Greece is among Europe’s biggest energy consumers as regards transport, using much more energy in this sector than industry or households, according to European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
Responding to a question by New Democracy MEP Costis Hatzidakis, Piebalgs said yesterday that Greece was ranked sixth among the EU’s 27 members with 39.3 percent of its energy consumption going to transport, compared to a European average of 30.4 percent. Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus lead, due to their small size.
Transport’s share in energy consumption in Greece is considerably higher than that of households (26.5 percent) and industry (20 percent), although this is generally the trend seen in most EU states. This runs counter to the impression of the majority of Europeans that industrial production accounts for most of the energy consumed in Europe.
According to a Eurobarometer poll, 68 percent of Greeks believe that industrial production is responsible for the highest energy consumption in this country, followed by heating (households) and transport.
“The transport sector depends almost exclusively on oil, an energy source proven to have negative impacts on the environment,” said Hatzidakis.
“Greece is particularly oil-dependent in transport. And yet we ourselves do not realize how much energy we expend every day for our transport. Therefore, we have to make substantial efforts in the area of public transport in order to save energy and protect the environment,” he concluded.
(Kathimerini, 18/05/2007)