The European Commission may propose next year binding energy saving targets for 2020, if a review shows that the European Union plans are unlikely to see it reach the goal of being 20% more efficient by then, a draft document seen by Dow Jones Newswires showed Friday.

Without any policy change, the EU will only be 10% more efficient in 2020, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said last month. Energy saving is key for the EU as it seeks to become less dependent on fossil fuel imports and at the same time cut emissions of greenhouse gases.

"If the review shows that the overall EU target is unlikely to be achieved, then as a second stage the commission will consider proposing legally binding national targets for 2020," according to the document, which is a draft of a strategy to increase Europe's energy savings and is expected to become public next month.

Energy efficiency must also be taken into account in the production of energy, mainly electricity, and the commission might propose setting strict standards to make sure utilities use the best technologies available to save energy, when building new plants, it said. It will do so if current systems--like the European carbon market--aren't able by themselves to push for such innovation.

The commission will propose that national governments apply the "highest standards" for energy efficiency in their public procurement of goods, services and work, the document said. At the same time, it will set new energy-saving standards for large industrial machinery, such as pumps and furnaces, according to the draft.

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