Page 26 of 112 2017-0242-00001 Project Title:
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Investing in Energy Project - An Environmental-Economic Report on the Implementation of Energy Efficiency Measures by Industry
The EU Backdrop
The Energy Union is one of the ten priorities of the European Commission. The Energy Union initiative is intended to improve energy security, while making it affordable and sustainable. Among its objectives, the Commission intends to reduce the EU’s energy use by 27% or more by 2030, as well as to build on the EU’s target of emitting at least 40% less greenhouse gases by 2030 14. The European Commission reinforced its efforts to create an Energy Union by combining it with other flagship initiatives such as the Investment Plan for Europe, the Digital Single Market, and the Capital Markets Union. The EU’s Energy Union strategy is made up of five interrelated policy areas, namely: 1. Security Solidarity and Trust; 2. A fully-Integrated Internal Energy Market; 3. Energy Efficiency; 4. Climate Action – Decarbonising the Economy; and 5. Research, Innovation and Competitiveness. Under the Energy Efficiency Policy Heading, energy efficiency measures that are intended to prod European citizens and enterprises to capitalise on potential savings at all stages of the energy chain, need to be implemented. At EU level, a number of policies aimed at improving energy efficiency have been adopted. These include “an annual reduction of 1.5% in national energy sales; mandatory energy efficiency certificates accompanying the sale and rental of buildings; and the preparation of National Energy Efficiency Action Plans every three years by EU countries”
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European Commission (2017); Energy Union and Climate Priorities; Available https://ec.europa.eu/commission/priorities/energy-union-and-climate_en#background 15 European Commission (2017); Energy Efficiency; Available https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/energy-efficiency
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