumers should be
                                                                    encouraged to use the most efficient electrical appliances
Having regard to the' opinion of the Economic and                   and equipment and the efficiency of such appliances and
Social Committee,                                                   equipment and of electrically-based processes should be
                                                                    further improved;
Whereas in its resolution of 15 January 1985 on the
improvement of energy-saving programmes in Member                   Whereas a Community Action Programme should be
States (') the Council invited Member States to pursue              instituted to achieve these objectives, and whereas the
and where necessary increase their efforts to promote the           EEC Treaty has not provided for the necessary powers
more rational use of energy by the further development              to achieve these objectives;
of integrated energy-saving policies;
                                                                    Whereas such a Community Action Programme would
                                                            2       be complementary to other actions in the general field of
Whereas in its resolution of 16 September 1986 ( )
                                                                    energy saying, in particular the Community Energy
concerning new energy policy objectives for 1995 the
                                                                    Demonstration Project Programme, which has a high
Council called for a vigorous policy for energy saving;
                                                                    energy-saving content, as well as the Council Directive
                                                                    on the energy labelling of domestic appliances (3), the
Whereas in its declaration of 26 November 1986 on                   Council resolution on the rational use of energy use in
energy efficiency the Council agreed that the                       buildings (4) and the Commission initiative on the energy
Community and the Member States would publicize the                 certification of buildings ( 5 );
need for greater energy efficiency by making available
full information and advice on how this can be achieved;            Whereas the execution of a Community Action
                                                                    Programme would require not only the collaboration of
                                                                    the Commission and Member State Governments but
Whereas the production of electricity accounts for over
                                                                    also the participation of other parties in the electricity
35 % of the Community's total primary energy
                                                                    sector, notably the electricity distributors, electrical
consumption and the consumption of electricity for over
                                                                    equipment manufacturers, electricity consumers' organi-
17 %      of the Community's total final               energy
                                                                    zations, and professional institutions,
consumption;
                                                                    (3) OJ No L 145, 13. 6. 1979, p. 1.
(') OJ No C 20, 22. 1. 1985, p. 1.                                  (4) OJ No C 78, 26. 3. 1985, p. 1.
(2) OJ No C 241, 25. 9. 1986, p. 1.                                 (5) OJ No C 267, 6. 10. 1987, p. 2.
 ---pagebreak--- 2. 12. 88                                  Official Journal of the European Communities                                    No C 307/7
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:                                                   of the national bodies referred to in Article 3 as well as
                                                                          other interested parties nominated by the Commission.
                             Article 1                                    The committee shall determine its rules of procedure.
 1.    A Community Action Programme for improving                         2.    The committee shall assist the Commission in the
the efficiency of electricity use shall be instituted.                    coordination of the Action Programme and shall advise
                                                                          on appropriate activites to be carried out at Community
2.     The Community Action Programme shall have, as                      level in support of the Action Programme.
its twin objectives, the influencing of electricity
consumers in favour of the use of the most efficient elec-                                            Article 5
trical appliances and equipment in the most efficient
manner and the further improvement of the efficiency of                   1.    The Commission shall ensure the secretariat of the
electrical appliances and equipment and of elec-                          Advisory Committee referred to in Article 4 and be
tricity-based processes.                                                  responsible for the provision of administrative planning
                                                                          and technical support to the management of the
                                                                          programme and for the management of actions instituted
                             Article 2                                    by the Commission in support of the programme.
The main lines of the activities envisaged within the                     2.    The coordination at Community level of actions
Community Action Programme shall be as indicated in                       under the Action Programme, the monitoring of the
the Annex to this Decision. Additional actions may be                     progress and results of the programme and actions
included during the operation of the programme, where                     necessary to the support of the programme at
such actions can further the achievement of the                           Community level shall be the responsibility of the
programme objectives.                                                     Commission.
                             Article 3                                    3.    The Commission shall report regularly to the
                                                                          Council, to the European Parliament and to the
 1.    The Member States shall be responsible for the                     Economic and Social Committee on the progress of the
management and execution of actions under the                             Community Action Programme. The first such report
Community Action Programme within their territories.                      shall be made not later than nine months following the
                                                                          adoption of this Decision.
 2.    To this end Member States shall set up or appoint
 national bodies, in which all interested parties in the                                              Article 6
 execution of the programme shall be represented
 including    the     electricity    undertakings,      electrical        Where the achievement of the programme objectives
equipment manufacturers, consumers' organizations and                     requires further Community measures, the Commission
 appropriate professional bodies.                                         shall lay before the Council proposals for such measures
                                                                          pursuant to the relevant provisions of the Treaty.
 3.    Member States shall instruct the national bodies to
 recommend and coordinate the execution of actions                                                    Article 7
 under the Community Action Programme within their                        After a period of not more than three years, the Action
 territory and to ensure close liaison with the                           Programme and the procedures established for its
 Commission.                                                              implementation shall be re-examined, on the basis of a
                                                                          report by the Commission, with a view to examining
                             Article 4                                    their effectiveness and their possible improvement.
 1.    A Community Action Programme Advisory
                                                                                                      Article 8
 Committee shall be established, under the chairmanship
 of the Commission, which will comprise representatives                   The present Decision is addressed to the Member States.
                                                                  ANNEX
              The main lines of the activities envisaged within the Community Action Programme referred to under
                                                                  Article 2
               1. Consumer information
                  Activities to improve the quality and availability of information to electricity consumers and equipment
                  specifiers concerning the efficiency of electrical appliances and equipment and their efficient use,
                 including:
                  — the provision of information by electricity distributors, consumer organizations and, where appro-
                      priate, by Member State Governments,
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 307/8                                Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s           2. 12. 88
               — the most effective use of all media for disseminating information,
               — the provision of data relating to appliance and equipment efficiency by manufacturers,
               — the establishment of appropriate data bases.
            2. Technical advice
               Activities to ensure that technical advice on the purchase, installation and use of the most efficient
               electrical appliances and equipment is readily available to electricity consumers, including:
               — activities by electricity distributors and consumer organizations and Member State Governments to
                   ensure that advice is available to consumers on the purchase, installation and use of the most
                   efficient electrical appliances and equipment,
               — activities by professional institutions concerned with the specification and installation of electrical
                   equipment to ensure that their members are adequately informed on the efficient use of electricity.
            3. Efficiencies of electrical appliances and equipment
               Activities to improve the efficiencies of electrical appliances and equipment and to increase the market
               share of the most efficient of these already commercially available, including:
               — the establishment of collaboration between manufacturers to improve the efficiency of appliances
                   and equipment,
               — efforts by electricity distributors and others to increase the penetration of more efficient appliances
                   and equipment by more effective marketing, including examination of the potential of selective
                   financial intervention,
               — action by Member State Governments to ensure that, in all activities which they manage and in all
                   buildings they own or occupy, electrical appliances and equipment are of high efficiency and effi-
                   ciently operated,
               — consideration of the potential contribution of new, efficiency-related or technical standards to
                   improving the efficiency of electricity use.
            4. Demonstration
               Actions to ensure that the demonstration of new, more efficient appliances, equipment and technologies
               is adequately supported and information disseminated throughout the Community.
            5. Studies and other support activities
               Actions to analyse factors determining the efficiency of electricity use and to identify areas in which
               additional measures might effectively be taken, other studies and information seminars.
            6. Coordination and monitoring
               Actions to ensure the coordination of programme actions and adequate monitoring of the results.