Arianna Vitali Roscini is Secretary General of the Coalition for Energy Savings. This article is published in partnership with the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026.
As Europe navigates a new energy crisis driven by the war in the Middle East, the European Commission is expected to present its energy efficiency framework for the period after 2030 before the end of this year. That timing matters. In legislative terms, 2040 is already close.
The case for energy efficiency is not theoretical. According to EU data, without the efficiency measures implemented since 2000, EU energy use in 2023 would have been 29 per cent higher. Annual energy savings have grown considerably since 2020 — well above the average recorded between 2000 and 2014, and three times higher than the 2015–2019 period.
These gains were not incidental. EU energy efficiency legislation has shaped markets by setting long-term signals that drive industrial investment, skills development, and innovation. The sector employs over 1.2 million people across Europe. The 2023 Energy Efficiency Directive is still in its early implementation phase.
The post-2030 framework should, in my view, be built around four principles. First, it must maintain a combination of an overall efficiency target with the policies and measures needed to reach it. A 2040 target, backed by legislation, provides the direction that cross-sectoral and national action requires.
Second, the framework must be designed explicitly for EU energy independence, and should support fossil fuel phase-out and the electrification of heating, transport, and industry. Building renovation, in particular, offers long-term protection against future energy price shocks.
Third, it should do more to help companies — especially smaller ones — adopt energy-efficient technologies. The European Investment Bank has found that firms implementing energy efficiency measures perform better than those that do not, making them more resilient to price volatility.
Finally, the framework must place citizens — particularly the most vulnerable — at its centre. Without public support for the changes the energy transition requires, political resistance is likely to grow.
The ongoing energy crisis reinforces why reducing energy demand remains a core policy objective. Setting a credible post-2030 framework is a matter of energy security, industrial competitiveness, and household affordability.
