Europe:
PUBLICATIONS
"European energy and transport - Trends to 2030"
(September 2003), from the European Commission's Energy and Transport Directorate-General, provides a statistical analysis of the past 10 years and additionally gives detailed projections on energy and transport for the current EU and the enlarged Union of 25. It also addresses wider European and world developments. The publication can be downloaded in sections, in pdf format.
EU Energy and Transport in Figures: Statistical Pocketbook 2002, from the European Commission's Energy and Transport Directorate-General.
Green Paper: Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply
Energy and environment in the European Union from the European Environment Agency, uses indicators to assess how effectively environmental policies and concerns are being integrated into energy policies. *
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY LEGISLATION
Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 96/92/EC.
Directive 2003-30-EC on the promotion of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport.
Decision 2002/358/CE approved, on behalf of the European Community, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the joint fulfilment of commitments thereunder. (The Decision includes the text of the Protocol.) Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU committed to an 8 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
Decision 1600-2002-EC laid down the 6th Community Environment Action Programme.
Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings.
Directive 2002/3/EC relating to ozone in ambient air, establishes long-term objectives, target values, an alert threshold and an information threshold for concentrations of ozone in ambient air in the Community, designed to avoid, prevent or reduce harmful effects on human health and the environment as a whole, and ensures that common methods and criteria are used to assess concentrations of ozone and, as appropriate, ozone precursors (oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds) in ambient air in the Member States.
Directive 2001/81/EC on national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants, has slightly stricter emission reduction targets than the targets set in the Gothenburg Protocol and requires the introduction of national emission ceilings for emissions of SO2, NOx and NMVOCs in each Member State, as well as setting interim environmental objectives for reducing the exposure of ecosystems and human populations to the damaging levels of acid pollutants and ozone. The targets for the EU 15 as a whole are: an SO2 emissions reduction of 76 % by 2010 from 1990 levels; an NOx emissions reduction of 51 % by 2010 from 1990 levels; NMVOCs: an emissions reduction of 57 % by 2010 from 1990 levels.
Directive 2001/80/EC on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants, is important in reducing emissions of SO2, NOx and dust from large combustion plants (i.e. those with a capacity greater than 50 MW). The Directive sets emission limits for licensing of new plant and requires Member States to establish programmes for reducing total emissions. Emissions limits for all plant will be revised in 2007 under the IPPC Directive.
Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market, sets an indicative target to increase the share of electricity produced from renewable sources in total Community electricity consumption to 22.1 % by 2010.
Community guidelines on State aid for environmental protection, allow governments to subsidise up to 40% of investments in new renewable or CHP plants, or to make use of support mechanisms, to enable renewable and CHP operators to sell at market prices until investors have received a fair return on capital.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution (CLRTAP) and the 8 extending protocols, including the most recent protocol to abate acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone, Gotheburg, Sweden, 1 December 1999.
Directive 99/32/EC relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels and amending Directive 93/12/EEC, limits sulphur emissions from oil fired electricity production. The Directive requires Member States to cease the use of heavy fuel oil with a sulphur content greater than 1 % by mass from 2000, and the use of gas oil with a sulphur content greater than 0.2 % from 2000 and greater than 0.1 % from 2008.
Directive 99/30/EC on air quality (the ‘daughter’ Directive of Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management, which established a framework under which the EU would set limit values for specific pollutants in the future) sets limits values for SO2, NOX, PM10 and lead. The Directive entered into force in 1999 and requires Member States to reach the values for SO2 and NOX in 5 and 10 years respectively.
Council Resolution 98/C 394/01 of 7 December 1998 on energy efficiency in the European Community, supporting COM(98) 246 final and, inviting the Commission to prepare a proposal for a prioritised action plan for energy efficiency.
Decision 98/181/EC on the conclusion of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Energy Charter Protocol on energy efficiency and related environmental aspects.
Directive 98/30/EC concerns common rules for the internal market in natural gas, which promotes a gradual opening up and reorganisation of energy markets and is likely to influence the choice of fuels for power generation and energy supply. There is a corrigendum to Directive (98/30/EC) concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas.
Directive 96/92/EC concerns common rules for the internal market in electricity, establishes common rules for the transmission, distribution, supply and storage of electricity, in order to introduce a liberalised electricity market throughout the EU.
Directive 96/61/EC on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) entered into force in 1999 and treats energy sector emissions within a multi-pollution approach. The Directive aims to prevent or minimise pollution of water, air and soil by industrial effluent and other waste from industrial installations, including energy industries, by defining basic obligations for operating licences or permits and by introducing targets, or benchmarks, for energy efficiency, and includes specific energy efficiency targets for key industrial sectors. It will also require the application of Best Available Techniques (BAT) in new installations from now on (and for existing plants over the next 10 years, according to national legislation).
Energy labelling legislation includes:
- Decision 2003-121-EC establishing the ecological criteria - Ecolabel - vacuum cleaners
- Directive 2002/40/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to the energy labelling of
household electric ovens
- Directive 2002/31/EC regarding energy labelling of household air-conditioners
- Regulation (EC) No 2422/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on a Community energy efficiency labelling programme for
office equipment (Energy Star)
- Directive 2000/55/EC on energy efficiency requirements for ballasts for fluorescent lighting, sets out minimum standards for the energy efficiency of ballasts for fluorescent lighting. The standards come into force in May 2002 and will be tightened again by the end of 2005.
- Directive 1999/9/EC, amending Directive 97/17/EC and implementing 92/75/EEC with regard to the energy labelling of
household dishwashers
- Directive 98/11/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of
household lamps
- Directive 97/17/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of
household dishwashers
- Directive 1996/89/EC amending Directive 95/12/EC with regard to energy labelling of
household washing machines
- Directive 96/60/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of
household combined washer-driers
- Directive 96/57/EC on energy efficiency requirements for electric refrigerators, freezers and combinations thereof, bans the sale of the most energy intensive categories of these white goods
- Directive 95/13/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of
household electric tumble driers
- Directive 95/12/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of household washing machines
- Directive 94/2/EC implementing Directive 92/75/EEC with regard to energy labelling of
household electric refrigerators, freezers and their combinations
- Directive 92/75/EEC on the indication by labelling and standard product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by household appliances, is the original
EC energy label Directive, which introduced mandatory labels stating the energy efficiency grade for specific household appliances
- Directive 92/42/EEC on efficiency requirements for new hot water boilers fired with liquid or gaseous fuels
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
COM(2003) 262 final, on the development of energy policy for the enlarged European Union, its neighbours and partner countries.
COM(2003) 104 final, Wider Europe - Neighbourhood - A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 2003/47/EC of 15 January 2003 on the guidelines to assist a Member State in the preparation of a national emission reduction plan further to the provisions of Directive 2001/80/EC on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants.
COM(2000) 88 final, presents EU policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Towards a European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The ECCP was established in June 2000 to help identify the most cost-effective additional measures (at costs of less than 20 euro per equivalent tonne of carbon dioxide) to meet the EU target. It is one of the instruments to implement the 6th Environment Action Plan and focuses on the energy, industry, transport and agriculture sectors. More information about the ECCP is available from the European Commission's website at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/eccp.htm
COM(98) 246 final, ‘Energy Efficiency in the European Community - Towards a Strategy for the Rational Use of Energy’ sets an indicative target for final energy consumption (FEC) intensity in the EU, set in the 1998 Communication, of 1 % per year improvement in the intensity of final energy consumption from 1998 to 2010 ‘over and above that which would otherwise be attained’.
The European Council’s Cardiff Summit in 1998 initiated the environmental integration process by inviting all relevant formations of the Council to establish their own strategies for giving effect to environmental integration and sustainable development within their respective policy areas.
Romania:
PUBLICATIONS
"An energy overview of Romania", a web page by the US Department of Energy, that has recently (October 2003) been updated.
In-depth review of Energy Efficiency Policies and Programmes of Romania (2002) from the Energy Charter Secretariat
ROMANIAN LEGISLATION
The original Romanian Energy Efficiency Law (Law 199/2000 - November 2000) is available here in English. However, click here for a brief editorial about this controversial law. Also, the Romanian Energy Conservation Agency (ARCE) has a new (October 2003) website (www.arceonline.ro) including related Romanian legislation (in Romanian language).
The Romanian Electricity and Heat Law (Government Ordinance 63/1998) was translated into English by the Romanian Electricity and Heat Regulatory Authority (ANRE) but has now been repealed and replaced by law 318/2003.
The Promotion of Romanian Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources (Government Decision no. 443 of 10 April 2003), establishes a target for the contribution of electricity produced from renewable energy sources to gross electricity consumption: 30% in 2010. The present contribution is approximately 29%, and is produced almost exclusively from large hydro. EC Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources, sets an indicative target of 22.1% for the Community as a whole.
See also
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
The Romanian Energy Efficiency Fund (FREE) offers financing for energy efficiency investment projects.
"Capacity building for greenhouse gas emissions reduction through energy efficiency in Romania" is a Global Environment Facility (UNDP) project that helps to leverage energy efficiency investments including, finding commercial financing for energy efficiency projects.
