The EEB has welcomed this morning’s successful vote on the Energy Efficiency Directive’s implementation report that took place in the European Parliament’s plenary session [1].

Roland Joebstl, Climate and Energy Policy Officer for the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), said:

“We welcome the Parliament’s commitment to strengthen the Energy Efficiency Directive with a clear binding energy efficiency target of 40% for 2030. The EP made it clear that only full implementation of this law, without any loopholes, will enable Europe to fully tap cost-effective, energy efficiency potential. We expect the Commission to integrate this in its revision to make the Directive the central tool for driving national action on energy efficiency.”

Notes for editors:

[1] The implementation report is the European Parliament’s assessment of the Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU). The report points out the changes the European Commission should include in the upcoming EED revision proposal expected for October 2016, together with the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Based on work by the European Parliamentary Research Service, the EP stresses the need to remove loopholes and accounting tricks that have hindered investments and action in energy efficiency.

Attempts by the rapporteur Markus Pieper (DE/EPP) to weaken the target was outvoted by a progressive majority that backed a binding 40% energy efficiency target after a heated debate.