Portugal was, in 2023, the European Union (EU) member state with the very best share of vitality poverty, at 20.8%, on par with Spain, the European Fee introduced immediately, calling for extra safety for weak shoppers.
The information is a part of the State of the Power Union report, revealed immediately by the EU government in Brussels, during which it’s said that the very best percentages of individuals unable to maintain their houses adequately heated have been recorded final 12 months in Portugal and Spain, each nations at 20.8%, adopted by Bulgaria (20.7%) and Lithuania (20.0%).
In distinction, Luxembourg (2.1%), Finland (2.6%), Slovenia (3.6%), and Austria (3.9%) recorded the bottom percentages by way of vitality poverty, the establishment notes, mentioning that, on common, 10.6% of the EU inhabitants can’t preserve their houses adequately heated throughout the 27 member states.
In comparison with 2022, this share elevated by 1.3 share factors, in a context of vitality disaster and inflation.
Emphasizing that the state of affairs of vitality poverty varies “among the many EU nations that promote measures to guard households,” the European Fee highlights that member states “can act to make sure entry to important companies and defend weak shoppers from extreme prices, straight combating vitality poverty.”
Moreover, the EU government provides, “the brand new vitality market laws will higher defend weak households and people affected by vitality poverty from being disconnected.”
“Within the occasion of a pure fuel value disaster, EU-wide emergency measures will help defend shoppers by way of interventions in retail value caps,” it says.
One of many initiatives applied beneath the brand new vitality market laws was the creation, beginning this 12 months, of a Social Local weather Fund, which is anticipated to mobilize not less than €86.7 billion in income from the European Union Emissions Buying and selling System for the interval 2026-2032, together with 25% co-financing from nations to contribute to a socially honest transition to local weather neutrality.
The fund is anticipated to finance measures and investments that member states undertake of their social local weather plans by June 2025, aiming to assist offset the anticipated improve in vitality payments because of the introduction of carbon pricing for heating and transportation.
In accordance with the State of the Power Union report, within the first half of 2024, half of the electrical energy manufacturing within the EU got here from renewable sources.
Relating to fuel, because the EU seeks to develop into impartial from Russian provide on account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the share of Russian fuel in EU imports decreased from 45% in 2021 to 18% in June 2024.
The EU additionally set targets for lowering fuel demand, which allowed consumption to drop by 138 billion cubic meters between August 2022 and Could 2024.
The EU reached its winter fuel storage goal of 90% on August 19, nicely forward of the deliberate deadline of November 1.
