Energy Conservation Action Programme

In 1998, the Dutch Cabinet presented the Memorandum on Energy Conservation (Energiebesparingsnota, EBN) which summarised the opportunities for intensifying energy conservation. This led, in May 1999, to the Government presenting the "Energy Conservation Action Programme 1999-2002. This action programme is a more concrete elaboration of the EBN and describes the contribution to energy conservation that the Cabinet expects from the various sectors of the public and target groups from the 1999-2002 as well as the government instruments that would be deployed during this period. According to the Action Programme, the Cabinet plans to allocate a budget of Gld 690million in 1999 rising to around Gld 910 million in 2001. Energy conservation policy was based primarily on voluntary agreements and self-regulation by the target groups, supported by financial and fiscal incentives for efficiency investments. Under the new programme, the energy conservation target was raised to 2 %.