15th Annual Conference, Evora (Portugal), 10-13 October 2007
of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils EEAC

Energy Efficiency – Key Pillar for a Competitive, Secure and Sustainable Europe

Hosted by the Portuguese National Council on Environment and Sustainable Development (CNADS) and co-organised by the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU).

Multiple Benefits of Enhanced Energy Efficiency

Enhancing energy efficiency contributes to a whole range of European policy targets including the Lisbon growth agenda, the European energy security strategy and European strategy to fight climate change. Enhanced energy efficiency reduces energy costs of European consumers and businesses and opens new opportunities for innovates products. In addition, higher energy efficiency enables European businesses to cope with rising energy prices on increasingly volatile international energy markets. Furthermore, energy efficiency is the least-cost option to reduce greenhouse gases in order to comply with the Kyoto Protocol and go beyond. Exploiting the synergies of enhanced energy efficiency is the road to deal with these new challenges. It enables the European Union to play the necessary proactive role in the international climate change regime after 2012 and simultaneously to enhance its prospects for growth and welfare.

Aim of the Conference

The multiple benefits of enhanced energy efficiency create new alliances of winners that range across many societal groups and reach far into the mainstream of business. The aim of the conference is to bring together these stakeholders from European businesses, the EEAC member Councils, the European Commission and national public administration.

The morning session will be reserved to high level speakers, including the President of the European Commission, leading figures of the business community and science.

The workshops in the afternoon of this one day conference will provide a platform for dialogue that will further strengthen these new alliances of winners from enhanced energy efficiency. The conference addresses decision makers from businesses and governments and civil society.

In a letter to the German Presidency, EEAC members already outlined some key issues for further deliberation during the Conference.

More information:

Hosts in Portugal: Aristides Leitao and Isabel Mertens
WG Energy chair and program co-ordination: Christian Hey
EEAC: Rosario Gomez

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Last update: 8 May 2007