The British poet, T.S. Eliot, in his poem “The Wasteland” called April the “cruellest month.” Thirteen months after the publication of the Commission’s Energy Efficiency Plan and ten months after its publication of the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, April is turning into crunch time. The Council (represented by Denmark as President), the European Parliament and the Commission have met once in the negotiations (the trialogue) to come to a common agreement. So far, the Member States seem far from the other two. There are two other main opportunities in April. First, on April 19th and 20th, there is an informal Energy Council and on the afternoon of the 19th, time has been set aside to discuss the draft Directive. On the 24th, there is another trialogue meeting. If there is no agreement, there will be further meetings in May.
EiD is hoping that April brings some needed sunshine and positive results. The longer these negotiations last, the crueller they become and no one wants that.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 
What emerges from this week’s informal meeting at Horsens , Denmark, between the energy and the environment ministers of the 27 Member States, will be the best guide yet as to whether the Energy Efficiency Directive will end up as a lion, or as a mouse.
I completely agree on that.
From informal soundings with some Horsens participants, I am growing quietly confident that the potential leonine qualities of the directive may yet be confirmed.
Much will depend upon both the determination and the flexibility shown by all three parties involved in the (at least two) trialogues set for “the merry month of May.”