Cornelis Ewin

Since 1991, several European countries have concluded voluntary agreements on energy efficiency with industry. This paper assess whether such agreements can continue to stimulate energy efficiency in industry in the next decade. To this end, it analyses the existing agreements from three angles: their context to understand the motivations to start and (dis)continue agreements; their design to understand how they differ from other policy instruments and how effective they are in lifting barriers; their results to assess whether they continue to generate savings. As part of the analysis, the history of voluntary agreements in Europe is described. The analysis reveals that EU members with a long tradition in voluntary agreements will likely maintain this approach. They integrate new EU requirements in their agreements, rather than replacing their agreements by EU legislation. Despite an interest for this policy instrument in Central and Eastern Europe, its diffusion might be limited due to a lack of mutual trust between industry and government and of attractive incentives. In Western Europe, local agreements emerge putting the emphasis on supporting the implementation of energy saving measures via knowledge sharing networks.