State of the Energy Union 2022

Background

The European Commission published the 7th edition of its State of the Energy Union report in October 2022. The report takes stock of the EU's energy policy response to the current energy crisis: in order to tackle the recent turbulence in energy markets, price volatility and energy insecurity across the world, the Union and its Member States are reshaping and accelerating their energy and climate strategies.

Key points

The EESC:

• believes that the central and active role of citizens, who should be placed at the centre of the policies, is not appropriately considered in the Commission's report. Citizens should be at the core of the Energy Union and integrated into the market as real "prosumers".
• underlines the lack of clear European coordination during the energy crisis and, in order to support workers and businesses in difficulty, calls for the creation of an instrument based on the SURE model.
• regrets that the report does not properly consider two issues: the strategic energy autonomy (with the focus being only on independence from energy imports from Russia) and the importance of comprehensive employment, skills and social policies.

Additional information

Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

Opinion number: TEN/791

Opinion type: Optional

Rapporteur: Marcin Nowacki (Employers - Group I / Poland), Angelo Pagliara (Workers - Group II / Italy), Lutz Ribbe (Civil Society Organisations - Group III / Germany)

Reference: COM(2022) 547 final

Date of adoption by section: 7 March 2023

Result of the vote: 63 in favour, 3 against, 2 abstentions

Date of adoption in plenary: 22-23 March 2023

Result of the vote: 208 in favour, 4 against, 7 abstentions

Contact