Energy policy in the new millennium
The European Commission's Energy Directorate-General has recently published an on-line brochure focussing on the SAVE programme. 'SAVE 2000 for an energy efficient Millennium' sets out to explain the history, achievements and objectives of the programme for energy efficiency. The report explains the location of the SAVE programme in relation to the rest of the European Union's Energy Framework Programme, helping to put it in context, and underlines the importance of SAVE for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It also details, in simple terms, which sectors are covered by the SAVE programme (including buildings, transport, industry and combined heat and power, for example) and why. To highlight each of these areas, and the variety of projects that can benefit from SAVE funds, the report includes case studies for projects in each of these areas. 'Saving energy has been a key objective of the energy policies of both the European Union and the Member States since the first oil crisis in 1973', Loyola de Palacio, Vice President of the European Commission, writes in her introduction. Since then, the European Union, in cooperation with the Member States has made continuous efforts to promote energy efficiency. 'The original emphasis on energy efficiency was to safeguard security of supply but now significant stress is also placed on the need to protect the environment. The SAVE programme is at the core of the rational use of energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. In the future, SAVE will enhance transparency and help coordinate the energy components of the multiannual framework programme for energy,' she pledges.