20 EU members fail to improve energy end-use efficiency

The European Commission has sent a reasoned opinion to twenty EU member states, including Cyprus and Greece, who have failed to communicate their transposition of the Energy Services Directive. The Directive aims at strengthening and improving energy end-use efficiency by providing a framework for incentives and energy services.

According to a press release, issued Thursday by the Commission, despite a letter of formal notice sent to member states in question in July 2008, they have not yet informed the Commission of full transposition of the Directive into national legislation.

The Commission has therefore initiated the second stage of the infringement procedure against Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The Directive establishes a framework within which member states can create a business climate and infrastructure for energy efficiency throughout the economy. The Directive applies to buildings, transport, agriculture and industry sectors.

It also creates the conditions for the development and promotion of a market for energy services and for the delivery of other energy efficiency improvement measures by addressing the role of energy distributors, the financing of energy savings, the exemplary role of the public sector and the importance of the availability of information.

The commitment of member states to energy efficiency at political level must be endorsed by legal action on national level.