26.8.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 323/115
3.
General comments 3.1.
The EESC perceives the Russian military invasion of Ukraine as a gigantic shock to the security, functioning and performance of the Energy Union, besides it being a horrific situation for Ukraine and its people.
This is the biggest security threat in the history of European integration.
It requires re-defining and adjusting the EU’s strategic and security priorities and preparing appropriate instruments for the implementation of these priorities as soon as possible.
3.2.
The EESC urges the EU institutions to be more far-sighted about future security threats and to pay more attention to the security and diversification of supplies as well as ensuring better solidarity among EU Member States.
The security threat has also revealed the need to speed up the rollout of renewables in order to decrease the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels and to ensure that the goals of the Green Deal are achieved.
3.3.
The EESC takes note of the European Commission’s detailed report taking stock of the change and of progress in the implementation of the European Union energy and climate policies.
It positively assesses the progress of the EU in fulfilling its climate targets and welcome the identification of areas where more progress needs to be made.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a somewhat positive impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions as it pushed down energy consumption, and thus production.
However, the economic growth in 2021 pushed demand upwards which influenced together with other elements the surge in energy prices.
The EESC, welcomes that the Commission’s Communication on energy prices (1) allowed help and support to quickly be given to the vulnerable, to address the negative impacts of the price shock and draws attention to its opinion TEN 761 (2).
3.4.
The EESC encourages the European Commission to follow the development of energy prices very closely and suggests including the statistics on the development of energy prices in the next report on the State of the Energy Union.
In this regard, it points out the need for more consistent data that can provide an accurate picture of the market.
3.5.
As in its previous reports, the EESC highlights that the green transition must happen in a just manner, leaving no one behind.
The transition is not only technical but economic and social too.
Regular dialogue with citizens and civil society, including social partners, especially in regions in transformation, will ensure that the climate and energy policy objectives will be perceived as socially attractive and met with the minimum socioeconomic costs.
At least as important as deepening dialogue is delivering on the promise to actively integrate citizens into the market, make them ‘prosumers’, and involve them in new value creation opportunities.
Quality of operationalisation and funding of individual instruments and their specific implementation at national level will be crucial in this regard.
Including the views of social partners must therefore be a key objective of future dialogues and is a central prerequisite for achieving a successful and just transition.
3.6.
The State of the Energy Union report should also include a section on efforts to achieve a just transition, incorporating examples of measures successfully implemented in Member States and at European level.
The EESC emphasises that the just transition is not just about financing the transition.
It also includes the goal of creating decent work and quality jobs, as well as social security, and requires specific actions at the regional level.
3.7.
The EESC would like to see a more balanced approach of the 6th annual report to the particular areas of the Energy Union.
It focuses comprehensively on the areas of energy efficiency and decarbonisation, which currently represent the key policy priorities.
However, the attention paid to the topics of security, solidarity, and confidence, or research, innovation and competitiveness, and challenges and achievements surrounding these areas seems to be insufficient.
3.8.
In particular, the EESC is more than irritated by the fact that, as in previous reports, key objectives of the European Energy Union are once again either not addressed or only marginally addressed in this report.
It should be remembered, among other things, that our wish was to reduce import dependency, put citizens at the heart of the Energy Union, and make the EU the world’s number one in renewable energy.
One should expect that the annual State of the Energy Union reports will also analyse these key issues centrally and clearly identify possible flaws so that new initiatives can be developed where necessary.
This report falls far short of this.
For example, the issue of the development of civic energy, which is important for the EESC, is woefully neglected.
The EESC expects the Commission to make clear statements on this in separate chapters in the 2022 report.
(1) (2)
COM(2021) 660 final.
OJ C 275, 18.7.2022, p. 80.