Energy efficiency governance in the Europe an Union Member States: analysis on current status

Abstract

Improving energy efficiency in the European Union is a complex task, which requires the commitment of Member States to be accomplished. The existing 20% energy efficiency target for 2020, recently reinforced for 2030 towards a 27% energy consumption reduction goal creates a higher pressure to deliver the potential benefits for the economy, environment and society. This research paper presents a governance analysis, as a proxy on the ability of Member States to contribute to the existing energy efficiency targets. The governance analysis conducted for the EU-28 highlights that more efforts are required to ensure that Member States follow and adopt existing legislation, alongside with developments on the existing financial support mechanisms, human capacities and institutional structures. Furthermore, individual country analysis depicts a misalignment on the governance performance for the EU-28 Member States.