Businesses call for energy efficiency to be at heart of EU industry plan
Thứ hai, 15/10/2012 - 09:28
The EU Commissioner for industry has told businesses that environmental policies will be central to driving the "third industrial revolution", ahead of a the launch of a growth strategy next month.
Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry says energy saving presents 'agenda of opportunity'
The EU Commissioner for industry has told businesses that environmental policies will be central to driving the "third industrial revolution", ahead of a the launch of a growth strategy next month.
Antonio Tajani, EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, met with more than 30 businesses from the European Alliance to Save Energy, including Knauf Insulation, Philips Lighting and Schneider Electric and Siemens, this week to discuss the how the EU can help boost the market for energy efficiency.
The companies believe that the European market for energy efficiency could double to €300bn by 2020 with the right political, regulatory and financial frameworks in place. They are calling for the EU to use the industrial strategy to send out a strong signal that sustainability will lie at the heart of its growth plans.
Speaking to the Alliance on Tuesday, Tajani said energy efficiency presented "an agenda of opportunity" for Europe.
"It is one of the only sectors today that can provide concrete solutions for the economic recovery and job creation by increasing the innovation and competitiveness of European industries," he said. "Energy efficiency can also help to reduce gas and oil dependence, and reduce the expensive energy bills for both businesses and EU citizens."
"Industrial and environmental policies must go hand in hand and drive the third industrial revolution," Tajani added. "If there was ever a time to tap into this resource, to release its potential to power a recovery and help create a sustainable future, then that time is most certainly upon us."
Among the recommended measures, the Alliance has urged the Commission to ensure the new industrial strategy is strongly linked to other existing directives, for example covering energy use in buildings and eco-labelling.
It has also called for the Commission to intervene in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to help shore up the carbon price.
In related news, officials met this week in Brussels to discuss how the Commission could withhold allowances from the phase III of the ETS, which starts in 2013, with a decision expected later in the year.
The EU carbon market is currently oversupplied by an estimated 1.2 billion cumulative permits through to 2020, with proposals to "backload" either 1.2 billion, 900 million or 400 million permits from phase III.
However, according to Reuters, discussions failed to reach any detail about how many allowances could be held back. The next committee meeting is expected on October 17.
By K.A