State of the Energy Union 2022

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 document or the annexes. The citizens should be at the core of the Energy Union, integrating them into the market, and making them real "prosumers".
• Underlines the lack of clear European coordination during the energy crisis and, as part of the response, calls for the creation of an instrument based on the SURE model, in order to support workers and businesses in difficulty.
• Regrets the fact that two topics are not properly considered in the report:  the "strategic energy autonomy", which remains in the shadows, with the focus solely on independence from energy imports from Russia, and the importance of comprehensive employment, skills and social policies.