Making EU Energy Efficiency deliver: European stakeholder perspectives on the 2023 Energy Efficiency Directive

Energy efficiency is the cornerstone of European energy policies. The 2023 recast of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) raises the ambition of EU energy efficiency policies at a time of energy insecurity, high import costs and decarbonisation pressure. This brief asks whether the revised Directive is fit to deliver on these aspects. Drawing on expert stakeholder assessments, it argues that the Directive in its present revision comes closer to fit for purpose but fails to address crucial elements. Stakeholders are cautiously optimistic about energy savings and expect the strongest effects in the public sector and buildings. Likewise, they expect co-benefits for supply security, energy poverty and energy bills. On the other hand, stakeholders are less convinced that the EED will sufficiently reduce fossil fuel use or address the transport and agriculture sectors, which are closely locked into fossil fuel use. Also, implementation barriers persist. Stakeholders put a priority on implementing the 2023 framework consistently before reopening the legislative cycle. A future redesign of the EED should target fossil-fuel savings, especially in transport, in a more explicit manner.