Finally on June 13th, the rabbit was pulled out of the hat and an agreement was reached on a compromise Energy Efficiency Directive. According to many within the Coalition for Energy Savings, there is disappointment because the measures do not sufficiently close the gap to reach the 20% energy savings target by 2020. The Commission states that the measures come to 17% of the 20% target while the Coalition for Energy Savings says 15%. Some are seeking clarification because there may be some mixing of apples and oranges.
To many in industry, there is “mild optimism” as the European Alliance to Save Energy stated. Everyone has to put a brave face on it
Getting back to the number of the week, it is 51. It has been 51 weeks since the draft directive was published by the Commission. It is not quite over since the Parliament and Council still have to officially approve it but this is widely considered a formality.
51 weeks also mean that there are a lot of exhausted people who have doggedly worked day and night to get this through. Special credit is due to Claude Turmes, MEP, rapporteur for the European Parliament on this Directive, who has stood steadfast throughout those 51 weeks to really bang heads together to reach a breakthrough.
But with only a short breather for a European summer, the work will turn to implementation. Policy objectives are fine but they must be met with actual actions – actions that lead to impact. Otherwise, we may be back to the drawing board. Now it’s time to follow the theme of the 2009 eceee Summer Study – Act! Innovate! Deliver!
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 
I think you may be forgetting the size of the debt we owe to the Danish presidency of the Council, and in particular minister of energy Martin Lidegaard, without whose tireless diplomacy this Directive could so easily have ended as a very pale shadow of its’ initial aspirations.
So it is down to the European Commission to do its’ job, of ensuring full and purposeful compliance in each Member State . Now that would be a break from past experience!
I knew whatever I wrote, someone would pick up on this and you are absolutely right. And there were also many people who for a year have been behind the scenes providing as much input to the process as possible.
Yes, the European Commission has to do its job. It has fallen down on the job many times in the past. But it is also our role to make sure everyone plays his or her part. And, who knows, with very good implementation (how unusual is that), maybe we could get very close to the 20% target.