The reports are based on the screening of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs) as well as an expert survey, involving about 750 experts, on the implementation of those policies since the first NEEAPs were published in 2007.
The country reports provide a unique overview of policy packages and the current implementation status of energy efficiency policies in each member state.
The Member States´ profiles of this kind are a valuable source of information for every policy maker, especially with a view to the new Energy Efficiency Directive which is to be transposed by 5 June 2014.
"As the new directive obliges the member states to set indicative national energy efficiency targets for 2020 and to meet several binding requirements, it is crucial to review current policy packages and assess the progress made in their implementaiton. The country reports provide this information." said Jan Geiss, EUFORES Secretary General and coordinator of the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project.
Wuppertal Institute and Ecofys Germany screened the NEEAPs with the objective to highlight strengths and weaknesses of national energy efficiency policies, to identify policy gaps and to give policy recommendations.
"We focused on effective governance frameworks, comprehensive sectoral policy packages amd good practices. Thanks to the extensive EU-wide expert survey on the policy implementation, we could supplement the country reports with a reality check - the survey results from every member state," said Ralf Schuele from Wuppertal Institut.
"Sectoral policy packages of some member states are to a very large extent based on EU legislation. Out of the sectors, the transport sector is the one most neglected in national strategies," added Daniel Becker from Ecofys. Another worrying conclusion is that the majority of Member States has not yet adopted long term energy efficiency strategies.
"Thanks to the national process of drafting NEEAPs, the Member States have started a comprehensive planning exercise on energy efficiency policies. This is probably the biggest achievement of the NEEAP process and the Energy Services Directive," Becker added.
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