Almut Bonhage

2019 saw a declining energy demand, according to latest Eurostat data. This happens the second year in a row now since 2014 when economic growth in the EU picked up again and indeed the EU’s energy efficiency flagship, the energy savings obligation, started.

It means energy demand is absolutely decoupled from economic growth. This is mainly due to energy efficiency improvements. However, 2020 we expect disruptions caused by Corona measures, which leads to a decline in energy efficiency investments according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Having a closer look at the 2019 FEC/PEC data shows some interesting trends:

1. 2020 energy efficiency targets are reachable, especially for primary energy consumption (PEC), which declines faster than final energy (FEC). This could be due to the ongoing switch from coal to PV and wind energy. The latter are 100% efficient by convention which compares well to the roughly 30-40% efficiency for coal.

2. Final energy consumption (FEC) looks less good and achieving the 2020 energy efficiency target is uncertain. This is worrying because this is due to our leaky homes and polluting cars. Reducing energy end use is crucial to ensure the transition to a carbon free energy system is socially equitable.

Look out for the for Odyssee-Mure project, which provides more detailed analysis and insights.

Full size graphic FEC/PEC 2019

Link Eurostat FEC/PEC data

On Friday 18th December 2020, the European Commission finally kicked off a revision of EU laws on chemicals in food contact materials (FCM), with the publication of an Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) for consultation.

“This initiative is a key milestone in closing the chemicals safety gap for food packaging in the EU,” says Stefan Scheuer. “The new Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability provides the right direction for re-writing the rules. We welcome that the most harmful chemicals are to be banned. In the meantime, existing procedures should be used immediately to tackle the most harmful groups of chemicals, such as the bisphenols and the forever chemicals PFAS.”

Link full blog on CHEM Trust website

Stefan Scheuer will work with CHEM Trust for replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives in his new role as Chief EU Policy Advocate.

With its European Green Deal, the Commission is preparing several strategies aiming at achieving a toxic-free environment, namely the Circular Economy, Farm to Fork and Chemical Strategy.

Link to CHEM Trust website (about us/team)

The European Commission appointed Stefan Scheuer as the representative of environmental, health and consumer NGOs at the Management Board of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) for a second term.

“ECHA has achieved a lot and remains central for the EU to deliver benefits for citizens and their environment. Industrial chemicals silently pollute our bodies, our rivers, our food and our air. We need to tackle the toxic emergency together with climate change and the loss biodiversity,” says Stefan Scheuer.

Link to ECHA website (Management Board Site)

Several studies have shown that energy and carbon taxes play an important role in many Member States for meeting their energy savings obligation in the 2014-2020 period. Often, those taxes were introduced decades ago and have not been updated since. Nevertheless, their impacts are claimed to be significant.

A new study conducted by the Regulatory Assistance Project and Stefan Scheuer Consulting assesses the use of taxation in order to meet energy savings obligation (Article 7, Energy Efficiency Directive) over the first four-year period (2014-2017) in all 28 Member States. What would happen if all countries freely credited all energy taxes as energy savings, regardless their real impact? The study concludes that this would render the article 7 meaningless. On paper, it could wipe out the need for any new energy efficiency policy. But on the ground, energy use would continue to increase.

The revised Energy Efficiency Directive contains important safeguards which are set out in the study. Legislators have added new requirements to ensure that tax measures are indeed delivering new and additional energy savings. Applied correctly, this will reinforce the real contribution of the Directive to meet the EU’s 2020 and 2030 energy savings targets.

Authors:
Jan Rosenow, Principal & European Programme Director, The Regulatory Assistance Project
Stefan Scheuer, Director, Stefan Scheuer Consulting

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Link to article in Euractiv