Reuters: France backs 30 percent energy efficiency goal: letter

France's energy minister threw her weight behind an energy savings goal of at least 30 percent for 2030 ahead of talks in Brussels on Wednesday to thrash out a target.

Energy efficiency has gained popularity in the context of the Ukraine crisis as EU member states seek to do all they can to reduce the need for imported Russian energy.

But it is divisive because of the upfront costs required to make buildings more efficient, such as spending on improved insulation.

"It (France) supports a reduction of energy use of at least 30 percent and will help to define over the coming weeks how to enforce that," French Energy Minister Segolene Royal wrote in a letter seen by Reuters.
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