PRESS RELEASE, DECEMBER 1, 2004

EU Countries Must do More to become Energy Efficient

On the European Council´s meeting on November 29, in
Brussels, the 25 EU countries decided to repeal priorities
for demand-side measures as well as connections
of renewable energy in a proposed directive on security of electricity supply.
Further, the meeting of the energy ministers failed to reach an agreement on another proposed directive proposing targets and methods for energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way of reducing Europe´s high dependence on fossil fuels,
and of reducing climate change impacts of energy.
Individual countries cannot reach their full cost-effective potential of energy efficiency without common EU rules for markets and products. Since the EU countries have decided to establish the internal markets without mechanisms to increase energy efficiency to cost-effective levels, EU-wide support for energy efficiency must be increased as soon as possible.
Therefore, INFORSE-Europe* regret the lack of agreements for energy efficiency, and urge the countries representatives to:

- re-introduce provisions for demand side activities in
the security of electricity supply directive,

- agree to progressive targets for energy efficiency,
to guide the harnessing on the energy efficiency
potentials that are growing every day with the
technological development, and

- agree on a framework for increased activities for
energy efficiency, including the proposed provision for
energy distributors in EU to support energy efficiency
programs for their costumers, e.g. financed from the
network charges for electricity, gas, and heat networks.

Also at the Council Meeting on Monday (29.11.2004), the countries agreed to common position on an eco-design directive for energy
consuming products and discussed the promotion of renewable energy.
INFORSE-Europe welcomes the agreement on the eco- design directive that will enable more EU-wide standards on energy efficiency and other environmental aspects of products.

With the common position agreed the EU Commission and the countries should start to develop the energy efficiency standards where most need, e.g. on computer equipment and air-conditioners. In parallel the EU Parliament should work as fast as possible on the proposal, to improve it and adopt it.

Recent evaluations have shown the cost-effectiveness of two energy efficiency programs targeting electricity consumption, and financed with a part of the network distribution charges, in Denmark.
The consumers simply save more money than they pay as extra network charges.. Other studies show that also other policy measures for energy efficiency are cost-effective such as minimum energy efficiency standards and energy efficiency labeling.

The conclusion of the council meeting is available on:
http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/trans/82848.pdf

Further information from INFORSE-Europe:
Gunnar Boye Olesen, e-mail
or phone +45-86227000.

If you want information in your own language,
please let us know.

See also the INFORSE-Europe website http://www.inforse.org/europe

* INFORSE-Europe, International Network for Sustainable Energy - Europe is a network of over 65 NGOs from 31 European countries promoting sustainable energy with increase energy efficiency and renewable energy.