The EU must use at least 11.7 percent less energy by 2030. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU states agreed on this in Brussels, as the Council of the Member States announced. The reference value is therefore a forecast from 2020.

According to the information, every EU country must contribute to the savings targets. The national contributions are to be calculated using a specific formula. However, the individual countries can deviate from this by up to 2.5 percent. If the national contributions taken together are not sufficient, the EU Commission can request individual countries to do more.

"If you dawdle, you get homework," wrote German MEP Jutta Paulus (Greens), who negotiated for Parliament, on Twitter. According to them, the agreement will save all of Spain's energy consumption. "This is a huge success!" At the same time, however, she would have wished for more ambitious goals. Parliament's chief negotiator, Niels Fuglsang, spoke of a "real change to the advantage of the climate and to the detriment of (Kremlin chief Vladimir) Putin".

In order for the new requirements to come into force, Parliament and the EU countries must formally confirm them again.