Glass For Europe Press Release - Today'S Parliament Stance On Energy Efficiency Marks The Victory Of Logic & Rationale Thinking Over Unclear Political Interests And Legacy

With the adoption by the European Parliament of the report on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies, MEPs have clearly spoken out in favour of a binding energy efficiency objective for 2030. This move is very much welcomed by Glass for Europe, as it recognizes the necessity of both a target and specific policy measures to grasp the cost-effective energy saving potential of non-ETS sectors and particularly that of buildings. Mid-January, the European Commission published a 2030 climate and energy package and a communication on evolutions and drivers of energy costs, in which it stresses how energy efficiency gains are essential to achieve the objectives of a low-carbon economy, to mitigate the impacts of rising energy prices and to increase Europe's energy independence. Yet in an incomprehensible move, the Commission did not propose a binding target on energy efficiency. 'Today, the European Parliament's stance on energy efficiency marks the victory of logic and rationale thinking over unclear political interests and legacy. Since energy efficiency is central to all EU objectives, it deserves a binding target to set levels of ambitions and thus mobilize market actors' says Bertrand Cazes Secretary General of Glass for Europe. 'The Council now has an immense responsibility; that of fixing the broken proposal from the Commission by establishing energy efficiency as the core pillar of a new climate and energy framework', he added. Glass for Europe calls on the Council to instruct the Commission to analyse and design a legally-binding target for energy efficiency by 2030, based on a bottom-up assessment of the energy saving potential of each sectors of the economy.