European Economic
and Social Committee
Energy Taxation Directive
Key points:
The Committee supports the efforts of the European Commission because they:
- encourage environmentally responsible behaviour,
- are favourable to energy efficiency,
- reintegrate energyintensive industrial sectors which were previously excluded from application and
- support the Europe 2020 strategy.
The EESC regrets that the recast ETD is not more ambitious and coherent:
- Exemptions and derogations in the text are designed to please certain Member States or not displease others.
- Electricity is not subject to this alignment with other energy sources.
- The price signal given by taxation is not getting across when it comes to heating fuels.
- (However, one must take into consideration the inevitable heating needs of consumers.)
- Other sectors (such as agriculture, construction, public transport etc.) remain wholly or partly exempt and it is difficult to see any coherence in all these exemptions.
- No recommendation regarding the use by the Member States of all or part of the revenues is made.