Retard en matière d’efficacité énergétique : les Etats européens pourraient être poursuivis[en] 

Energy efficiency improvements, particularly in buildings, are considered to be a cornerstone of EU efforts to fight climate change, and the EU has developed a series of legislative and other measures designed to reduce the amount of energy required to produce one unit of GDP growth.

These include a directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services, which requires member states to draw up, by 30 June 2007, national action plans (NAPs) to achieve annual energy savings of 1% in the retail, supply and distribution of electricity, natural gas, urban heating and other energy products, including transport fuels.

But to date, only 15 member states have submitted their plans to the Commission, leading MEPs in Parliament's Industry Committee to conclude that EU countries have largely failed to realise their own commitments to reduce energy consumption (EurActiv 04/10/07).

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs is "very disappointed to see that 12 member states have yet to notify their [energy efficiency action] plan", he said in a 17 October press release announcing the launch of Commission infringement proceedings.

The member states concerned are Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.

France and Latvia were also singled out in a separate case concerning their failure to provide the Commission with "all the necessary evidence to conclude that the two countries have implemented the required measures" under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). 

The Commission sent 'Reasoned Opinions' to both states, the last stage before the case is referred to the European Court of Justice. France and Latvia are more than 18 months late as the transposition deadline passed in January 2006.

The EPBD covers both residential and non-residential buildings, and provides a common methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings and creating minimum standards of energy performance in individual member states. 

The directive applies to new buildings and existing buildings subject to major renovations.

EuroACE, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings, welcomed the Commission's announcement. "There have been too many words from too many governments about their commitment to improving energy efficiency – not least at the heads of government meeting only last  March – and not nearly enough action. Commissioner Piebalgs is to be applauded for challenging all these governments to turn their fine rhetoric into positive policies", the group said in a press statement.