Sensible agreement on energy efficiency

“The agreement to aim for an EU-wide non-binding energy savings goal of 32.5 percent by 2030 is very ambitious and will take a lot of effort to achieve”, said Markus Pieper, Member of the EPP Group responsible for the Energy Efficiency Directive which was agreed upon by the European Council and the European Parliament today. "Out of this world and anti-growth targets from the Greens, Socialists and Liberals have been dismissed."

“Balance and realism are important and I welcome the degree of flexibility that is built into the deal - it is a key element. Without the flexibility we would have ended up with an approach that would not be helpful”, continued Pieper. With flexibility Member States can take into consideration different elements such as incentives and tax saving schemes according to their national circumstances.

The Energy Efficiency Directive is the third of eight legislative files in the so-called Clean Energy Package, presented in November 2016, to reach agreement. The first - a revised Directive for Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) - was concluded in April 2018 and the second - the Renewable Energy Directive - was concluded in June 2018.

The package is an important element in the plans to establish an Energy Union in Europe