Progress Towards Europe 2020 Headline Targets: Primary Energy Consumption

The Europe 2020 target for energy efficiency is measured by the indicators 'Primary energy consumption' and 'Final energy consumption'. By 2013, primary energy consumption in the EU dropped to 1 567 million tonnes of oil equivalent, its lowest level since a decade. The figure is roughly equivalent to the primary energy consumed in the EU in 1990. Between 2008 and 2013 energy use fell by 7%. In order to meet the Europe 2020 goal of moving towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency, this value will have to decline by further 4.7% in the coming seven years. Although the EU currently seems to be on track to achieving this target, recent reductions in primary energy consumption have mainly been attributed to the slowdown in economic activities following the crisis rather than to structural shifts in energy consumption.

Main page: Progress towards Europe 2020 headline targets