Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the Member States have speci
c targets for reducing emissions and may on a
discretionary basis de
ne whatever policies and instruments they wish to implement
to achieve those outcomes.
As the EU ETS has been in operation for some years now, conclusions may be
drawn as to its effectiveness and ef
ciency and proposals for improvement may
be made. The same is true of the strategies adopted to reduce emissions in the
diffuse sectors, among which taxation has played a key role.
Support for the development and roll-out of renewable energies has been
organised mainly at national level. However, targets and basic regulations have
been de
ned at European level. These targets are allocated to countries according to
the potential for developing renewables and the wealth of each country. The
Member States were given total discretion to de
ne the supporting frameworks to
be implemented in order to meet their national targets for renewable energies.
European experience in this area enables the degree to which targets have been met
to be pinpointed, along with the level of ef
ciency of the instruments and the
consequences arising from the mistakes made.
Unlike the two previous cases, the 2020 energy ef
ned
on a binding basis. This is another indication of the role to which targets and
regulatory instruments for improving energy ef
ciency target was not de
ciency have been relegated. Despite
the fact that various regulations have been passed in the
ciency,
this aspect has not traditionally been given the same political importance as
reducing emissions or promoting renewable energies. In fact, it may be said to be
one of the issues that remain pending in European energy policy.
There are signi
eld of energy ef
cant differences in the regulatory instruments applied by the
various Member States, although the drafting of standards for equipment and
processes and the adoption of plans to upgrade equipment have been widely
implemented throughout Europe.
The Energy Ef
ciency Directive passed in October 2012 speci
es binding
energy ef
ciency targets and a broad range of regulatory instruments that will form
the foundations for the energy ef
ciency regulations in the Member States by 2020.
The drafting of this Directive was surrounded by animated debate, re
ecting the
different opinions of the various Member States in relation to the level of ef
ciency
and effectiveness of each regulatory instrument. These discrepancies were partic-
ularly strong in the case of quantity instruments (energy-saving targets for sup-
pliers), which have been in place for several years in some countries but for which
no accurate diagnosis is yet available.
The lessons learned from the rights and wrongs of the existing regulatory
frameworks are very useful in a context such as the present scenario of debate on
the essential aspects of the targets, policies and regulatory instruments beyond the
2020 horizon, in a situation of economic crisis with extreme pressure to improve
competitiveness and drive economic growth.
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