A Top Runner Approach in Europe

The Commission and European regulators are discussing, especially in the context of implementing the EU’s energy and climate change policy objective endorsed by the European Council on 8/9 March 2007, the applicability of a number of potential policy instruments in Europe, including the so-called “Top runner approach” that exists in Japan.

In this position paper, Orgalime, after analysing the Japanese top runner, presents our industry’s view for a European Top Runner Approach on the basis of existing EU instruments, which is both, ambitious and in line with the EU’s objectives to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020, to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020 and to increase the share of renewable energies by 20% by the same date.