Monitoring as we need it

EU member states have been given many tasks to promote energy efficiency in general and in the end-use sectors, meet 2016 targets, meet 2020 targets and contribute to energy and climate objectives.  For countries with well funded and functioning energy agencies, the task is easier, but for most it is not easy, even if we were not in the middle of a financial crisis that we have no idea when will come to an end.  Even for the countries with the greatest capacity, it is difficult.  The obligations under Ecodesign and energy labelling, the energy performance of buildings directive, and the energy services directive that has morphed into the energy efficiency directive provide a tremendous legislative foundation but a great challenge to implement.  Administrators in member states understandably often feel overwhelmed.

One of the tasks that member states have had is to develop a national energy efficiency action plan (NEEAPs).  These must be revised on a regular basis.  The second NEEAPs were major efforts taken very seriously by member states.  They have now been reviewed by Energy Efficiency Watch.   EEW was the project funded by Intelligent Energy Europe and designed to facilitate the implementation of the Energy Services Directive.  The country reports are based on the screening of the NEEAPs as well as an expert survey, involving about 750 experts, on the implementation of those policies since the first NEEAPs were published in 2007. The country reports provide a unique overview of policy packages and the current implementation status of energy efficiency policies in each member state. The 27 reviews are now available on the EEW website and are well worth the read.

When you read the reviews and the survey of experts, please appreciate the work that is being done at the national level.  Yes, more can be done and more should be done.  But much is being done to address energy demand.  Policymakers need to take on board the effort, the commitment and the results, given the difficult policy context. This is a good news story that needs to be better appreciated and better disseminated and we have to thank EEW for providing these reviews.  EiD hopes that its readers will help spread the news.