There are some very interesting developments this week, together with some excellent publications.
• European Council and energy efficiency
Energy efficiency was a hot topic when heads of government met in Brussels this week. The Coalition for Energy Savings writes that the Council has asked the Commission to do its homework: “Following their first debate on the 2030 climate and energy framework and in the light of recent events in Ukraine, EU leaders stressed the central role energy efficiency must play in reducing energy dependence and increasing the bargaining power with the external world. They called for more work on energy efficiency to be developed, including a plan to reduce EU energy dependence by June 2014 and an energy efficiency framework by October 2014.” This is a very positive development.
• Technical guidance from EC
Financial support is available through various EU programmes and instruments aimed at assisting Member States in supporting EU policy implementation and initiating associated investments. There is a new report prepared for the Commission, Financing the energy renovation of buildings with Cohesion Policy funding. The report was written by ICF International, Hincio and CE Delft.
The report is available here.
• Europe’s low-carbon transition: understanding the chemicals sector
The European Climate Foundation authored a new report with analytical support from McKinsey & Company and in consultation with a group of industry representatives and academics. It highlights the need for a broader notion of competitiveness to enable Europe to profit from the challenges of the transition. As a major share of emissions reduction opportunities identified in the study lie in cross-company and cross-sector integration, the question is raised as to how industry and policy makers can interact effectively to unlock these more complex opportunities.
The report is available here.
• IPEEC Building Energy Rating Schemes
This report by the IPEEC (International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation) was prepared by Adam Hinge of Sustainable Energy Partnerships and Bridgett Neely of Firefly Energy Consulting LLC. This initial project was developed to understand how building energy rating schemes can be used to have the greatest impact on meeting building energy efficiency policy goals. This is intended to be helpful to policy makers in IPEEC countries. The intent was not to perform assessments of existing rating schemes, but rather develop an assessment framework that policy makers can use going forward as part of developing or refining building rating schemes. The report is available here.
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 
Your reference to the heads of Government meeting last Thursday ,if anything, understates the way in which responding to the Ukrainian situation, has led to a series of formal Council Conclusions which are very positive about the role of energy efficiency .
For instance, para 19 states that, to reduce gas import dependency, “moderating energy demand through enhanced energy efficiency should be the FIRST STEP, (my emphasis),which will also contribute to other energy and climate objectives.”
The same para tells the Commission to report on energy security in June with a plan on how the EU can “increase its bargaining power and energy efficiency.”
Para 17 wants to “develop an energy efficiency framework” and to “review the Energy Efficiency Directive in a timely manner”.
Para 21 calls for “sustained efforts to moderate the energy costs borne by energy end-users”, in particular through “sustained investment in energy efficiency and demand-side management all along the value chain”.
Para 14 restates that the energy efficiency 2020 target “will need to be fully met by 2020.”
The heads of Government meeting may have disappointed by failing to set binding targets for 2030. But in terms of acknowledging and emphasising the central role that reducing wasteful consumption can help relieve strategic gas import pressures, it may just provide the real catalyst to alter the entire energy debate away from its historic fixation with supply-side solutions once and for all.
Dear Andrew
Thanks so much for this. As you saw, my post had no intention of detailing what went on and I am grateful for your contribution. Let’s hope that, as you wrote in your last paragraph, this “may just provide the real catalyst to alter the entire energy debate . . .” This is so needed. Thanks again for this.