MEPs in the Parliament's Industry Committee on 20 April backed the report by Mechtild Rothe (PSE, Germany) on energy end-use efficiency and energy services. The draft directive covers the retail, supply and distribution of electricity and natural gas to end-users including household, transport, industry and the commercial and public sectors.
MEPs supported the directive's most controversial aspect of setting a mandatory 1% annual energy saving target for member states. If confirmed in plenary, this could lead to a confrontation with the EU Council of Ministers, which stated a preference for less rigid national indicative targets.
The vote was criticised by European business association Eurochambres, which claimed that mandatory targets would lead to more bureaucracy and hamper economic growth. By contrast, the insulation industry association Eurima described the committee vote as only a first step towards a more rational use of energy in Europe.
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