About
This political brief considers with the social dimension of the EU’s future energy project, with a particular focus on social and territorial inequalities, energy poverty, inflation, jobs and skills.
It zooms in on the current policies and regulations, political context, investments and redistribution, and puts forward a number of political ideas and proposals. By shifting away from a consumption-driven approach, towards a planned, collective one, the authors argue, the EU can create real motivation for citizens to play an active part in the transition.
How?
a. Providing public measures and subsidies to fight energy poverty, while reducing overconsumption and maximising efficiency and sufficiency.
b. Creating new strategies and incentives for an inclusive transition on the labour market and schools.
c. Deploying the highest social and environmental conditionalities, at home and abroad.
d. Delivering the needed investments through a balanced combination of new money, new paradigm and new tax system.
This political brief is part of the GEF Knowledge Communities. It is our second briefs exploring the various dimensions of the EU’s energy project, all based on expert input and discussions. The other three deal with energy security, climate and democracy.
Central Experts
Benjamin Denis, Senior Policy Advisor and Head of industrial policy coordination at IndustriAll Europe.
Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera, Founder and head of Forum Energii.
Rosa Martinez, Green European Journal Board Member.
Antoine Oger, Research Director, Global Challenges and SDGs at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).
Jesse Scott, Adjunct at Hertie School Berlin and Visiting Fellow at DIW Berlin.
For further information, contact GEF’s Policy Manager Taube Van Melkebeke at taube.vanmelkebeke@gef.eu.
This political brief has been realised by the Green European Foundation with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.