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Commission’s 27% energy efficiency target ‘pitifully weak’
European Commission leaders in Brussels have recommended that Europe aims for an energy saving target of 27% by 2030, writes Edie.net.
The recommendation comes in spite of calls for a more ambitious energy savings target of 40% in a letter signed by Environment Ministers from seven European countries.
The Commission’s President José Manuel Barrosa, Energy Commissioner Günter Oettinger and Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard met to agree the figure as part of a set of climate and energy proposals for 2030. Their proposals will need to be formally adopted by other Commission departments.
The decision to recommend a 27% reduction conflicts with the Commission’s own Impact Assessment for the Energy Efficiency Review; which estimated that a 28% target would reduce gas imports by only 16% compared to 2010 levels, whereas a 40% energy reduction would reduce imports by 40% and increase employment by 3.1%.
