Adapting acts on energy efficiency and on the governance of the energy union by reason of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Miroslav POCKET (S&D, CZ) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on adapting Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency [as amended by Directive 2018/XXX/EU] and Regulation (EU) 2018/XXX of the European Parliament and of the Council [Governance of the Energy Union], by reason of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

Due to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the Union, it is necessary to technically adapt the projected energy consumption figures for the European Union in 2030 to reflect the Union of 27 Member States (EU 27).

Projections made for the at least 32.5 % Union headline targets show that primary energy consumption should equal 1 273 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and 956 Mtoe of final energy consumption in 2030 for the Union of 28 Member States. The equivalent projections for the EU 27 excluding the United Kingdom show that primary energy consumption should equal 1 128 Mtoe and final energy consumption should equal 846 Mtoe in 2030.

Therefore, it is proposed to adapt the figures for primary and final energy consumption provided for in the recent amendment of the Energy Efficiency Directive.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows.

The proposed amendments aim in particular to:

- introduce in the recitals a technical clarification in relation to the Union’s energy efficiency targets for 2030, to reflect more accurately the terminology used in the recently agreed revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive. It should be noted that the Directive refers to headline targets (in plural), to reflect that the target for energy efficiency is expressed in primary/final energy consumption ;

- clarify that the Decision should be without prejudice to the transposition of the recently agreed Directive on energy efficiency, and not that of Directive 2012/27/EU which has been already transposed. This Decision provides a general transposition date of 5 June 2014;

- change of the date of entry into force of the Decision (three days instead of twenty following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union), in order to ensure that it can enter into force before the day on which Union law ceases to apply to the United Kingdom. This change seems necessary in view of the time constraints for the completion of the legislative procedure before 29 March 2019.