L 114/64 Official Journal of the European Union 27.4.2006 DIRECTIVE 2006/32/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 5 April 2006 on energy end-use efficiency and energy services and repealing Council Directive 93/76/EEC (Text with EEA relevance) 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 European Economic and Social Committee (), 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 (), Whereas: In the Community there is a need for improved energy end-use efficiency, managed demand for energy and promotion of the production of renewable energy, as there is relatively limited scope for any other influence on energy supply and distribution conditions in the short to medium term, either through the building of new capacity or through the improvement of transmission and distribution. This Directive thus contributes to improved security of supply. Improved energy end-use efficiency will also contribute to the reduction of primary energy consumption, to the mitigation of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions and thereby to the prevention of dangerous climate change. These emissions continue to increase, making it OJ C 120, 20.5.2005, p. 115. OJ C 318, 22.12.2004, p. 19. Opinion of the European Parliament of 7 June 2005 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position of 23 September 2005 (O] C 275 E, 8.11.2005, p. 19) and Position of the European Parliament of 13 December 2005 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Decision of 14 March 2006. more and more difficult to meet the Kyoto commitments. Human activities attributed to the energy sector cause as much as 78 % of the Community greenhouse gas emissions. The Sixth Community Environment Action Programme, laid down by Decision N° 1600/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (¥, envisages that further reductions are required to achieve the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change long-term objective of stabilising greenhouse gas con- centrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Therefore, concrete policies and measures are necessary. Improved energy end-use efficiency will make it possible to exploit potential cost-effective energy savings in an economically efficient way. Energy efficiency improve- ment measures could realise these energy savings and thus help the Community reduce its dependence on energy imports. Furthermore, a move towards more energy-efficient technologies can boost the Community’s innovativeness and competitiveness as underlined in the Lisbon strategy. The Communication from the Commission on the implementation of the first phase of the European Climate Change Programme listed a directive on energy demand management as one of the priority climate change measures to be taken at Community level. This Directive is consistent with Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (°) and with Directive 2003/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas (%), which provide for the possibility of using energy efficiency and demand-side management as alternatives to new supply and for environmental protection, allowing Member State authorities, inter alia, to tender for new capacity or to opt for energy efficiency and demand-side measures, including systems for white certificates. OJ L 242, 10.9.2002, p. 1. O] L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 37. Directive as amended by Council Directive 2004/85/EC (O] L 236, 7.7.2004, p. 10). OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 57.