Tag: EU policies

Berlin is waiting

On October 24th and 25th, the EEIP (Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes) will hold its bi-annual congress in Berlin in co-operation with Deneff, the GermanBusiness Initiative for Energy Efficiency. The EEIP Congress 24-25 October brings forth the three main elements of EEIP work: energy recovery, financing and energy management systems. With the focus on industrial … Continue reading Berlin is waiting →

Don’t count your chickens . . .

Many member states have been planning to use revenue from the planned auction of allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).  The UK journal, Energy in Buildings and Industry, reports that introducing a floor price for the scheme risks being seen as a carbon tax.  This was the view of the Director General of … Continue reading Don’t count your chickens . . . →

Something to ponder over the summer

In April, the Commission published its evaluation of the Ecodesign directive  and (2009/125/EC) and the results were discussed at a Consultation Forum meeting of April 19, 2012.  One of the conclusions of the report was: Ex-ante impact assessments estimated that the first 12 Ecodesign Regulations will allow savings of 385TWh per year by 2020, which … Continue reading Something to ponder over the summer →

BMW accused of hypocrisy

This is a thought-provoking article by Adam Vaughan of the Guardian on BMW lobbying against tougher emission proposals while talking up its green credentials as official Olympics.   BMW accused of hypocrisy over opposition to European car targets BMW is lobbying to water down European plans to improve the fuel efficiency of cars at the … Continue reading BMW accused of hypocrisy →

Quote of the week

The European Council met in Brussels June 28th and 29th and formally approved the Energy Efficiency Directive.  The Communiqué states: Following the formal adoption of the Energy Efficiency Directive, Member States must rapidly implement it, making full use of its provisions in order to exploit the significant potential for job creation in this sector. Council … Continue reading Quote of the week →

EU holds out hope for UK’s green goods tax break

BusinessGreen reports (below) that the European Commission recently ordered the UK government to repeal a law that allows reduced rates of VAT on insulation materials and solar panels, on the grounds that it fails to comply with the EU's VAT Directive. In a bizarre move, the European Commission suggests a defence that the UK can … Continue reading EU holds out hope for UK’s green goods tax break →

Number of the week . . . or how the European Energy Efficiency Directive succeeded

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 … Continue reading Number of the week . . . or how the European Energy Efficiency Directive succeeded →

Czech solar energy industry must struggle with retroactive change in support

Many countries have had to re-think their policies to support the deployment of renewable energy technologies.  This article from CleanTechnica.com provides important information on developments in the Czech Republic.   Czech Solar Energy Industry Must Struggle with Retroactive Change in Support June 11, 2012 By Zachary Shahan CleanTechnica.com I received the following news release just … Continue reading Czech solar energy industry must struggle with retroactive change in support →

Run, rabbit, run . . .

The negotiations on the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive are coming down to the final steps, at least the final steps under the Danish Presidency which ends this month.  The last trialogue meeting is scheduled for June 13th.  In particular, there are still disputes on energy efficiency obligations for energy companies, and for retrofit strategies for … Continue reading Run, rabbit, run . . . →