Energy efficiency: action plan

The committee adopted the report by Anders WIJKMAN (EPP-ED, S) on the Commission communication. The report called for greater efforts to be made to reduce energy consumption. While it welcomed the EU action plan to pursue energy saving through actively involving local and regional authorities, the committee took the view that it was insufficient, since there was no systematic evaluation of previous schemes nor specific targets to be achieved within a given timetable. Furthermore, the committee believed the priority should be transport and that it ought to be possible to reduce energy consumption by some 2.5%. The report also contained a call for a chapter on energy policy to be inserted into the Treaty and urged the Council to adopt legislation on a climate tax and an energy tax with the option of using emissions trading. There was also support for further EU funding to promote energy efficiency and an EU-wide energy management programme to apply to all public authorities in the EU. Support was also forthcoming for sustainable urban development to be based on further developments of public transport. The committee wanted to see tax benefits for fuel efficient cars, consumption indicators in cars, more energy efficient designs of cars and road charging. �