Alex White, Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and chairman of the PES Energy Ministers’ network, stated: “In implementing the Energy Union, we PES Energy Ministers will put consumers/citizens at the centre. All citizens must benefit from the Energy Union. Citizens need opportunities to be involved in the generation and distribution of energy as well as control of its consumption through energy efficiency measures. Energy citizens and communities have an important role in shaping Europe’s transition to a low-carbon future. As PES Energy Ministers we also want to protect and empower the most vulnerable consumers, to ensure that all Europeans can afford a warm home. We have to make energy poverty a thing of the past.
Investment is key to making this energy transition a success. We therefore need to direct more public and private investment into research and development of modern energy infrastructures and smarter and more efficient energy technologies, including for home-use. As a political family, with Commission Vice-President Šefčovič and with the S&D Group in the European Parliament, we are committed to tackle these challenges in an effective and fair way for all Europeans.”
List of participants:
– Alex White, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Chairperson, Ireland
– Miroslav Obert, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Slovak Republic
– Pilar Lucio, PSOE spokesperson for energy policies
– Nils Vikmång, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Sweden
– Johan Vande Lanotte, Former deputy prime minister responsible for Energy, sp.a spokesperson for energy policies in the federal parliament, Belgium
– Maros Sefcovic, Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union
– Constantin Kourkoulas, Head of EU Policy Unit, Party of European Socialists
