Green Paper on energy efficiency should go further, says Energy and Transport Forum
The European Energy and Transport Forum has published its opinion on the June 2005 Green Paper on Energy Efficiency. The forum is critical of the Green Paper but for not going far enough in its proposals for energy saving. The forum also pushes for energy efficiency to be included in the Seventh Framework Programme, and tackles the 25 direct questions posed by the original Green Paper. The Green Paper proposed cutting energy wastage by 20 per cent by 2020. In the original report, Commissioner Piebalgs put energy efficiency at the top of his agenda, although this was before the showdown between Russia and the Ukraine that greeted the New Year and put fresh pressure on the EU to develop new energy sources. 'This energy efficiency initiative will help Europe achieve two fundamental goals of the Lisbon strategy: creating more growth and better jobs. It will also help Europe meet its Kyoto commitments,' said Commissioner Piebalgs. The Green Paper placed a premium on new and efficient technologies as well as personal responsibility. The paper pointed out that if Member States adopted all current or pending legislation on energy efficiency tomorrow, then the EU would already be half way towards the 2020 goals. The Energy Forum opinion was published in January, and is broadly supportive of the paper, although the forum believes that the Commissioner has not gone far enough to push initiatives for change. 'There are not only 'very good reasons to make a strong push towards a reinvigorated programme promoting energy efficiency', there is no other sensible choice. Instead of acting purely as a 'catalyst' for new initiatives, it should have been the aim of the Green Paper to affirm political will,' reads the Forum's opinion. The Forum believes that energy efficiency should be a priority for the FP7 in order to drive new and affordable solutions. It goes on to say that current energy savings should be capitalised on, and that the Intelligent Energy Executive Agency should provide a focus for techniques rather than technology taken-up now. The Green Paper is now into the public round of scrutiny, and invites comment and input from the public on the 25 questions posed in the original paper. An action plan on energy efficiency is expected to be published by the Commission in the spring. //CPA To access the European Energy and Transport Forum's opinion, please click here(opens in new window)