Activities of Eugenia RODRÍGUEZ PALOP related to 2021/0203(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy efficiency (recast)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 16 a (new)
Recital 16 a (new)
(16 a) In the energy sector, women are affected by gender gaps in energy access, including a higher risk of suffering energy poverty, in the energy labour market, in energy-related education and in decision-making. There is also insufficient and limited sex and gender disaggregated data making it difficult to monitor and evaluate the gender impact. Nevertheless, gender equality is a core value of the Union, a human and fundamental right and a key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The promotion of gender equality is a task for the Union, in all its activities, required by the Treaties. In its Communication of 5 March 2020 on “A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025”, the Commission made the commitment to integrate a gender perspective in all major Commission initiatives including the European Green Deal and related policies and thus should be also applied in relation to the energy sector.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) Low and medium income households, vulnerable customers, including final users, people facing or risking energy poverty and people living in social housing should benefit from the application of the energy efficiency first principle. Energy efficiency measures should be implemented as a priority to improve the situations of those individuals and households or to alleviate energy poverty. A holistic approach in policy making and in implementing policies and measures requires Member States to ensure that other policies and measures have no adverse effect on these individuals and households. To this end, all planned measures targeting households should undergo a gender impact assessment.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 49
Recital 49
(49) Where using an obligation scheme, Member States should designate obligated parties among transmission system operators, energy distributors, retail energy sales companies and transport fuel distributors or retailers on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria. The designation or exemption from designation of certain categories of such distributors or retailers should not be understood to be incompatible with the principle of non-discrimination. Member States are therefore able to choose whether such transmission system operators, distributors or retailers or only certain categories thereof are designated as obligated parties. To empower and protect vulnerable customers, people affected by energy poverty and people living in social housing, and to implement policy measures as a priority among those people, Member States can require obligated parties to achieve energy savings among vulnerable customers, people affected by energy poverty and people living in social housing. For that purpose, Member States can also establish energy cost reduction targets. Obligated parties could achieve these targets by promoting the installation of measures that lead to energy savings and financial savings on energy bills, such as the installation of insulation and heating measures or tariff systems that keep costs for basic energy needs low, while disincentivizing disproportionally high energy consumption.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) promote and, where cost-benefit assessments are required, ensure the application of cost-benefit methodologies that allow proper assessment of wider benefits of energy efficiency solutions from thea societal, rights and gender perspective;
Amendment 69 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall ensure that regional and local authorities, establish specific energy efficiency measures in their decarbonisation plans after consulting national equality bodies, experts and/or stakeholders and the public, including the particular groups experiencing or at risk of energy poverty or more susceptible to its effects, such as women, persons with disabilities, older persons, children, and persons with a minority racial or ethnic background. When designing energy efficiency measures in their decarbonisation plans, Member States shall ensure that ex-ante gender and rights impact assessments are carried out. Member States shall avoid, or compensate for, negative direct or indirect effects of the energy efficiency measures implemented on persons in vulnerable situations.
Amendment 72 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – introductory part
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Member States may require that contracting authorities and contracting entities take into account, where appropriate, wider sustainability, social, rights, gender, intersectional, environmental and circular economy aspects in procurement practices with a view to achieving the Union’s decarbonisation and zero pollution objectives. Where appropriate, and in accordance with the requirements laid down in Annex IV, Member States shall require contracting authorities and contracting entities to take into account Union green public procurement criteria.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
Article 8 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
3. Member States shall implement energy efficiency obligation schemes, alternative policy measures, or a combination of both, or programmes or measures financed under an Energy Efficiency National Fund, as a priority among people affected by or at risk of energy poverty, vulnerable customers and, where applicable, people living in social housinglow-income households and people experiencing intersectional discrimination. Member States shall ensure that policy measures implemented pursuant to this Article have no adverse effect on those persons. Where applicable, Member States shall make the best possible use of funding, including public funding, funding facilities established at Union level, and revenues from allowances pursuant to Article 22(3)(b) with the aim of removing adverse effects, addressing the gender impact and ensuring a just and inclusive energy transition.
Amendment 77 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 4
Article 9 – paragraph 4
4. Member States may require obligated parties to achieve a share of their energy savings obligation among people affected by or at risk of energy poverty, vulnerable customers and, where applicable, people living in social housing. Member States may also require obligated parties to achieve energy cost reduction targets and to achieve energy savings by promoting energy efficiency improvement measures, including financial support measures mitigating carbon price effects on SMEs and micro-SMEs.
Amendment 78 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 5
Article 9 – paragraph 5
5. Member States may require obligated parties to work with local authorities or municipalities to promote energy efficiency improvement measures among people affected by or at risk of energy poverty, vulnerable customers and, where applicable, people living in social housing. This includes identifying and addressing the specific needs of particular groups experiencing or at risk of energy poverty or more susceptible to its effects, as well as addressing the challenges of reaching these groups. To protect people affected by energy poverty, vulnerable customers and, where applicable, people living in social housing, Member States shall encourage obligated parties to carry out actions such as renovation of buildings, including social housing, replacement of appliances, financial support and incentives for energy efficiency improvement measures in conformity with national financing and support schemes, or energy audits.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 6
Article 9 – paragraph 6
6. Member States shall require obligated parties to report on an annual basis on the energy savings achieved by the obligated parties from actions promoted among people affected by or at risk of energy poverty, vulnerable customers and, where applicable, people living in social housing, and shall require aggregated statistical information on their final customers, including sex and gender disaggregated data covering also intersectional discrimination (identifying changes in energy savings to previously submitted information) and regarding technical and financial support provided.
Amendment 83 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Member States shall encourage training programmes for the qualification of energy auditors in order to facilitate sufficient availability of experts, supporting re-skilling and up-skilling processes. Member States shall also promote gender balance among accredited experts in view of promoting a higher degree of women participating in the energy sector, and integrate the gender perspective in the training programmes.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – introductory part
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Member States shall establish a network of experts from various sectors such as health sector, building sector and social sectors to develop strategies to support local and national decision makers in implementing energy efficiency improvement measures alleviating energy poverty, measures to generate robust long term solutions to mitigate energy poverty and to develop appropriate technical assistance and financial tools. Member States shall strive to ensure a network of experts’ composition that ensures gender balance, includes experts on gender equality to promote gender mainstreaming, and reflects the perspectives of people in all their diversity.
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point a
a) to establish national definitions, indicators and criteria of energy poverty, energy poor and concepts of vulnerable customers, including final users, mainstreaming the human rights, gender and intersectional perspective;
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 22 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
b) to develop or improve relevant indicators and qualitative and quantitative data sets, pertinent to the issue of energy poverty, that should be used and reported upincluding sex and gender disaggregated data covering also intersectional discrimination should be used and reported upon. Those indicators and data should serve to put forward clear guidelines on combating the feminisation of energy poverty and on mainstreaming gender in the energy transition;
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 23 – paragraph 2
Article 23 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall ensure that the public, including those groups that are more affected or more at risk of being affected by energy poverty or more susceptible to the adverse impacts of energy poverty, is given the opportunity to participate in the preparation of heating and cooling plans, the comprehensive assessment and the policies and measures.
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 28 – paragraph 2
Article 28 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall, where appropriate, directly or via the European financial institutions, assist Member States in setting up financing facilities and project development assistance facilities at national, regional or local level with the aim of increasing investments in energy efficiency in different sectors , and protecting and empowering vulnerable customers, people affected by or at risk of energy poverty and, where applicable, people living in social housing including by integrating an equality perspective that includes gender mainstreaming, so that no one is left behind .
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 28 – paragraph 3
Article 28 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall adopt measures that ensure that energy efficiency lending products, such as green mortgages and green loans, secured and unsecured, are offered widely and in a non- discriminatory manner by financial institutions and, are visible and accessible to consumers, particularly to those in situations of vulnerability. Member States shall adopt measures to facilitate the implementation of on-bill and on-tax financing schemes. Member States shall ensure that t banks and other financial institutions receive information on opportunities to participate in the financing of energy efficiency improvement measures , including through the creation of public/private partnerships.
Amendment 111 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 33 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
Article 33 – paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
(a a) a gender impact assessment of the Directive, encompassing intersectional discrimination;