EU states slow on energy-efficiency, environment

Only Finland, the UK and Denmark have met a 30 June deadline for submitting national action plans on energy-efficiency and the European Commission recently reported that environmental policies are the most poorly implemented across the EU.

EU ministers called for a “new impetus for EU environmental policy” at the 28 June Environment Council, stating that “further decisive action is needed” in the field.  

But despite ministerial declarations, “environment remains the sector where Member States show least respect for Internal Market rules”, according to the latest Internal Market Scoreboard, published by the Commission on 2 July. 

A full 21% of all infringement cases brought against member states by the Commission is in the field of environmental policy, 5% more than for taxation and customs union, the second most “popular” source of infringements.

In the area of energy-efficiency, member states had reaffirmed their commitment to submit national action plans before July, as requested under an EU directive on energy end-use efficiency and energy services, but so far, only three states have done so: Denmark, Finland and the UK.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) lamented the missed deadline: “Cutting energy waste is the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but most of the EU member states are falling at the first hurdle.” 

Michelle O’Neill of EuroACE, an alliance of companies providing energy-efficient solutions for buildings commented: “Following the trend of non-implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings directive, EuroACE…is sorely disappointed that only three member states met the June deadline to submit a national energy efficiency action plan. It is important that governments lead by example and take energy efficiency very seriously.”

Despite the apparent negative trend, Germany has recently announced a domestic plan for increasing energy-efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels by 2020. And France’s minister for environment Jean-Louis Borloo announced his government’s ambitious 5-year plan on environment and sustainable development.

Read more with Euractiv

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