Local and regional leaders discussed the energy crisis and its consequence on household with Marian Jurečka Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Lilyana Pavlova, President of the European Investment Bank outlining the need of direct funding, multilevel governance and investment in local production via alternative sources to respond to the energy crisis and speed up the green transition. Local and regional elected representatives also shared good practices they are adopting, including reducing energy consumption, to reduce energy shortages.
Cristian-Silviu Busoi, Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament and member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament said "As the European Parliament, we need to have a strong cooperation with the CoR and help local authorities and citizens to face the energy crisis. We fully understand the difficulties that national and local authorities face and we are doing all in our power to help our citizens, as well as industry and small businesses. The policies that we are creating now will not only help us win the climate battle but also reduce significantly Europe's energy dependency."
Rafał Trzaskowski, Chair of the ENVE commission of the CoR and Mayor of Warsaw said "The energetic crisis is a fact. That is why the energy transformation is a must. We need to provide stable, green energy for our citizens and we need to do it now. The current radical raise of our energy bills is a final proof that depending on fossil fuels is no longer justifiable in any way - not only in the context of our fight against climate change, but also in terms of basic economy - of our countries, of our cities, of our households." He called for direct funding for cities and regions to implement swift measures on the ground that would address the energy crisis.
Markku Markkula, President of the Helsinki Region said "As the price of electricity rises and the threat of electricity shortages grows, cities need to introduce effective measures to reduce the consumption of electricity. My city Espoo has a special energy preparedness team to tackle the threat of electricity shortages. The City Board has approved an extensive set of direct energy-saving measures, including reducing peaks in electricity consumption and curbing the rise in energy costs. Espoo also participates in the national 'Down a Degree' campaign and encourages its staff and residents to save energy at work and in their leisure time."
Tjisse Stelpstra, Member of the Council of the Province of Drenthe said "We need a European energy efficiency investment programme for households, with strong incentives and financial support to insulate houses and invest in smart energy solutions for households."
Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź said "Direct funds for cities, multilevel dialogue, regulations reacting on time to energy crises - these are emerging needs to be addressed and solved for the sake of our inhabitants and the future of democratic Europe."
Željko Turk, Mayor of the City of Zaprešić said "Russia's aggression on Ukraine has led to an energy crisis as well as inflation. We are facing a crisis that we have last seen in decades. We have all the incentives for alternative energy but we must have support in order to implement these alternatives at local and regional level."
Danijel Marusic, Member of Brod-Posavina County spoke on the importance of multilevel governance to address crisis. "Thanks to the synergistic action of the EU measures and the Croatian government, we in the Brodsko-Posavska Region can more calmly welcome the winter that is ahead of us."
Franz Schausberger, Representative of the State Parliament of Salzburg stressed that the energy crisis and its consequences for households must be cushioned in such a way that the vulnerable groups manage to get through this winter. He pointed out that the EU should include the people of the Western Balkans in its measures in order to show European commitment in this region in this precarious situation.
Marian Jurečka, Deputy Prime Minister, Czech Republic, said: "Cities and regions have a key role to play in the current energy crisis. As elected representatives closest to citizens, your efforts are crucial to save vulnerable households and business from falling into energy poverty. The solution to avoid that inflation and high energy prices turn into a massive economic and social crisis is cooperation. The energy transformation is also an opportunity for endangered coal regions but an effective European Social Climate Fund must be fully operational urgently. Europe cannot be left without the voice of the cities and regions as you are the driving force for the roll-out of energy communities. I welcome the hard work of the European Committee of the Regions in solving the energy crisis. The cooperation with the Czech Presidency has been exemplary."
Lilyana Pavlova, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said: “The current rise in energy prices, that is particularly affecting households, is a clear signal that we must invest even more and even faster in the green transition to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The EIB Group is committed to supporting this transition through its financial and advisory services, including facilities targeted to the needs of cities and regions. With our goal to support €1 trillion in green investments by 2030 globally, the EIB Group can make a crucial contribution to REPowerEU building on our long and solid track record in supporting the EU’s energy sector."
Background
Between 2019 and 2022, on average, the energy expenditure share in households budget increased by more than 1/3 and have almost doubled in some countries. Electricity prices have risen by 35% in the last year (Eurostat data September 2022).
Eurostat estimates that about 35 million EU citizens were unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2020. The energy crisis is being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, worsening already difficult situations for households and SMEs (State of the Energy Union 2022 report) which is substantially increasing energy poverty rates.
On Wednesday 30 November 2022, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee signed a new environmental policy which includes a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new environmental policy is available on the EMAS Intranet, the EESC website and the CoR website.
Under the coordination of the Green Deal Going Local working group, the CoR is continuously monitoring the development of energy and climate legislative proposals to ensure that LRAs effectively shape Green Deal legislation in the making by strengthening the cooperation with the Council, the Parliament and the Commission. Read our dedicated news portal here.
read more about how we deliver climate action: EU cities and regions at COP27