Malta only EU member state not to be hit by EU legal action over energy efficiency

Malta is the only member state of the European Union not to be hit by legal action over failures to translate the EU's Energy Efficiency Directive into national law.

EU news portal EurActiv reported that the European Commission also referred Hungary to the European Court of Justice and wants Budapest fined €15,444 daily for not transposing the directive by the June 2014 deadline.

EurActiv reported that infringement procedures take several steps to encourage countries to comply before ultimately leading to the ECJ and possible fines. There are three successive stages, a letter of formal notice, a reasoned opinion, and referral to the ECJ.

Hungary is the only country to be referred to the ECJ for non-transposition of the directive. It was subject to two separate infringement procedures for not observing the directive. Sources said such a double hit was highly unusual.

"The other 26 member states were hit by infringement procedures because they missed the June 2014 deadline to tell the Commission how they were transposing the directive," EurActiv said.

The news outlet said that Italy, Malta, Cyprus and Sweden declared that they had fully transposed the rules by the 5 June 2014 deadline. A further five countries declared transposition after the deadline, but it appears that only Malta passed the executive’s test.