2013/2038(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Recalls that the Parliament already adopted the report on the role of EU cohesion policy and its actors in implementing the new European energy policy, and that this report also covers energy efficiency issues;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses that Member States should not await the final deadline for the implementation of Directive 2010/31/EC and should invest in the development of new and more energy-efficient materials and technologies for the purposes of job creation, industrial recovery and the increased competitiveness of EU regions;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that National Energy Efficiency Plans and their implementation are reported on under the National Reform Plans and the EU Economic Semester in recognition of the positive economic impact of energy efficiency measures;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Underlines the potential benefits available under the JESSICA and ELENA initiatives for sustainable energy investment at local level, with a view to helping cities and regions embark on viable investment projects in the fields of energy efficiency and calls for the promotion of these initiatives;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Considers it to be of paramount importance to be able to use the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and other financial and leverage instruments to finance energy efficiency in particular in the housing sector; calls on the Commission and the Member States to disseminate clear, easily accessible information on the financial instruments, incentives, grants and loans available to support energy efficiency service projects;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Stresses the importance of integrating energy efficiency dimension into the research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation that Member States and regions will have to design in order to access innovation funding under the future cohesion policy;

Amendment 15 #

Daniel CASPARY

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Is concerned about r~~ecent developments in countries such as Bulgaria, where high~~ising energy prices which have caused social unrest, and calls for targeted measures to make energy affordable for ordinary citizens;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Is concerned about recent developments in countries such as Bulgaria, where high energy prices have caused social unrest, and calls for targeted ~~measures to make energy affordable for ordinary~~energy efficiency measures, in particular under cohesion policy, to reduce energy bills for citizens;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises in particular the potential social benefits of investments in energy efficiency as they can contribute to reducing energy bills for ~~the socially disadvantaged~~consumers;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls in particular the energy saving potential of public ~~buildings and hous~~and private, residential and commercial buildings, which represent 40 % of the Union's final energy consumption and 36% of the European Union's total CO2 emissions, and urges Member States to swiftly adopt long-term strategies beyond 2020 for mobilising investment in the renovation of residential and commercial buildings with a view to improving the energy performance of the building stock, as required by Directive 2012/27/EU;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls in particular the energy saving potential of public buildings and housing, which represent 40 % of the Union's final energy consumption and urges Member States to swiftly adopt ambitious long-term strategies beyond 2020 for mobilising investment in the deep and staged deep renovation of residential and commercial buildings with a view to improving the energy performance of the building stock, as required by Directive 2012/27/EU;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that cohesion policy will play a key role in implementing the measures necessary to achieve the Union's target of saving 20 % of primary energy consumption by 2020, and in paving the way for further energy efficiency improvements beyond that date;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Points out that by 31 December 2020 all new buildings must be nearly-zero energy buildings and two years before this new publicly owned and occupied buildings must be nearly-zero energy buildings; accordingly urges the Member States to step up the formulation of national programmes for increasing the number of nearly-zero energy buildings and introduce provisions for the definition of nearly-zero energy buildings, reflecting the situation at national, regional or local level in this respect;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of smart grids and intelligent networks which result in more efficient energy systems across the regions, reducing energy consumption and energy loss;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to increase substantially under the 2014-2020 financial planning period the structural fund appropriations that may be used by the Member States for measures to increase energy efficiency in buildings, especially residences;

Amendment 23 #

András GYÜRK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. ICalls on the Commission to assist Member States to improve their administrative capacities and information channels in order to achieve a better targeting of existing funds; invites Member States to make full use of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund to trigger investments in energy efficiency improvement measures;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase the minimum share of funding for energy efficiency measures when negotiating future cohesion policy.

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on Member States to facilitate the establishment of financing facilities for energy efficiency improvement measures to maximise the benefits of multiple streams of financing, as required by Directive 2012/27/EU; calls on the Commission to assist Member States in setting up financing facilities and to facilitate the exchange of best practice between the competent national or regional authorities or bodies; stresses the importance of such EU programmes as the ELENA facility in giving technical assistance to regional and local authorities to make best use of the cohesion funds;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. CPoints out that Member States may apply a reduced VAT rate, which must not however be less than 5%, in respect of measures to increase energy efficiency in buildings and calls on Member States to facilitate the establishment of financing facilities for energy efficiency improvement measures to maximise the benefits of multiple streams of financing, as required by Directive 2012/27/EU; calls on the Commission to assist Member States in setting up financing facilities and to facilitate the exchange of best practice between the competent national or regional authorities or bodies;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Urges the Member States to launch information campaigns regarding the benefits in terms of comfort and lower utility bills accruing from increased energy efficiency in residences; points out at the same time that it is with regard to buildings rather than individual units (e.g. apartments) that measures to increase energy efficiency are the most efficient;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned about the ~~recent findings of the Court of Auditors, which indicate that cohesion policy investments in energy efficiency have not been~~ findings from the 2012 Court of Auditors report on Cost- Effectiveness of Cohesion Policy Investments in Energy Efficiency on a sample of 24 energy efficiency investment projects in public buildings only, in the Member States of Lithuania, Italy and the Czech Republic across four operational programmes, which indicate that the right conditions in programming and financing had not been set to enable cost-effective energy efficiency investments; notes the reply of the Commission to the findings which concludes that sample size of the projects audited is very small and that one of the projects is from 2000-06 and therefore the results cannot be extrapolated to the policy as a whole, that energy efficiency policy has developed considerably in recent years since the four audited programmes were negotiated, that there might be a conflict of interest between the results of a 'cost- effectiveness', as is the focus of the Court of Auditors' report, and a 'needs assessment' approach, and that an assessment of needs might lead to a different prioritisation, that it is important to take an integrated approach for investment in public buildings and that deep renovations may need longer pay back times;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Is concerned about the recent findings of the Court of Auditors, which indicate that cohesion policy investments in energy efficiency have not been cost-effective due to the incorrect implementation and use of funds ring fenced for this purpose;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the primary objective of cohesion policy remains the reduction of the economic ~~and soc~~, social and territorial disparities between regions and considers that energy efficiency policies ~~should not interfere with this objective; stresses that some of the EU's poorest regions may have different priorities and require investment in other areas first~~will help achieve this objective;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the primary objective of cohesion policy remains the reduction of the economic and social disparities between regions and considers that energy efficiency policies should not interfere with this objective; stresses that some of the EU's poorest regions may have different priorities and require investment in other areas first; underlines that the strength of cohesion policy lies in its flexibility and the decentralised administration of funds at local level;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the primary objective of cohesion policy remains the reduction of the economic and social disparities between regions and considers that energy efficiency policies ~~should not interfere with~~will aid this objective; stresses that some of the EU's poorest regions ~~may have different priorities and require investment in other areas first~~will benefit most from investing in energy efficiency and the jobs and growth that this brings;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that investment in energy efficiency has the potential to contribute to economic growth, employment, innovation and a reduction in energy poverty in households, and can therefore make a positive contribution to economic, social and territorial cohesion; emphasises that the allocation of funds must be based on principles of proportionality, cost- effectiveness and economic effectiveness and that it must not increase administrative burdens;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that investment in energy efficiency has the potential to contribute to economic growth, employment- particularly at local and regional level, innovation and a reduction in energy poverty in households, and can therefore make a positive contribution to economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that investment in energy efficiency ~~has the potential to~~ contributes to economic growth, employment, innovation, energy independency and a reduction in energy poverty in households, and can therefore make a positive contribution to economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Emphasises that bureaucracy and lack of procedural clarity have made access to the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund difficult and discouraged those actors most in need of such funding from applying; supports, therefore, the simplification of rules and procedures, the removal of red tape, and increased flexibility in allocating these funds at both EU and national level; believes that simplification will contribute to the efficient allocation of funds, higher absorption rates, fewer errors and reduced payment periods and allow the poorest Member States and regions to take full advantage of the financial instruments intended to reduce regional and inter-state disparities; considers that a balance needs to be struck between simplification and the stability of rules and procedures;

source: PE-510.482

2013/06/12 REGI 154 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1

– having regard to Article 19~~1(2)~~4 TFEU,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 36 a (new)

- having regard to Commission's contribution to the European Council of 22 May 2013 entitled 'Energy challenges and policy',

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Acknowledges that the transition to energy efficient technologies requires new skills, environment-conscious vocational education and specific training in construction and other sectors; encourages, in this regard, the Member States to continue to use funds to provide technical assistance at all levels (such as through the ELENA facility); calls, furthermore, on the Member States to make use of the European Structural and Investment Funds to re-train and up-skill workers for newly emerging jobs in the low-carbon economy;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Acknowledges that the transition to energy efficient technologies requires new skills, environment-conscious vocational education and specific training in construction and other sectors; encourages, in this regard, the Member States to continue to use funds to provide technical assistance at all levels (such as through the ELENA facility); calls, furthermore, on the Member States to make use of the Structural Funds to re-train and up-skill workers for newly emerging jobs in the low-carbon economy; and avoid any shortages of skilled manpower in this sector;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Encourages further administrative support to LRA towards the grouping of small and medium size energy efficiency projects which would normally be below the minimum financial limits for access to the ELENA, JESSICA and Intelligent Energy programmes; draws the attention of the Member States and the Commission to the fact that small and medium-sized towns and rural communities often lack the necessary administrative capacity to use new financial instruments fully;

Amendment 103 #

Iosif MATULA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Stresses that a combination of grants and FI can serve as a successful and innovative approach to leverage private funding, create new models of private- public partnerships and enhance innovation; stresses the importance of attracting private investment in energy efficiency from both the EU and third countries;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Highlights the need for the provision of finance with terms and financial conditions which address the long-term need for the holistic and efficient transformation of Europe's built infrastructure and buildings;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Highlights the importance of the use of innovative financial instruments as a way to fully leverage investments in EE in private housing, in particular on the use of financial instruments in housing to combine the aim of energy efficiency with the social dimension;

Amendment 106 #

Iosif MATULA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Points out that efforts to acquire finance for investment in energy efficient projects are often hindered by market, regulatory and trust barriers such as high upfront costs for investors and difficulties to forecast the exact energy savings potential; urges Member States to find suitable ways of encouraging investment in household energy efficiency;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Highlights with concern that the current economic and financial crisis~~, and the extensive austerity measures implemented across the EU,~~ have made it increasingly difficult for the Member States to find the funding needed to co- finance Cohesion Policy programmes related to EE; finds it essential, in this regard, that new innovative ways of financing EE projects are found;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Highlights ~~with concern~~ that the current economic and financial crisis, and the extensive austerity measures implemented across the EU, have made it increasingly difficult for the Member States to find the funding needed to co- finance Cohesion Policy programmes related to EE; ~~finds it essential, in this regard, that new innovative ways of financing EE projects are found;~~

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas achieving EE is a key priority for the Commission and certain Member States, as illustrated by one of the EU 2020 objectives to increase EE by 20 %;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Highlights with concern that the current economic and financial crisis, and the extensive austerity measures implemented across the EU, have made it increasingly difficult for the Member States to find the funding needed to co-finance Cohesion Policy programmes related to EE; finds it essential, in this regard, that new innovative ways of financing EE projects are ~~found~~developed; calls on Member States to remove existing barriers on access to finance and to create new targeted financial instruments within the Cohesion Policy, such as microcredits, and give the opportunity to combine it with other budget lines under the IEE programme to fully leverage investments in EE;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Recognises the Commission’s support for the enhanced role of new and innovative FI in the upcoming programming period 2014-2020; stresses that the lack of timely delivery and legal clarity presents a significant difficulty for the Member States as well as for other stakeholders included in the management of such instruments; ~~urges the Commission to present without delay proposals for off-the-shelf FI to be available to support EE measures;~~

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Recognises the Commission's support for the enhanced role of new and innovative FI in the ~~upcoming~~ programming period 2014-2020; stresses that the lack of timely delivery and legal clarity presents a significant difficulty for the Member States as well as for other stakeholders included in the management of such instruments; urges the Commission to present without delay proposals for off- the-shelf FI to be available to support EE measures;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Calls upon Member States to share best practices in the design of National Energy Efficiency Funds where European Structural and Investment Funds can be used as equity contributions, or similar, and be aligned with additional funding sources from the private sector;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Calls on the Commission to improve further the targeted financial support of the European Investment Bank (EIB) ~~and~~, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Council of Europe Development Bank and the European Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF) for EE projects; calls on the EIB, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the EBRD to form a joint working group to study alternatives for new FI, which can be made available to the Member States together with or through their National Energy Efficiency Funds to stimulate additional private sector investment;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Emphasises that the allocation of funds must be based on principles of proportionality, cost effectiveness and economic effectiveness and that it must not increase administrative burdens;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Climate ~~realiti~~and competitiveness realities and energy prices

Amendment 117 #

Maurice PONGA

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Climate and geographical realities

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Highlights the importance of ~~adapting~~regularly assessing whether EE measures and requirements ~~to climate realitie~~are still adequate in relation to both climate realities, the competitiveness impacts on industry and SMEs as well as the energy price implications in different Member States and regions; calls on the Commission to consider this carefully when preparing a set of performance indicators;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Highlights the importance of adapting EE measures and requirements to climate realities, and of regularly checking on the level playing field for industry and SMEs and on energy price developments, in different Member States and regions; calls on the Commission to consider this carefully when preparing a set of performance indicators;

Amendment 12 #

Petru Constantin LUHAN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas cutting consumption by means of energy efficiency is the most sustainable way of reducing dependence on fossil fuels, leading to a reduction in imports of around 25 %;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Highlights the ~~importance of adapting EE measures and requirements to~~ fact that ‘climate realities’ i~~n different Member States and regions; calls on the Commission to consider this carefully when preparing a set of performance indicator~~s an incredibly vague term thought up by climate change fanatics;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Highlights the importance of adapting EE measures and requirements to climate realities in different Member States and regions; calls on the Commission to consider this carefully when preparing a set of performance indicators;

Amendment 122 #

Maurice PONGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Stresses the need to also take account of the specific geographical characteristics of the outermost regions (OR) with regard to EE in order to make better use of the natural assets deriving from their island status (geothermal, solar, wind and marine energy);

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Supports the progress of the MARIE programme in setting up a Mediterranean Building Energy Efficiency Improvement Strategy; calls, in this regard, on the Member States in the Mediterranean area to share best practices in order to deliver a cost-optimal model for southern Europe; calls for the creation of similar programmes in other European regions, especially Central Europe;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Supports the progress of the MARIE programme in setting up a Mediterranean Building Energy Efficiency Improvement Strategy; calls, in this regard, on the Member States in the Mediterranean area to share best practices in order to deliver a cost-optimal model for southern Europe; considers that a similar strategy could be implemented for the OR, particularly as most of them, but not all, are situated in the tropics;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Member States to set demanding targets for ensuring that public buildings, ~~and both private and social housing,~~ meet the highest EU EE standards as foreseen in Directive 2010/31/EU, and to make them subject to energy certification on a regular basis;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Member States to set demanding targets for ensuring that public buildings~~, and both private and social housing, meet the highes~~ meet EU EE standards, and to make them subject to energy certification on a regular basis;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Member States to set ~~demanding~~rough targets for ensuring that public buildings, and both private and social housing, meet the highest EU EE standards, and to make them subject to energy certification on a regular basis;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Member States to set demanding targets for ensuring that public buildings, and buildings serving other purposes, including both private and social housing, meet the highest EU EE standards, and to make them subject to energy certification on a regular basis;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Notes with concern that the targets for EE as required by the Energy Efficiency Directive have not yet been provided and/or estimated for all Member States; stresses that if the commitment to achievement of the EU2020 objectives is to be realized, clear targets need to be defined for every Member State;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas investment in EE can bring economic, social and environmental returns to the European regions;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Calls on the Commission to clarify the common indicators for EE in Cohesion policy to be applied and used by the Member States in the upcoming programming period 2014-2020;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Calls on the Commission to clarify the common indicators for EE to be applied and used by the Member States in the ~~upcoming~~ programming period 2014-2020;

Amendment 132 #

Zigmantas BALČYTIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Calls on the Commission to take due account of the economic, geographic and social situation in determining for each Member State or region the investment costs related to achieving savings of one kWh;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to develop, ~~without delay~~in consultation with the Member States, EE project assessment guidelines, which could serve as a basis for setting up project evaluation, monitoring and verification mechanism;

Amendment 134 #

Zigmantas BALČYTIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to develop, without delay, EE project assessment guidelines, which could serve as a basis for setting up project evaluation, monitoring and verification mechanism and to ascertain the cost-effectiveness;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Calls on the Member States to apply result indicators a~~nd project selection criteria for EE that measure actual energy savings potential;~~ s well as the use of transparent project selection criteria and standard investment costs per unit of energy to be saved, with a maximum acceptable simple payback period for EE projects;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Takes note of the latest Court of Auditors report on the cost-effectiveness of cohesion policy investments in EE; highlights the Court's recommendation of using transparent and stricter selection criteria for projects both at the EU and Member State level; ~~agre~~notes with the Court's conclusion that assessment criteria used to make an investment decision must be clearer and more precise as regards to how EE aspects are to be considered;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Takes note of the latest Court of Auditors report on the cost-effectiveness of cohesion policy investments in EE; highlights the Court's recommendation of using transparent and stricter selection criteria for projects both at the EU and Member State level; agrees with the Court's conclusion that assessment criteria used to make an investment decision must be clearer and more precise as regards to how EE aspects are to be considered in order to prevent investments being made on general modernisation instead of targeted EE measures;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Notes, however, that the Court's assessment is rather restrictive in terms of a sample ~~and payback perio~~size across four operational programmes in three Member States, payback period, dates of the projects, making it difficult to extrapolate to the policy as a whole; highlights that energy efficiency policy has developed significantly in recent years since the audited programmes were negotiated; stresses that the Cohesion Policy is an integrated policy and, thus, that a comprehensive approach, based on life- cycle cost analysis, needs to be adopted when carrying out assessments of projects;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35a. Notes the reply of the Commission to the findings of the Court of Auditors, in particular the conclusion that there might be a conflict of interest between the results of a 'needs assessment' and a 'cost-effectiveness' approach, and that an assessment of needs might lead to a different prioritisation, that it is important to take an integrated approach for investment in public buildings and that deep renovations may need longer pay back times;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas investment in EE ~~can~~will bring extensive economic, social and environmental returns;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Points out that energy consumption in buildings constitutes the largest share – 40 % – of total final energy consumption in the EU in 2010, of which 26.7% was household consumption; regrets that most Member States fall short when it comes to making full use of the energy saving potential of buildings; calls on the Commission to find ways to ~~guarante~~encourage that the greatest energy saving potential will not remained untapped;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Points out that energy consumption in buildings constitutes the largest share – 40 % – of total final energy consumption in the EU; regrets that most Member States fall short when it comes to making full use of the energy saving potential of buildings; calls on the Commission to ~~find ways to gu~~draw up a proposal laying down clear an~~tee that the greatest energy saving potential will not remained untapped~~d binding objectives with regard to the energy consumption of buildings in EU Member States;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Points out that energy consumption in buildings constitutes the largest share – 40 % – of total final energy consumption in the EU and produce 36% of the Union's CO2 emissions; regrets that most Member States fall short when it comes to making full use of the energy saving potential of buildings; calls on the Commission to find ways to guarantee that the greatest energy saving potential will not remained untapped;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36a. Recalls that buildings have a natural renovation cycle of 40 years and that energy saving technologies in this sector are well developed, leaving most barriers that prevent the full use of energy saving potential to be of the non-technical nature; points out that also due to the nature of EE renovation projects, which are often less visible, smaller and more difficult to aggregate, the European Structural and Investment Funds play a crucial role in providing the funding needed to overcome these barriers;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Notes that energy saving potential, which largely depends on the condition of existing building stock, is not equally spread among the ~~Member State~~regions;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Notes that energy saving potential, which largely depends on the condition of existing building stock, is not equally spread among the Member States; calls on the Member States to refine their definition of 'decent housing' to include energy-efficiency standards;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38

38. Stresses that public investment in EE in buildings is needed in particular in ~~new Member States~~the least-developed regions and in Member States which are beneficiaries of cohesion funding, where there is significant potential for reducing energy consumption through cost-effective measures;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)

38a. Highlights the importance of energy efficiency in social housing; calls on Member States to permit energy savings to be made through the modernisation of social housing stock which will combat energy poverty; advocates making priority investment in energy efficiency and in the use of renewables in social and affordable housing; urges Member States to adopt integrated measures, based on local energy audits, both in the private and public sector, in particular through the use of the use of effective, long-term financial leverage to make residential buildings more energy efficient, in both urban and rural areas, while ensuring that this does not lead to a significant increase in housing costs for tenants once energy savings have been taken into account; calls on the Commission to coordinate these efforts and to examine the possibility of introducing incentive measures;

Amendment 148 #

Lambert van NISTELROOIJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)

39a. Notes that rural and remote areas have ideal conditions for the deployment of efficient forms of decentralised energy production which reduces energy losses from long-distance electricity transportation;

Amendment 149 #

Radvilė MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Calls on the relevant public authorities to speed up the renovation of buildings they own~~, using Cohesion Policy funding to provide the needed leverage and create exemplarity~~ alongside promoting and helping private businesses to invest in EE projects;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas a great deal of energy still comes from hydrocarbons which, during combustion, release greenhouse gases;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)

40a. Calls on the Member States to pay special attention to the difficulties faced by the joint ownership of multifamily apartment buildings, which represent a difficult free-rider problem;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Calls on the Commission to build awareness around the real potential of deep renovation and staged deep renovation of the building stock by supporting Member States in the preparation of their renovation ~~roadmap~~strategies; recommends that these ~~roadmap~~strategies be developed in parallel with proposals for OPs, and that they focus on incorporating the use of innovative FI and include indicative milestones to build investor confidence;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41

41. Calls on the Commission to build awareness around the real potential of deep renovation of the building stock by supporting Member States and regions in the preparation of their renovation roadmaps; recommends that these roadmaps be developed in parallel with proposals for OPs, and that they focus on incorporating the use of innovative FI and include indicative milestones to build investor confidence;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)

41a. Draws attention, however, to the significant energy losses associated with other industries, including the machine motorisation, machine tool and combustion engine sectors, which are still not sufficiently energy efficient; takes the view that projects relating in particular to research and applied research aimed at improving the EE of these types of power unit should be funded under the Cohesion Policy;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

42. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council ~~and the Commiss~~, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions.

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas a timely and effective implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive canould significantly reduce energy consumption, restrict imports of fossil fuels, create new jobs, provide social protection and eradicate energy poverty;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas a timely and cost-effective implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive can significantly reduce energy consumption, restrict imports of fossil fuels, create new jobs, provide social protection and eradicate energy poverty;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas a timely and effective implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive can significantly reduce energy consumption, ~~restrict~~decrease dependence on imports of fossil fuels, encourage energy independence, create new jobs, provide social protection and eradicate energy poverty;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas in the current 2007-2013 programming period, EUR 5.5 billion were allocated for energy efficiency, co- generation and energy management within the Cohesion Policy budget;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3

– having regard to Article 3 ~~and Article 6~~ of the TEU,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas, regrettably, in the current 2007-2013 programming period, EUR 5.5 billion were allocated for energy efficiency within the Cohesion Policy budget;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the latest Commission's report concludes that up to the end of 2011, almost EUR 3.8 billion had been allocated to specific EE projects, including revolving funds, representing an implementation rate of 68 %; whereas the report also noted that this implementation rate was uneven across the Union;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas the minimum amount for an ELENA eligible project is 50 Million Euros and for the Intelligent Energy programme, the minimum is greater than 6 Million Euros, which is larger than many projects in small and rural communities;

Amendment 23 #