Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that the cost of the necessary investment is lower if energy efficiency and demand management become an integral part of the European strategy; therefore renews its call for the introduction of a binding energy efficiency target of 20 % for 2020 and for ambitious long-term targets for 2030 and 2050; insists that demand management, i.e. regulating the energy consumed by appliances and consumers for instance via differing energy prices that are not tied to specific hours or minutes, must be an integral part of European energy policy.