The Union wants to deregulate and reduce the bills for the prime. In the new plan, at least one pool

The change can be seen in the name itself. When the European Commission previously showed its flagship project for a new term, it was a green order – . The plan presented on Wednesday is called The most important is industry, although it is to be “clean”.

Clean Industrial Deal is one of. The second is the “Action Plan for affordable energy”, and the third is a deregulation package (so -called omnibus), changing some of the elements of green order. Together, they are to ensure not only industry development, but also lower electricity bills for companies and households.

The Commission forecasts that the introduction of regulations that will follow these plans will bring EUR 45 billion savings this year. Until 2030, it is to be EUR 130 billion in savings per year, and by 2040 – 260 billion.

– Unlike in the United States, this strategy is not a return to the old economy based on oil, gas and coal, but on decarbonization. It aims to position the EU as an attractive place for innovation and zero -emission production – said about the plans of the Commission Neil Makaroff, head of Think Tank Strategic Perspectives.

Cheaper energy for Europe

The Action Plan for Affordable Energy is to ensure not only savings in the future, but also make Europeans feel it on their accounts.

To achieve this second goal, the Commission encourages member states to reduce electricity taxes. This would have an immediate effect – for example, VAT on electricity is 23 percent, so its reduction would be felt immediately. The previous government reduced it 5 percent. Briefly, at the beginning of the energy crisis in 2022, but from 2023 the rate returned to 23 percent.

– This is an interesting proposition, but these taxes are fed by national buds. The commission seems to be generous, but not out of its pocket – comments Marcin Korolec, president of the Green Economy Institute.

In addition to tax issues, the EC also wants you to make it easier for citizens to choose a more competitive energy supplier and strengthen controls of compliance with devices’ energy efficiency standards.

The EC emphasizes that rising energy prices result from structural problems – primarily addiction to the import of fossil fuels, including gas. Price fluctuations and possible crises – like the one after the Russian invasion of Ukraine – pump up the electricity prices. Therefore, in the average and long perspective, decarbonization is to be a recipe for high bills. Going to clean energy sources makes us become independent of these fuels, and thus reduce the risk associated with them.

To achieve this, facilitates the process of issuing renewable energy sources so that it is significantly shortened. The development of energy connections between countries is to be another element.

In 2024, about 47 percent The supply of electricity in the EU came from renewable sources, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that in the years 2021-2023 renewable energy brought savings of EUR 100 billion.

Gas trap

Although the Commission talks a lot about the support of renewable energy sources, it also assumes help in the development of gas infrastructure – and outside the EU – and new obligations to buy LNG. This threatens to fall into the EU into a “gas trap”: on the one hand, addiction, and not to cut off from imported fuel, and on the other – waste money on scaled infrastructure.

The American Think Tank IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) warns that the Union can waste money if it spends it on LNG infrastructure – because, according to forecasts, the demand for it will drop by 2030. Last year, the import of liquefied gas into Europe (EU plus Türkiye, Norway, Great Britain) fell by 19 percent. Year on year, to the lowest level in 11 years.

– Each euro invested in the infrastructure of fossil fuels abroad is wasted because it does not go to the European economy that really needs investment. Especially at a time when the United States threatens them duties, and the Chinese are far forward in the pure technologies race – believes Linda Kalcher, head of Think -Tank Strategic Perspectives.

Deregulation too far?

As part of the Omnibus deregulation package, it is to reduce the burden of enterprises resulting from ESG (non -financial assessments of enterprises regarding the environment, social environment and corporate order) and reporting its impact on the environment and the environment.

The European Commission intends to release over 80 percent from the obligation to report sustainable development. enterprises – this will remain an obligation only for the largest, employing over 1,000 employees.

Some businesses criticized environmental reporting as excessively burdensome, especially for companies with small resources. However, according to Bartosz Kwiatkowski, the director of NGO Frank Bold, weakening the agreed legislation before his full implementation is “reckless and demoralizing”. – The European Commission wants to reward those who did nothing to limit their negative impact on the environment and human rights. Solid enterprises are undermined by trust in EU institutions, EU and national law – comments Kwiatkowski.

In practice – the organization assesses – this will mean a lack of access to reliable data, and consequently incredible reports also the largest, covered by the obligations of enterprises (because without data from smaller contractors it will be difficult for them to make their own reports reliably).

The Instrat Foundation calculates that today the directive on reporting covers 3,500 companies in Poland, and after the introduction of the EC proposal, there would be only 500 of them. Less reporting in theory is to improve the competitiveness of companies, but in his opinion it is in fact the opposite, because it is the preparation of reports that may force innovation:

– When information about the consumption of fuels and energy by enterprises becomes completely public, companies begin to compete in this respect. What’s more, the ESG reporting process allowed companies, perhaps for the first time, carefully identify the structure of fuel and energy consumption and discover possible mismanagement in this area, which in turn translates into actual savings, including economic.