Citizens Energy Package: Time to free communities from fuel autocrats, save money and protect the climate

Ahead of today’s plenary debate on the Citizens Energy Package of the European Commission, the Greens/EFA welcome the initiative for supporting people in producing and selling their own renewable energy, making us independent from fossil autocrats, while keeping our energy bills low. The Greens/EFA are long-time advocates of citizens’ energy as a chance to make the EU less dependent on fossil autocrats and big energy companies and keep more money in our pockets at the end of the month.

Nicolae Ștefănuță, Greens/EFA Vice-President of the European Parliament and MEP responsible in the lead Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, comments:

“The Citizens Energy Package is a chance to make us less dependent on big energy companies, to keep more money in their pockets at the end of the month, to fight climate change and have cleaner air for us and our children. Producing your own energy undermines fossil fuel autocrats, protects the climate and saves money. The Commission must now make it as easy as possible for everyone to produce their own renewable energy.

“Citizens Energy is a chance to help people with their bills. It is a chance to help our people get their own energy, use it, trade it, give it to their family as it is theirs. It is a chance to invest in renewables so that we do not depend on foreign dictators.”

Numbers
Households participating in energy communities will be able to save up to 930 euros per year, individual households producing their solar energy can save up to 550 euros per year.

Up to half of Europe’s population could produce their own renewable energy, covering roughly half of the EU energy demand by 2050.

Energy communities can generate up to eight times more local economic value compared to a private developer.

Plenary debate
Follow the plenary debate live starting at 15:00 today, with an intervention from Nicolae Ștefănuță