Energy Efficiency Directive Needs Ambitious Implementation By Member States
08 October 2012
On 4 October the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) passed through its final legislative gate and was adopted by Member States at a Council meeting in Brussels. It is Europe's first comprehensive energy savings law, containing both binding targets and efficiency measures, and addressing both energy supply and end use.
The significance of this new legislation is in the promise it holds for ending a serious failure of the current energy system to tackle demand management, and thus to realise huge environmental, social and financial benefits. Now that the political negotiations have been completed, the focus shifts to the 27 Member States who must translate the Directive's provisions into national law and then put them into practice. This should not be considered a burden. While protests rage across many European countries and many governments seek to resolve their budget deficits with harsh austerity measures, the new legislation offers the chance to stimulate growth in jobs and enable a transition to a sustainable energy system.
Leaked draft documents from the European Commission’s review of the EU F-Gas Regulation reveal a much-needed shake-up in the way Europe regulates hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful global warming gases hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2).
