Following on from the announcement of the Competitiveness Compass last month, the European Commission unveiled new legislative packages on 26 February including the Clean Industrial Deal, the Action Plan for Affordable Energy and the first part of the Omnibus regulation.
Laura de Bonfils, Social Platform’s Secretary General reacted to the proposals:
“This week’s announcements show that once again the European Commission is prioritising the interests of big industry over people. The Omnibus package set out plans to weaken environmental and social safeguards and reduce corporate accountability. The Clean Industrial Deal lacks a strong social dimension, beyond jobs and skills. Despite repeated promises to leave no one behind in a just transition, the Commission’s new approach will instead undermine the wellbeing of current and future generations.
While the Affordable Energy Action Plan offers some welcome measures towards lowering energy taxes for low-income groups, a lot more must be done to address energy poverty in Europe. A comprehensive EU just transition policy framework is urgently needed to ensure that those in vulnerable situations are not disproportionately impacted by new measures.
We call on the European Commission to ensure that social and climate objectives are not secondary to economic goals and that all voices are heard on the road to decarbonisation.”
