Activities of Alice KUHNKE related to 2023/2115(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Gender aspects of the rising cost of living and the impact of the energy crisis (debate)
Gender aspects of the rising cost of living and the impact of the energy crisis (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the gender aspects of the rising cost of living and the impact of the energy crisis
Amendments (20)
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas energy poverty represents a huge challenge for the EU, as between 50 and 125 million people are unable to afford proper indoor thermal comfort; whereas even before the current crisis, in 2021, 6.9 % of all Union households were behind on their utility bills, and 6.4 % indicated that they were unable to keep their homes warm; whereas, in 2020, almost 15 % of all households lived in homes with leaks, broken roofs or rot1a; _________________ 1a Eurostat data on ‘Living conditions in Europe”, in 2022
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas in 2022 more than one fifth of the Union population living in households with dependent children was at risk of poverty or social exclusion; whereas in late 2022, 44% of single mothers and 31% of single women anticipated difficulties affording energy costs over the coming months 1a; _________________ 1a Eurofound report ‘The cost-of-living crisis and energy poverty in the EU: Social impact and policy responses – Background paper’, October 2022
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas women tend to be the “shock absorbers of poverty” carrying the main responsibility for the purchase and preparation of food for their children and families and for the budget management of budget of poor households and are thus much more impacted by the rising cost of living and energy crisis;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas successive crises have had negative impacts on women all over the world, stopping progress on gender equality; Whereas the higher share of energy costs in women's total income reduces their financial capacity to build an autonomous existence, an important issue for those who want to flee abusive partners;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas around one-third of people say they have given up on medical treatment in 2022, and more and more are reporting being forced to give up medical care due to rising costs, longer waiting times, and shortages of doctors and medication;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Commission is obliged to promote gender equality under the Treaties; whereas, however, the European Court of Auditors considers that a gender perspective has not been integrated into the EU budget since key elements, such as gender analysis, gender-related objectives, indicators and accountability through reporting, are largely missing;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas a study requested by FEMM committee shows that men are often favoured over women and other marginalized groups when it comes to the design of subsidies and support under the Fit for 55 package, as well as in other policies, programmes and funding for the green transition;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas a gender perspective is missing from the Member States’ and EU’s policies and measures aimed at countering and alleviating the effects of the cost of living crisis; whereas about two thirds of the measures introduced by Member States to mitigate rising inflation rates are not targeted at particular groups in vulnerable situations and only provide short-term solutions instead of responses that will contribute to a socially fair and green transition such as promoting energy saving or the transition to renewable energy sources;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas EU action should take into account the importance of the concept of climate justice and the commitment of all parties to the Paris Agreement to respect, promote and consider their obligations on human rights, including gender equality, when taking action to address climate change;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to assess and propose, where appropriate, new legislative acts to counter the financialisation of housing markets and to stop speculators from making housing unaffordable; calls on the Commission to adapt European rules for digital platforms to give cities more control over rentals via platforms; reminds that adequate housing is a fundamental right and must be seen as a precondition for the exercise of, and access to, other fundamental rights and for a life in conditions of human dignity;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on member states to increase the social infrastructure in particular on care services, for people with care needs, prioritise social housing and the investment in retrofitting homes to reduce energy costs;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Union and Member States to integrate in their definitions of energy poverty a gender and intersectional perspective, that enables the comparison and monitoring of this reality; and that goes beyond the general concept of “vulnerable households”, allowing a better understanding of the differentiated situations inside each households;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to require the Member States to conduct mandatory gender impact assessments in national energy and climate plans, including when reporting on energy poverty;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission to develop specific guidelines on how to ensure that Member States apply correctly gender mainstreaming and gender analysis when designing the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP), including measures and actions to alleviate energy poverty; considers that incorporating a gender analysis with an intersectional perspective in NECP is key to promoting a socially fair energy transition;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Stresses that the principles of equal treatment and gender mainstreaming should lay at the core of the “energy efficiency first principle” and be reflected in policy, planning and investment decisions;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Calls on the Member States to foster programmes to monitor the prices of energy, transport and other essential goods and develop specific measures aiming at reducing the impact of the rise in the cost of living on women and their families;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Reminds that extending access to green energy and promoting its affordability is central to the achievement of more inclusive and sustainable development;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Reiterates its calls on the Commission, Eurostat and the Member States to further develop and improve the collection of gender-disaggregated and intersectional data, statistics, research and analysis, as this is the only way to ensure that specific situations are not overlooked and serve as basis for informed policy making;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Deplores the fact that women are significantly under-represented in key policymaking positions on climate change, energy transition and the environment, and calls for the EU and the Member States for positive action measures such as quotas to ensure equal and diverse representation in decision-making positions across the EU institutions, government bodies and public authorities at all governance levels;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to reduce the gender gap in the energy sector and to ensure that women have equal access to training courses on energy efficiency and sufficiency and to emerging job opportunities in the energy sector and to those skills and competences that are demanded by the green and digital transition;