64. Considers it regrettable that energy savings potential is not adequately tackled internationally and in the EU; underlines the fact that energy savings allow for job creation, economic savings and energy security, and increase competitiveness and emission cuts, and that they are key in decoupling emissions from economic growth; calls on the EU to push for more attention and action regarding energy savings in international negotiations, be it when discussing technology transfer, development plans for developing countries or finan ...[+++]cial assistance; highlights that in order to be credible, the EU and its Member States must set and meet ambitious energy efficiency targets; stresses the importance of reducing energy wastage in the construction and transport industries and in domestic electrical systems and appliances, in order to maximise energy savings and energy efficiency;

64. Considers it regrettable that energy savings potential is not adequately tackled internationally and in the EU; underlines the fact that energy savings allow for job creation, economic savings and energy security, and increase competitiveness and emission cuts, and that they are key in decoupling emissions from economic growth; calls on the EU to push for more attention and action regarding energy savings in international negotiations, be it when discussing technology transfer, development plans for developing countries or finan ...[+++]cial assistance; highlights that in order to be credible, the EU and its Member States must set and meet ambitious energy efficiency targets; stresses the importance of reducing energy wastage in the construction and transport industries and in domestic electrical systems and appliances, in order to maximise energy savings and energy efficiency;

25. Stresses that improved energy efficiency and energy savings will play an essential role in the transformation of the energy system, and that meeting the 2020 objectives is a prerequisite for making further progress up to 2050; recommends, in this respect, that the Member States step up their efforts to fully implement the recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive, and recommends that awareness-raising campaigns and energy efficiency be integrated into national educational curricula in the Member States; recommends that the Member States and the Commission do more to include national ideas and involve national development banks and to support exchanges of best practice; recalls that energy efficiency, if properly implemented, is a ...[+++]cost-effective way for the EU to achieve its long-term goals as regards energy savings, climate change, and economic and energy security; recognises that shifting to a more energy-efficient economy can accelerate the spread of innovative technological solutions, decrease fossil fuel imports and improve the competitiveness and growth of industry in the Union; believes that the move towards a better energy-efficiency policy should focus on the whole energy supply and demand chain, including transformation, transmission, distribution and supply, alongside industrial, building and household consumption; stresses that the EU’s long-term energy-efficiency policy should take the reduction of energy use in buildings as a central element, given that existing building renovation represents enormous energy saving potential; stresses that the current rate and quality of building renovation needs to be substantially scaled up in order to allow the EU to significantly reduce the energy consumption of the existing building stock by 80 %, relative to 2010 levels, by 2050; calls, in this regard, on the Member States to adopt ambitious, long-term building renovation strategies as required by the Energy Efficiency Directive;

Skills, education and professional training 33.Regrets that the SBA does not pay enough attention to social and labour market issues that affect entrepreneurship and SMEs' capacities to fulfil their employment potential and recruit labour force with the appropriate skills; 34.Recognises that growth and innovation are largely driven by entrepreneurial SMEs; emphasises that more attention should be devoted to fostering the development of an entrepreneurial mindset at all levels of education and training, employing innovative methods such as real mini-companies in secondary education; emphasises the importance of supporting the developme ...[+++]nt of the managerial and digital skills that small businesses require to be successful in the current market environment; 35.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and promote initiatives supporting better identification and forecasting of SMEs' skill needs, in particular to enable them to operate in a more sustainable way, and to develop strategies for entrepreneurship education and professional training based on best practice from Member States; 36.Calls on the Commission to put the ´ Erasmus programmes for young entrepreneurs´ programme on a permanent footing with a sufficient budget, based on the very encouraging results of the preparatory action even though it is still running on a limited scale; Resource efficiency 37.Welcomes the recognition by the Commission that SMEs have a key role to play in the transition to a resource-efficient economy; believes that meeting resource-efficiency objectives requires a value-chain approach; therefore, calls on the Commission for the establishment of sectoral SMEs coordinated projects and activities aiming at identifying potential resource-efficient innovations within the value and supply chains; 38.Welcomes the Commission proposal to adopt an Eco-innovation Action Plan; calls for ambitious measures supporting SMEs in introducing eco-innovative solutions at all stage ...

Skills, education and professional training 33.Regrets that the SBA does not pay enough attention to social and labour market issues that affect entrepreneurship and SMEs' capacities to fulfil their employment potential and recruit labour force with the appropriate skills; 34.Recognises that growth and innovation are largely driven by entrepreneurial SMEs; emphasises that more attention should be devoted to fostering the development of an entrepreneurial mindset at all levels of education and training, employing innovative methods such as real mini-companies in secondary education; emphasises the importance of supporting the developme ...[+++]nt of the managerial and digital skills that small businesses require to be successful in the current market environment; 35.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and promote initiatives supporting better identification and forecasting of SMEs' skill needs, in particular to enable them to operate in a more sustainable way, and to develop strategies for entrepreneurship education and professional training based on best practice from Member States; 36.Calls on the Commission to put the ´ Erasmus programmes for young entrepreneurs´ programme on a permanent footing with a sufficient budget, based on the very encouraging results of the preparatory action even though it is still running on a limited scale; Resource efficiency 37.Welcomes the recognition by the Commission that SMEs have a key role to play in the transition to a resource-efficient economy; believes that meeting resource-efficiency objectives requires a value-chain approach; therefore, calls on the Commission for the establishment of sectoral SMEs coordinated projects and activities aiming at identifying potential resource-efficient innovations within the value and supply chains; 38.Welcomes the Commission proposal to adopt an Eco-innovation Action Plan; calls for ambitious measures supporting SMEs in introducing eco-innovative solutions at all stage ...

If this target is met, two-thirds of the energy-saving potential, which is estimated at 18 % of total consumption, could be realised by 2010.