The Council of the European Union has agreed to reduce energy consumption by 11,7% by 2030, compared to 2030 energy consumption forecasts made in 2020.
This translates into capping the EU's maximum energy consumption at 763 million tonnes equivalent and 993 million tonnes of oil equivalent for primary consumption.
The final consumption limit will be mandatory for all member states, while the primary energy consumption target will be indicative. Final energy consumption represents what is consumed by users, while primary energy consumption also includes what is used for the production and supply of energy.
The Council and the European Parliament agreed that all member states will contribute to achieving the global objective through national contributions and trajectories. According to a statement from the European Commission, the bloc's members will have to reduce, on average, energy consumption by 1,49% per year between 2024 and 2030, above the previous target of 0,8% per year.
The Council and Parliament also agreed on a specific obligation for the public sector to achieve an annual energy consumption reduction of 1,9%, excluding the public transport and armed forces sectors. Furthermore, EU members may be required to renovate at least 3% of the total area of buildings belonging to public bodies each year.
The political agreement reached last week will need to be formally approved by Parliament and then the Council before it comes into force.
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