Isra-Mart srl:MEPs demand tougher energy efficiency target

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MEPs have demanded that Europe improve its energy efficiency by 20 per cent over the next decade and place a renewed emphasis on greener buildings.

In a resolution passed yesterday, the European Parliament resoundingly voted in favour of the target, which, according to recent Carbon Trust research, could help save UK businesses more than £1bn a year.

The resolution also calls for member states to set national energy efficiency goals as part of the European Union's forthcoming revised Energy Efficiency Action Plan (EEAP). National energy efficiency action plans would be approved by the commission, MEPs said, citing the success of similar renewable energy and emissions targets.

MEPs decreed that hurdles such as upfront investment costs must not be allowed to prevent the renovation of existing buildings, which account for about 40 per cent of energy consumption and 36 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.

They advocated district refurbishment plans, and making "pay-as-you-save" financial incentives similar to the UK's green deal available at regional, national and European levels, as the best methods to ensure the targets are met.

The resolution added that the public sector should lead the way by assessing its own buildings and called on EU institutions and agencies to ensure their facilities achieved near-zero energy consumption levels by 2019.

In related news, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) added its voice to calls for the EU to adopt more ambitious CO2 reduction target for 2020.

It said that adopting a 25 per cent reduction goal as opposed to the current 20 per cent target, would help encourage other countries to up their emission reduction targets in the run-up to the crucial UN climate summit in South Africa next year.

Meanwhile, the EU and the Pacific Islands Forum have launched a joint forum to address the impacts of climate change and ensure that a fair share of international climate funding goes to Pacific countries, which are most vulnerable to impacts like rising sea levels or extreme weather.

The EU has dedicated €90m over a five-year period to help the Pacific Islands tackle climate change effects at country and regional level, as part of a total package of €600m in development assistance.

Andris Piebalgs, commissioner for developmen at the EU, said: "We have to prevent millions of people from falling into extreme poverty because of the disastrous effects of climate change. The joint initiative is a call for the international community to match EU ambitions and to put high-impact aid on climate change into practice in the Pacific."