Energy efficiency must be at the heart of COP31’s Action Agenda and a cornerstone of Europe’s post-2030 energy framework!

EU-ASE, together with the Alliance to Save Energy, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, the Association of Energy Engineers and Efficiency Canada, is proud to lead an international initiative calling on the COP31 Presidency to make energy efficiency a cross-cutting priority and accelerate action.

Supported by more than 300 businesses and organisations from 39 countries and territories across six continents, our open letter highlights how energy efficiency can:

▪️ Strengthen energy security and economic competitiveness.

▪️ Improve affordability and reduce energy costs.

▪️ Reduce waste across energy and water systems and global supply chains.

▪️ Improve buildings and infrastructure while delivering health and productivity benefits.

▪️ Drive investment, develop skills and create quality local jobs.

With the ambition of doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, the message is clear: energy efficiency must be a central pillar of the global energy transition.

And this energy efficiency discussion at COP31 is very relevant in Europe.

As discussions on the EU’s post-2030 energy framework continue in Brussels, the question is not only how much energy Europe needs to save, but also what it stands to gain by investing in energy efficiency.

Our recently updated infographic, The Energy Efficiency Tree, illustrates precisely this opportunity, capturing direct economic activity across a range of energy efficiency technologies. They are conservative and do not fully account for the wider economic impact across complex value chains.

The Energy Efficiency Tree roots illustrate how thousands of companies, technologies, investments and innovations form a growing industrial ecosystem and the canopy is the enormous potential it holds for Europe’s future competitiveness, employment and innovation.

Realising this potential requires the right policy, regulatory and financial conditions. In particular, Europe needs a stable, ambitious and predictable post-2030 framework, including a binding EU-wide energy efficiency target to provide a clear long-term direction for investment and innovation.

Read the letter here.

We are happy to have joined more than 90 companies, industry associations and civil society organisations in calling for a stable and predictable post-2030 energy efficiency framework, starting with a binding EU energy efficiency target for 2040.

Energy efficiency is, and should remain, Europe’s first fuel. At a time of geopolitical instability, supply shocks and energy price volatility, it is also Europe’s first line of defence, strengthening energy security, reducing energy bills and supporting a more affordable and resilient clean energy transition.

We therefore join the call on the European Commission to enshrine a binding EU energy efficiency target for 2040 in Europe’s post-2030 energy framework, due to be proposed by the end of the year.

A clear and ambitious framework will provide the regulatory stability needed to sustain investment, drive energy savings and continue delivering benefits for citizens, businesses and industry across Europe.

Read the letter here.