More Energy Efficiency = Less Energy Dependence
From today until 31st December 2014, the EU will rely entirely on foreign energy imports to power the EU. If the EU were to achieve a binding energy efficiency target for 2030 of 40% (the level of cost effective energy savings in today’s economy ), EU Energy Dependence Day would fall a full 4 months and 8 days later – on 26th October 2014.
Ministries from Member States, spear-headed by Germany and Denmark, will also be brainstorming together today about the cost-effective potential and economic benefits of including an energy efficiency target into the 2030 framework at a co-hosted Workshop.
The issue of energy dependence has escalated up the EU’s political agenda, with the Commission increasingly looking at means of reducing energy demand in the EU. Eurostat estimated in 2012 that importing energy cost the EU €421bn net, which translates into a daily expenditure of over €1.1bn on energy imports.