In order to lift all Europeans out of energy poverty, the European Union and its Member States must develop a “political strategy ” based on concrete objectives, according to a report by the Jacques Delors Institute published on Wednesday 3 February.
The European Commission’s assessment of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) “shows that several Member States do not sufficiently address the problem ” and most “have a systematic approach to tackle energy poverty instead of a targeted action plan”, deplores the report.
However, many tools, policies and recommendations already exist at EU level, such as the ‘renovation wave’ strategy (see EUROPE 12581/10), to encourage Member States to take action against energy poverty.
According to the authors, this shows that the EU needs to take a different approach if it is serious about tackling the problem, by making the issue of energy poverty a component of the political strategy of the European Green Deal.
According to Eurostat figures, more than 30 million Europeans said they would not be able to heat their homes properly in winter in 2019, with particularly alarming figures in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Cyprus, Portugal, Greece and Italy (see EUROPE 12631/16).
However, the Covid-19 pandemic is making the situation worse, the authors warn, because of its economic consequences, but also because of the containment measures that lead to higher energy bills.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3jatv0m (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)