Welcoming the development of the coalition, Minister Magnette said, “The message of The Coalition is timely and important. It demonstrates that all parts of society agree on the need for energy efficiency and savings because it is a massive source of cheap, reliable and sustainable energy”.

During the meeting, the new Coalition committed to demonstrating and acting upon the growing evidence of the scale of potential benefits to consumers, economic competitiveness and job creation. The EU’s 20% savings target must be prioritised at the heart of the Europe2020 strategy.

Deep concerns that the EU will miss these targets and their benefits without high level political commitment, were also expressed by the Coalition. What is needed mostly are additional and more tailored financial schemes and delivery mechanisms, greater professional training and public information, proper implementation and enforcement of existing and future policy instruments as well as the adoption of specific binding targets.

 “There is a vast potential of energy efficiency measures and cost savings that Europe has not even begun to tap into” said Tony Long, Director of WWF’s European Policy Office. “A much higher political priority for energy efficiency measures is essential if the EU has any chance to meet its 20% energy saving target by 2020.  The result will be lower energy bills for consumers – with potential savings of up to €78 billion annually by 2020, the generation of millions of valuable jobs and a massive boost to new innovation in low-carbon industries and services."

Luigi Meli, Director General of CECED, added: “The Coalition supports the effort of the Belgian Presidency to raise the importance of energy efficiency and ensure decisions are taken in the Council and other EU institutions that help European companies take the lead in the global race for innovative and sustainable solutions and products.  This is an economic imperative on which we must work together immediately.”

Note:

The founding organisations of the coalition are : Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), Climate Action Network (CAN-Europe), The European Liaison Committee for Social Housing (Cecodhas), ClientEarth, European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration (COGEN Europe), European Copper Institute, European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee), the EU Corporate Leaders’ Group on Climate Change, European Insulation Manufacturers Association (Eurima), European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE), European Climate Foundation (ECF), European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers (CECED), European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Glass for Europe, PU Europe, The  Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), The Architects' Council of Europe (ACE), The Climate Group, WWF.

For more information, please contact:

The Coalition secretariat - Samuel Maubanc, Communications Officer
Tel: +32 2 250 00 11
Email: samuel.maubanc@edelman.com