In response to the energy crisis, all EU Member States have introduced emergency measures to support citizens and the economy and to reduce risks related to security of supply. On Monday 20 March, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) published an inventory of more than 400 measures adopted between July 2021 and February 2023 across Europe.
While one third of the measures were aimed at meeting the broader security of supply objectives, for example by implementing energy efficiency programmes or accelerating the deployment of renewable energy sources, the remaining two thirds targeted the financial situation for end consumers.
Almost half of these measures took the form of direct aid, but only a quarter of them targeted the most vulnerable consumers.
Of the 280 measures to reduce the impact of high energy prices, 72% offered direct support to consumers, either in the form of financial assistance, such as vouchers or subsidies, or in the form of discounts on energy bills.
Furthermore, ACER warns that some measures to replace the use of gas for heating or electricity generation may undermine the EU’s decarbonisation objectives. “Their use should be limited to areas where alternatives to safeguarding security of supply are not readily available”, the agency said.
The different measures will be evaluated in a new ACER report due in July 2023.
To see the inventory of measures published by ACER: https://aeur.eu/f/5xc (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)