Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-24-Speech-3-307"
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"en.20080924.32.3-307"2
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".
It is essential that this coming winter the Governments of the Member States do everything possible to support individuals for whom the rise in energy prices may be too much. Price rises of up to 30-40 per cent are also forecast in Estonia. I am especially worried about the impact which rising energy prices may have on those on low incomes, the poor and vulnerable groups.
I agree one hundred per cent that the Member States must take adequate measures to guarantee affordable energy prices. These include dedicated income support and abatements, and incentives to improve the energy efficiency of domestic households.
I am also convinced that the Member States should compile action plans to combat energy poverty. There is above all a need to define ‘energy poverty’. Definition of the concept would help focus attention on the objectives. We must lift everyone out of fuel poverty!
Unlike for example in Great Britain, at home, in Estonia, the term ‘energy poverty’ is very strange. It is a typical example of Euro-jargon which, whether intentionally or not, is creeping into use. Behind it, however, is a very interesting idea with which the authors of legislation must familiarise themselves.
Dedicated support for the elderly, large families and the disabled along the lines of ‘winter fuel payments’ or ‘cold weather payments’ in Great Britain play an important role. Measures such as these are, in my view, a magnificent example to others.
There is much talk of savings but little action, although action would be the quickest way of changing anything. The better insulated and energy-efficient our homes, the less we will have to spend on maintaining the temperature inside them. The savings would be large because in Estonia, for example, buildings absorb 40% of primary energy. But on this point we must not rely on leaving things to the initiative of each person feeling the cold."@en1
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