The digital technology industry sector today welcomed the European Commission’s proposal for an Energy Efficiency Directive replacing the Energy Services and Cogeneration Directives, and bundling energy efficiency measures, with the aim of successfullydelivering a 20% energy saving target by 2020.

To meet these targets, DIGITALEUROPE Director General, Bridget Cosgrave, pointed to the importance for an inclusive proposal. “We urge the Commission to ensure consistency and clarity with the EU legislation, particularly in terms of scope and identification of energy consumption values.’’

Industry voiced its concerns over the need for the Commission to provide clear references for the data it is using to develop the scope and values outlined in the Directive’s annexure one, and encouraged member states to work in close cooperation with industry in setting targets and monitoring systems.

‘’Member states will play an important role as they will be required to develop national energy saving targets, which will be essential to meeting our 2020 goals,’’ suggested Cosgrave, adding that it was important for industry and government to establish close cooperation to deliver results.

‘’The ICT industry can play a crucial role in assessing, monitoring and delivering energy saving potentials through for instance the deployment of smart grids. Smart grids use ICT to better manage production, supply, distribution, retail and consumption of electricity, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving energy saving and network security,’’ outlined Cosgrave.

The ICT sector identified benefits to end users of smart grid technologies in helping control energy consumption. ‘’ICT solutions like smart metering, power electronics and home technologies can empower consumers to better use electricity, iterated Cosgrave.

The optimisation of consumer energy consumption and lower electricity bills, through for example possible off-peak consumption, and related variable fareswas identified by industry as an important step forward.
‘’Some ICT players are already using smart grids to improve the efficiencies for their own ICT infrastructure, which shows industry’s voluntary commitment to improving its own footprint,’’ outlined Cosgrave.

Green Public Procurement was identified as one mechanism that could assist inachieving the 20% energy saving target. ‘’Proper implementation, education of the purchasing authorities and a follow-up process after the purchase is the key to leveraging the maximum gain,’’ stated Cosgrave.

DIGITALEUROPE also welcomed the inclusion of environmental criteria in public tenders. ‘’Green‟ criteria in public tenders should be in-line with the legal provisions and should be harmonised within the EU,’’ warned Cosgrave. 

‘’Enormous energy savings can be achieved if products meet the latest ENERGY STAR ® specifications, and if customers are educated about energy consumption differences. DIGITALEUROPE remains committed to working actively with the European Commission to deliver viable energy saving options that can offer tangible steps forward in achieving Europe’s 2020 goals’’ concluded Cosgrave.
Ends

Media Enquiries:

Natalia KUROP – DIGITALEUROPE, Director, Communication & Marketing

T. +32 2 609 53 26 >> F. +32 2 609 53 39 >> M. +32 487 34 05 71 >> E. natalia.kurop@digitaleurope.org

ABOUT DIGITALEUROPE

DIGITALEUROPE is the voice of the European digital economy including information and communication technologies and consumer electronics. DIGITALEUROPE is dedicated to improving the business environment for the European digital technology industry and to promoting our sector’s contribution to economic growth and social progress in the European Union.

DIGITALEUROPE ensures industry participation in the development and implementation of EU policies. DIGITALEUROPE’s members include 61 global corporations and 37 national trade associations from across Europe. In total, 10,000 companies employing two million citizens and generating €1 trillion in revenues. Our website provides further information on our recent news and activities: http://www.digitaleurope.org

The membership of DIGITALEUROPE

Company Members:

Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, AMD, APC by Schneider Electric, Apple, Bang & Olufsen, BenQ Europa BV, Bose, Brother, Buffalo, Canon, Cassidian, Cisco, Dassault Systems, Dell, Epson, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, Huawei, IBM, Ingram Micro, Intel, JVC, Kenwood, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Lexmark, LG, Loewe, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Motorola Mobility, Motorola Solutions, NEC, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Océ, Oki, Optoma, Oracle, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Ricoh, Samsung, Sanyo, SAP,Sharp, Siemens, Smart Technologies, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Swatch Group, Technicolor, Texas Instruments, Toshiba, Xerox

National Trade Associations:

Austria: FEEI; Belgium: AGORIA; Bulgaria: BAIT; Cyprus: CITEA; Czech Republic: ASE; Denmark: DI ITEK, IT-BRANCHEN; Estonia: ITL; Finland: FFTI; France: SIMAVELEC; Germany: BITKOM, ZVEI; Greece: SEPE; Hungary: IVSZ; Ireland: ICT IRELAND; Italy: ANITEC; Lithuania: INFOBALT; Netherlands: ICT OFFICE, FIAR; Poland: KIGEIT, PIIT; Portugal: AGEFE, APDC; Romania: APDETIC; Slovakia: ITAS; Slovenia: GZS; Spain: AMETIC, Sweden: IT&Telekomföretagen; United Kingdom: INTELLECT Belarus: INFOPARK; Norway: ABELIA, IKT NORGE; Switzerland: SWICO; Turkey: ECID, TESID, TÜBISAD; Ukraine: IT UKRAINE