Improving Energy Efficiency: An Obvious and Urgent Next Step
Brussels, 28 September 2026: Industry, civil-society and environmental organisations have come together to ask European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a binding energy efficiency target for 2040.
Following a summer of extreme heatwaves across the continent, the 93 organisations say that improving our energy efficiency is an obvious, urgent and immediate next step that the EU must take.
However, the letter also emphasises that energy efficiency transcends our environmental goals; it is Europe’s first line of defense against geopolitical instability and market volatility because it reduces our dependence on imported fossil fuels and lowers operating costs for our industries.
Without the efficiency improvements achieved over the last two decades, EU energy consumption would be around 29% higher today and Europe's energy security would be more severely affected.
The primary demand is a binding EU energy efficiency target for 2040. The co-signatories stress that neither the EU's renewable energy targets nor its electrification goals should replace a reduction in our overall energy demand.
Furthermore, while the current systems are proving successful, the path forward requires certainty. A binding final energy efficiency target for 2040 provides the consistent, long-term signal that will support public and private investment, strengthen industrial resilience and supply chains and empower businesses to develop the skills and capacity needed for the next decade.
The post 2030 energy framework should continue on this path: energy efficiency enables further reductions to our energy bills that make the clean transition more feasible for citizens and local authorities. It's a no-brainer!
For these reasons, Orgalim proudly joins the call to the European Commission to ensure a binding 2040 energy efficiency target in the upcoming post-2030 framework. In such a moment of turbulence, energy efficiency remains Europe’s first fuel and its most reliable shield.