The ETUC, of which EPSU is a member, has agreed 20 priorities for the energy strategy. ETUC will promote these 20 principles which are elaborated and explained in the resolution for the Energy Council 4 February 2011. EPSU has welcomed the resolution in the ETUC Executive Committee. It is a balanced approach and underlines that Europe’s unions stand for protection of households users, just transition and a better regulated market to prevent excessive profits.
1. Develop a European energy solidarity pact
2. Guarantee a secure supply
3. Create a democratic European Energy Agency to promote a common European energy policy of general interest and improve energy market regulation
4. Ensure energy bills reflect just prices (socially fair, affordable, based on fair rate of return and not on excessive profit taking)
5. Protect vulnerable energy consumers and reduce the energy bill of low- and medium income households
6. Give the right economic signals to reduce greenhouse gases emissions through energy policies
7. Establish funding, regulation and effectiveness of R&D
8. Integrate social and environmental criteria in public contracts for energy infrastructure and award EU funding only to companies with a solid CSR policy
9. Modernize grids adopting a regulatory and financial framework to promote the increase of smart grid capacity, to foster energy savings and to allow an optimal contribution of renewable, decentralized production as well as combined heat and power generation
10. Increase energy savings and energy efficiency in the industry, building and transport sectors and achieve a reduction of overall primary energy consumption by at least 20% in the coming decade through a binding energy saving target for each Member State
11. Establish a transformation program encouraging investments in new industrial policies based on low-carbon emission
12. Establish a renovation program for the complete housing stock
13. Provide sustainable and affordable public transport
14. Diversify energy sources by developing renewable energies and other low CO2 emitting alternatives such as combined heat and power
15. Establish a directive on sustainable mobility ensuring an improved coordination of transport units as well as production and distribution systems
16. Take advantage of the transition towards a low carbon economy to create quality jobs
17. Ensure sustainable and quality employment programs anticipating structural changes and avoiding negative social consequences from the shift towards a low carbon economy
18. Establish permanent consultation of social partners on social and economic impacts of climate change policies
19. Promote human, trade union rights and democracy by using them as criteria conditioning public funding and when establishing energy dialogues and cooperation
20. Ensure high health and safety standards in the energy sector and in all sectors of energy use and efficiency to protect workers and citizens
The full resolution is available here (EN/FR) www.epsu.org/a/7095
(Advice from Jan Willem GOUDRIAAN - EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE UNIONS)
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