L79/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 30.3.2000 DECISION No 647/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 28 February 2000 adopting a multiannual programme for the promotion of energy efficiency (SAVE) (1998 to 2002) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (3, Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (), and in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 9 December 1999, Whereas: (1)  Article 174 of the Treaty provides that one of the objec- tives of Community action is to ensure a prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources. 2) At its meeting on 29 October 1990 the Council set an objective of stabilising total CO, emissions by the year 2000 at the 1990 level in the Community as a whole. (3)  The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change contains further commitments for the Community and its Member States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (4 To achieve significant reductions in Community CO, emissions further efforts will have to be made, particu- larly since CO, emissions due to energy consumption are expected to increase by about 3 % between 1995 and 2000, assuming normal economic growth; there- fore, additional measures are indispensable. (5)  Council Decision 93/389/EEC (*)  established a monitoring mechanism of Community CO, and other greenhouse gas emissions. (6)  The Commission, in its communication of 8 February 1990 on energy and the environment, highlighted energy efficiency as the cornerstone of future efforts to () O] C 214, 10.7.1998, p. 44. () O] C 315, 13.10.1998, p. 1. (}) Opinion of the European Parliament of 11 March 1999 (O] C 175, 21.6.1999, p. 269); Council common position of 28 June 1999 (O] C 232,13.8.1999, p. 20) and decision of the European Parliament of 6 October 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Deci- sion of the Council of 24 January 2000 and decision of the Euro- pean Parliament of 3 February 2000. (4 O] L 167, 9.7.1993, p. 31. (10) (11) (12) oL3 oL3 ojL7 reduce the negative impact of energy on the environ- ment. The communication of the Commission of 29 April 1998 on ‘Energy efficiency in the European Community — Towards a strategy for the rational use of energy’ underlined the economic potential for energy efficiency with the aim of refocusing attention on promoting energy efficiency, Improvement in the management of energy, above all enabling the extensive potential for reduction of energy intensity to be exploited, is urgently needed in order to contribute to the protection of the environment, to a better security of energy supply and to sustainable devel- opment. The Commission has communicated to the European Parliament and the Council, by means of the Green Paper of 11 January 1995 and the White Paper of 13 December 1995, its views on the future of energy policy in the Community, and the role of energy-saving and energy efficiency measures. Article 158 of the Treaty provides that the Community is to develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion, and that it should, in particular, reduce disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions; those actions cover, inter alia, the energy sector. By Decision 91/565/EEC () and Decision 96/737/EC (%), the Council adopted a Community energy efficiency programme (SAVE) aimed at strengthening energy effi- ciency infrastructures within the Community. The SAVE programme is an important and necessary instrument for promoting increased energy efficiency. Provision should therefore be made within the multi- annual framework programme for actions in the energy sector (1998 to 2002) adopted by Council Decision 1999/21/EC, Euratom () for a specific programme for the encouragement of rational and efficient use of energy resources; this specific programme would replace the corresponding instrument currently in force. 07, 8.11.1991, p. 34. 35, 24.12.1996, p. 50. , 13.1.1999, p. 16.