Jordi Solé calls for a “speedy transition” of the energy system “to 100% renewable energy”
Esquerra Republicana MEP Jordi Solé welcomes the emergency measures put forward on Wednesday by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen to stop the escalation of energy prices. Even so, Mr Solé considers the Commission’s proposal “still has shortcomings, such as a more detailed perspective of the measures that the Member States will have to take to protect households, especially those with lower incomes or at risk of energy poverty.”
Regarding the proposal to introduce a binding electricity consumption reduction target, Mr Solé says that “it is a highly significant measure, since the cheapest energy is the energy we do not consume.”
“The solidarity contribution that fossil fuel companies will have to make is inescapable, considering their windfall profits that have come about from the crisis. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Greens/EFA group has called on those profits to be taxed, and to channel the revenue through an EU-wide mechanism or fund to help households and businesses that are suffering rocketing energy costs,” he points out.
Ahead of Friday’s extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers to assess the Commission’s proposals, Mr Solé has asked the governments to “adopt the Commission’s proposals wholesale,” thus sending “a clear signal to Putin that his strategy weaponizing energy to divide and weaken Europe is not working.”
Accelerating the European Renewable Energy Transition
“Having said that, the best way to shift from fossil fuel dependence and become more energy independent, both in Catalonia and in Europe, is to make a speedy transition of the energy system to 100% renewable sources,” Mr Solé underlined.
The “Accelerating the European Renewable Energy Transition” study commissioned by several Greens/EFA MEPs, including Jordi Solé, and which was published on Thursday, stated that it is possible to achieve a 100% renewables Europe by 2040. The study also points out that the pace of the energy transition in the EU depends directly on the volume of investments in renewable energies and sustainable technologies over the coming years. “Without a doubt, this serves to get political leaders and decision-making authorities to make the allocation of capital a priority,” he concluded.
