The directive struck by MEPs and the Council negotiators on Thursday lays down common measures in to ensure that the EU achieves its headline target of using 20% less energy by 2020. Each Member State would set its own target and present a national efficiency action plan every three years, in 2014, 2017 and 2020.

The directive would require Member States to renovate 3% of the total floor area of "heated and/or cooled buildings owned and occupied by their central government". This would apply to buildings with total useful area of 500 m2 until July 2015 and of 250 m2 onwards. Additionally, all large enterprises would have to undergo energy audits every four years. The text will be put to an Energy Committee vote, probably in July, and then a plenary one in September 2012.

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