The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament unveiled its manifesto on Monday 30 January with ten recommendations to address energy poverty in Europe. This will be the stance the group will argue in inter-institutional discussions on the clean energy package presented by the Commission in November 2016 (see EUROPE 11679).
In the document (available at: https://goo.gl/Koiekb ) presented on the side-lines of a visit to the Dampoort KnaptT OP pilot project that renovates homes for low income households in Ghent, with Commission Vice-President with responsibility for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic and Maltese Energy Minister President in office of the Council Konrad Mizzi in attendance (see EUROPE 11712), the S&D Group calls for local, national and European-level action to eradicate the energy poverty that affects 50 households in the EU.
“We need to take action to ensure that citizens are not paying excessive electricity and gas bills and that their health is not affected by a lack of access to energy; no one should have to choose between heating, cooling and eating”, the manifesto states.
Energy poverty, the document says, is linked to general poverty and has various drivers: market conditions (high-energy prices, aggressive commercial and marketing techniques); government decisions on network charges, taxes, levies and VAT; individual circumstances (health and disability, lack of access to tailored offers and/or online services, low income); living conditions (types of heating system, the quality and energy performance of housing stock)
The S&D Group’s recommendations directly target the various drivers of energy poverty and are divided into three main dimensions: establishing an EU framework dedicated to fighting energy poverty; targeting energy efficiency measures on energy-poor citizens; improving retail market conditions to support energy-poor citizens and promote energy self-consumption.
The Commission’s energy package proposes a new approach to protect vulnerable consumers (including a call for national measures to improve the energy efficiency of the homes of fuel poor households and social housing, sharing best practice through an energy poverty observatory and guarantees that certain procedural steps will have to be taken before the energy supply can be cut off). It does not, however, contain an ambitious action plan for tackling energy poverty, regrets the S&D Group, which has made this a priority.
In its manifesto, the group urges the Commission to work closely with the Covenant of Mayors, in order to facilitate the exchange of best practices between local governments, regions and member states.
“If we want to succeed in the transition towards an energy-efficient, low-carbon society, we will not only need macro-solutions, but micro-solutions on a local level as well. Therefore, cooperation with the Mayors of European cities is essential to knowing the needs of the European citizens”, said S&D Vice-President Kathleen Van Brempt (Belgium), heading this initiative on behalf of her group. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)