This Winter Energy Package should cut the bill for families and companies!

During a plenary debate on the clean energy for all or so-called “Winter Energy Package”, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament stressed the need to be more ambitious when it comes to renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and to ensure that all citizens in the EU have affordable access to sustainable heating, cooling and electricity.

S&D vice-president for sustainability, MEP Kathleen Van Brempt, said: “It is a vast and very important set of measures that will be crucial to honour our climate agreements, transform our energy landscape and fight energy poverty.

“We are pleased to see that we finally have a binding energy efficiency target, but as S&Ds we want to raise the ambition level from 30% to 40%. We want all buildings in Europe - public buildings, but also private buildings and family homes - to be efficient in order to increase the level of comfort, diminish the energy use and lower the energy bills. This is not only crucial for our climate, but will also create thousands of jobs and lower the money we spend on fossil fuel imports.

“We are disappointed that the national binding targets for renewable energy were cancelled. We will push for a significantly higher ambition, both on an EU as on a Member State level.

“We are happy that the Commission addresses energy poverty and we as a group we will work forcibly to strengthen these statements, so that sustainable energy is affordable for all. Protection from extreme heat or cold is a basic right.”

Zaangażowani europosłowie
Przewodnicząca delegacji
Członkini
Belgia