FECER 12 proposals on European Commission Clean Energy Package

General vision on Energy Union

For us, to succeed in the refounding of the European project, we must rethink the current «Europe’s software», and keep-up favoring the balance of economic and social performance factors and long-term investments.
This applies in particular in the field of energy, which is at the heart of the daily lives of citizens and the European economy.
Reducing the carbon intensity of the economy ought to be the heart of the Clean Energy Package.
As energy policy must be helpful to European industry and driven by high quality job creation, the «energy only and short-term market» can’t be an objective in itself !

Our 12 proposals for a European energy policythat is socially, energetically and industrially accountable

1. Strengthen the linkage of the ETS Directive with the Clean Energy Package.

2. Maintain possibility of regulated electricity and gas sales tariffs for residential consumers.

3. A 1,5 % per year energy efficiency increase relative to production units should be binding and extented until 2030 and the overall energy-efficiency-target should be directed towards 30 % for 2030, considering that binding requirements are vital in order to achieve a maximum degree of ambition and effort from the member states.

4. Support to renewables should be linked to keeping full value chains of their development and production in the European Union. It should be possible for member states to link tendering and promotion of energy projects to principles of “good content”, which means that good work, fair payment and ecological responsibility are considered in tendering and publicprocurement procedures.

5. The 2030-target for expansion of renewable energies should be as high as the Energy-efficiency-target to prevent substitution effects when renewable energy objectives are reported to final energy consumptions.

6. Frame any new, more decentralized energy models to ensure a fair revenue for the providers of public services and avoid value migration and destruction of many jobs.

7. Promote long-term investments, contracts for differences and sustainable capacity mechanisms, to guarantee industrial investment and the security of electricity supply. Preclude possibility to sell energy at negative prices that disfavour operators of public services which are in charge of the security of supply in the long run (destruction of assets value).

8. Improve coordination but renounce to the creation of regional operational centres (ROCs) with binding powers; These bodies would have no real added value in order to ensure the sustainability and strengthening of cooperation already in place and recognized for their effectiveness (ENTSO-E).

9. Boost research programs that could give European industries a technological leadership. Review selection and management processes of funded projects to make them more dynamic and responsive

10. Gas and electricity systems should be better intertwined to beget the most benefits from both energies as regards their characteristics (storage, hydrogen…).

11. Make energy transformation a leverage for social progress, by offering prospects for professional development to employees and supporting them so that they can find their place and be involved in a sector in transition. A fair transition Fund should be included in the ETS Directive. This funding should support the development of re-skilling programmes and VET in the energy sector for most impacted workers of any concerned MS.

12. The involvement of social partners (on at all levels: company, sectoral, intersectoral in national and European social committees) is key to ensure the success of a just clean transition. DG employment should be closely associated to DG Energy in the implementation of the clean energy package.