A good start for involving the social partners in implementing the Energy Union

“We welcome the fact that the European Commission decided to consult with the social partners on the Energy Union”, commented Valeria Ronzitti, CEEP Secretary General, following a meeting between representatives of the European social partners and Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Vice-President for the Energy Union.

“The Energy Union Strategy needs to be at the heart of a fully-integrated project, and not as a stand-alone initiative”, said Ms Ronzitti. In that context, the involvement of the social partners can bring an important added-value, especially with regard to the anticipation of change, the new skills requirement within the workforce, as well as the up-skilling, re-skilling and retraining of workers.
On top of that, cross-sectoral social partners, especially members at national and regional level, can effectively contribute to shape National Energy and Climate Plans. “We highly value the intention of Vice-President Šefčovič to push that involvement forward. We believe that it could also trigger a broader public acceptance of the Energy Union Strategy, which is much needed in some Member States, especially where big infrastructure projects are at stake”, detailed Ms Ronzitti.

Referring to the upcoming ETS reform, CEEP believes that, in order to finance the decarbonisation transition, a revision of the ETS should aim at raising the price of the CO2 permits to the level allowing its long term financing. The ETS in its current state does not deliver an appropriate price signal, failing to stimulate investment in a decarbonised generation.

CEEP also stressed the importance for the EU to play a leading role during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, indicating the Energy Union strategy as the right instrument for bringing the EU’s ambition position forward.