BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsrekommandasjonen)

(1) Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) introduced a requirement to achieve the headline target of at least 32,5 % energy savings at Union level by 2030.

(2) Directive (EU) 2023/1791 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) was adopted on 13 September 2023. It recast Directive 2012/27/EU, keeping some of its provisions unchanged while, at the same time, introducing some new requirements. In particular, it significantly raised the level of ambition for 2030 in terms of energy efficiency, including as regards energy services.

(3) Directive (EU) 2023/1791 fosters the development of energy services and specifically the uptake of energy performance contracts. In an energy performance contract, the service provider guarantees the energy savings to be achieved within the contractual period, while the beneficiary of the energy service avoids investment costs by using part of the financial value of energy savings to fully or partially repay the investment. Such contracts thereby build market trust in energy efficiency investments by ensuring their effectiveness. This can help attract private capital, which is key for increasing buildings renovation rates, driving energy efficiency in industry, bringing expertise into the market and creating innovative business models.

(4) Member States are to bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions transposing Article 29 of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 by 11 October 2025. The full transposition and effective implementation of the EED recast is necessary if the EU is to achieve its 2030 energy efficiency targets.

(5) Member States can choose at their discretion the way of transposing and implementing the requirements regarding energy services, that is best suited to their national circumstances. In this context, it would be recommended to interpret the relevant provisions of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 in a consistent way which would contribute to a coherent understanding of Directive (EU) 2023/1791 across Member States as they prepare their transposition measures.