Activities of Ernest MARAGALL related to 2015/2323(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Delivering a new deal for energy consumers - Tackling energy poverty as part of the Energy Union (debate) ES
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on delivering a new deal for energy consumers PDF (311 KB) DOC (119 KB)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the ongoing energy transition ismust resulting in a move away from a centralised, inflexible, fossil fuel and nuclear-based energy system to, in order to guarantee one which is more decentralised, flexible and based on energy efficiency and renewables- based;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds that the ultimate goal should be to accomplish an economy based on 100% renewables, which can only be achieved through reducing our energy consumption, making full use of the "energy efficiency first / first fuel" principle and prioritizing energy savings and demand side measures over the supply side, in order to meet our climate goals in line with the Paris Agreement 1,5° scenario, energy security, competitiveness and especially lower consumers´ bills;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – introductory part
Paragraph 3 – introductory part
3. Believes that, in this context, the Energy Union should have the interests of citizens at its core and shouldpresent and future generations of citizens at its core and should therefore streamline the perspective of households in all its energy legislation, such as the upcoming review of the energy market design, the energy efficiency directive and EPBD, renewable energy directive and the heating and cooling strategy, with the aim to:
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point b
Paragraph 3 – point b
b. empower citizens to produce and store their own clean energy, take energy- saving measurestake energy-saving measures, to produce and consume, sell and/or store their own renewable energy, either individually or collectively, and become active participants in the energy market through consumer choice and the possibility of safely and confidently participating in demand response;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point c
Paragraph 3 – point c
c. eradicate the causes of energy poverty; and its linkage with energy inefficient building stocks;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that, as a general principle, the energy transition should result in a more sustainable decentralised and democratic energy system which benefits society as a whole, increases the involvement of citizens and local communities, and empowers them to own or share in the ownership of the production, distributionrenewable energy generation, to get access to the grid without any difficulty and the storage of renewable energy, while at the same time protecting the mostenergy efficiency measures and the benefits of renewable energy generation and consumption should be made available to vulnerable consumers;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. ConsiderRegrets that the aim of the Third Energy Package to provide a truly competitive and consumer-friendly retail energy market has not yet been realised, as evidenced by low levels of consumer switching and satisfaction across the EU, persistent high levels of market concentration by big cumbersome utilities while thwarting the empowerment of people to participate on equal footing in the energy market, and the failure to reflect falling wholesale costs in retail prices;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a
Paragraph 6 – point a
a. Recommends improving the transparency and clarity of bills, which should include information on the final price, with an explanation of the different taxes, levies and tariffs, together with information on the different energy sourcesshares of the energy sources as well as the respective amounts of CO2 and nuclear waste produced, and complaint handling, clear indication of contact points, and information on switching and measures linked to improving energy efficiency measures; insists that clear language supported by relevant pictograms must be used, with technical terms either avoided or clearly explained; requests the Commission to identify minimum standards to improve the comparability of key billing information and encourage the exchange of best practice between national regulator, consumer organisations, ADR bodies and suppliers in this respect;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point d
Paragraph 6 – point d
d. Recommends that there should be a limited range of standardised tariffs, in order to facilitate comparison between different suppliers and tariffs and avoid a confusing array of different tariffs for the same producto further analyse ways how to establish and implement progressive and variable tariff systems, in order to incentivise energy savings, self- generation, demand-response and energy efficiency;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point e
Paragraph 6 – point e
e. Recommends that consideration be given to requiring energy suppliers to automatically placpro- actively notify vulnerable customers on the most advantageous tariff, based on historic consumption patterns; notes, given that switching rates are low throughout Europe, that many households, especially the most vulnerable, are not engaged in the energy market and are stuck on outdated expensive tariffs;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point f
Paragraph 6 – point f
f. Recommends to further analyse measures to enable retail prices to better reflect wholesale prices and thus reverse the trend of an increasing proportion of fixed elements in energy bills, in particular network charges, taxes and levies, which are often regressive elements; recommends that such elements be applied progressively or, where, possible funded from alternative sourcbearing in mind the frequently striking discrepancy between household and industry consumers, where the latter is massively exempted from levies and taxes;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Democratising the energy system by helping consumersitizen take ownership of the energy transition, to reduce their energy consumption, produce their own energy and become energy-efficient
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that local authorities, communities, households and individuals should form the backbone of the energy transition and should be actively supported to help them become energy producers and suppliers on an equal footing with other players;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Considers it of major importance to establish and define a basic right to self- generation and self-consumption and to set-up a common legal framework for the right to store and sell excess electricity at a fair price within a revised renewable energy directive (RED). Furthermore, priority access to the grid and priority dispatch for renewable energy sources as stipulated in the current RED should be maintained;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Member States shall on basis of public participation develop a Citizen and Community Energy strategy describing in their national action plants how they will promote small and medium-sized renewable energy projects and energy cooperatives and intend to factor them in in their legislative framework, their support policies and market accessibility.
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Calls for the introduction of a new Citizen and Community Energy chapter under the revised RED to address the main market and administrative barriers and provide a more conducive investment environment for self-generation and self- consumption of renewable energy. This new chapter under the RED should form the legislative framework that empowers citizen and makes them active participants in the market as investors and stakeholders; points out that individual but also collective action by citizen in form of community energy/ energy cooperatives or association are fundamental to the energy transition. They contribute to the diversification of market participants and increased energy democracy, boost the local economy and employment in a sustainable manner and can address effectively serious social problems, such as energy poverty, at the local level. Overall, they are instrumental in meeting the EU´s energy and climate targets and foster local support of the energy transition;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that access to capital, high upfront investment costs and long repayment periods represent barriers to the take-up of self-generation and energy efficiency measures; calls, therefore, for the development of new business models and innovative financial instruments to incentivise reduced energy consumption, self-generation, and -consumption, and energy efficiency for all conprosumers; suggests that this should become a priority for the EIB, EFSI and the Structural Funds;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for stable and sufficient remuneration schemes to guarantee investor certainty and increase the take-up of small and medium-scale renewable energy projects; believes that grid tariffs and other fees should be non- discriminatory, transparent and should fairly reflect the impact of the consumer on the grid, while guaranteeing sufficient funding for the maintenance and development of distribution grids; regrets the recent abruptstresses that prosumers providing the grid with storage capacities should be rewarded and that prosumers should be encouraged to consume their own renewable electricity production without being imposed additional taxes or grid charges; strongly condemns the unacceptable abrupt retroactive changes to support schemes in certain Member States, as well as the introduction of unfair and punitive taxes or fees which are detrimental to the continued expansion of self-generation from renewables;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recommends reducing to an absolute minimum theCalls upon Member States to suppress administrative barriers to new self- generation capacity, and suggests replacing lengthy authorisation procedures with a simple notification requirement; suggests that the revision of the renewable energy directive could include specific provisions to remove barriers and promote community/cooperative energy schemetresses the need for putting in place efficient one- stop-shops for local RES projects dealing with project permits and providing financial and technical expertise, such as for grid connection, as well as guaranteeing prosumers´ access to ADR- mechanisms;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on Member States to make full use of De Minimis exemptions foreseen by the European Energy and Environment State Aid Guidelines 2014-2020, so that small and medium-sized projects continue benefiting from dynamic feed-in tariffs, exempting them from obstructive auctioning processes;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls upon the European Commission to challenge restrictive national policies designed to constrain the development of self-generation and - consumption and to secure grid access for smaller and medium sized renewable energy producers;
Amendment 314 #
15. Calls on the Commission to step up its support for the Covenant of Mayors, so as to expand and further develop it as a tool to promotemovements and bodies such as the Covenant of Mayors, Smart Cities and Communities and the 100% RES communities which allow sharing of knowledge and best practice between all cities, local authorities, regions and Member States on local bottom up planning of the energy transition, self- generation and energy efficiency measures, fight energy poverty, facilitate the exchange of best p and access to financial support; strongly recommends incorporactices between allng local authorities, regions and Member States, and ensure that all local authorities are aware of the financial support available to them in the decision-making process wherever possible, in order to strengthen the "think local first" principle when designing national climate and energy plans;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Believes that consumers should have easy and timely access to their consumption data in both volume and monetary terms, to help them make informed decisions; believes that where smart meters are rolled out thereMember States should bensure a solid legal framework to ensurguarantee an end to back-billing and a rollout that is efficient and affordable for consumers and is free of charge for energy- poor consumers; insists that the benefits of the efficiency savings from smart meters should be shared on a fair basis between grid operators and users;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Emphasises that the development of smart technologies must not leave the most vulnerable or less engaged consumers behind, nor see bills rise; where necessary special assistance must be ensured so that vulnerable households also benefit from the new technology;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the need to develop smart appliances which automate the management of energy demand in response to price signals; believes that the smart appliances need to be interoperable, designed to the benefit of the final consumer and equipped with functions enhancing energy savings and support the development of markets for energy services and demand management; the Commission should ensure the operability of smart appliances by providing adequate guidelines taking also into account the upgrade of outdated models;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Emphasises that consumers should be able to choose freely aggregators and energy service companies (ESCOs) independent from suppliers;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that the collection, processing and storage of citizens’ energy-related data should be managed by neutral entities and should comply with the existing EU legislation, which lays down that the ownership of all data lies with the citizen and that data should only be provided to third parties by explicit consent; considers that, in addition, citizens should be able to exercprivacy and data protection framework. Accordingly, the data should be stored in the smart meter in the consumer’s premises while the consumers shall remain the ultimate owners of their personal data; only with the explicit consent of the consumer can the data be transmitted to DSOs and other market operators; that data should be anonymised their rights to correct and erase informationo address potential privacy concerns;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that the Energy Union governance framework should include objectives and reporting from Member States for energy poverty, and that common key indicators for energy poverty should be developed;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for the revised EED to include a provision for a significant minimum percenthe Commission to assess the feasibility for the revised EED and the revised RED to oblige member states to include in their national schemes targe of measures in energy efficiency obligation schemes targeting low-incometed measures for low-income consumers to guarantee that they have access to a wide range of energy efficiency measures and to the benefits of renewable energy generation and consumers;ption.