The European Union plans to include an energy efficiency binding target in addition to the renewables and CO2 targets. In this paper, we develop a requisite framework to study interactions arising from the combination of instruments aiming at reducing emissions, promoting renewables and energy efficiency. The model allows the exact assessment of the instruments interactions for quantities and prices. All instruments lead to emissions reductions and the carbon price gives the right incentives for renewable and energy efficiency. Contrary to these expected positive outcomes, we find that the combination of more than two instruments creates significant antagonisms regarding major policy objectives.
