Brussels 13 July 2022 – EuropeOn, the European Electrical Contractors’ Association, welcomes today’s ITRE vote on Directives for Energy Efficiency (EED) and Renewable Energy (RED). ITRE MEPs adopted crucial amendments on Articles 18 RED and 26 EED, so that the EU can lay the groundwork for Member States to ensure that enough professionals equipped with the right skills are available to implement the provisions of the Directives.

While waiting for the plenary vote, EuropeOn urges the Council to maintain these new provisions in order to avoid any bottlenecks to the deployment of energy efficient and renewable installations.

According to the ITRE mandate that was adopted today, Member States will have to regularly assess the gap between available and needed professionals for both energy efficiency and renewable installations, which is the first step to address skills and workforce shortages in the energy transition. MEPs also require the Commission to set up a dedicated Platform aiming to support up- and re-skilling efforts in the framework of the EU’s climate and energy targets. This Platform will be complemented by an EU-wide campaign aiming to attract more workers to energy efficiency careers.

EuropeOn General Secretary, Julie Beaufils, said: “We need more professionals to deliver the Green Deal and, with today’s vote, the Parliament clearly strengthens the Commission’s direly needed skills and labour provisions. The responsibility now lies in the hands of Member States, so we hope the Council will agree on a constructive approach and make a priority of attracting more professionals to green jobs, and especially in technical careers.”

Making sure energy accounting is on track for climate neutrality

MEPs have also turned their attention to the Primary Energy Factor (PEF), an accounting tool bridging the gap between primary and final energy, to make sure it is based on a methodology that is conducive to the EU’s climate goals.

Indeed, the PEF is out of touch with the current reality of the energy sector and serves as a de facto incentive for fossil fuels. MEPs have now pushed for a more regular review of this framework to ensure it is better geared towards emissions reductions and phase out of fossil fuels.

EuropeOn Policy Officer Federico Fucci said: “Energy efficiency is at the core of Europe’s strategy for climate neutrality and energy security, but energy efficiency also has to lead to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the phase out of fossil fuels, as the Parliament clearly underlined today.”