Recital 8

(8)On 8 March 2011, the Commission adopted its Communication on an Energy Efficiency Plan 2011. The Communication confirmed that the Union is not on track to achieve its energy efficiency target. This is despite the progress in national energy efficiency policies outlined in the first National Energy Efficiency Action Plans submitted by Member States in fulfilment of the requirements of Directive 2006/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on energy end-use efficiency and energy services ⁴ . Initial analysis of the second Action Plans confirms that the Union is not on track. To remedy that, the Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 spelled out a series of energy efficiency policies and measures covering the full energy chain, including energy generation, transmission and distribution; the leading role of the public sector in energy efficiency; buildings and appliances; industry; and the need to empower final customers to manage their energy consumption. Energy efficiency in the transport sector was considered in parallel in the White Paper on Transport, adopted on 28 March 2011. In particular, Initiative 26 of the White Paper calls for appropriate standards for CO 2 emissions of vehicles in all modes, where necessary supplemented by requirements on energy efficiency to address all types of propulsion systems.