Energy prices in Europe are rising. And this is not going unnoticed within the EU. The high energy prices in Europe are therefore on the agenda across the EU institutions on Wednesday. Even though that was not originally the plan in some cases.
Both at a summit in Slovenia, a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg and at the European Parliament session in Strasbourg, rising energy prices have crept in.
The summit in Slovenia is about the EU's relationship with the countries in the Western Balkans and about cooperation with the countries. Nevertheless, it is energy prices that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will have to deal with on the way to the meeting. Her message is that the price increases are an argument for investing more in the green transition.
- I think we need to be very clear about the fact that gas prices are skyrocketing. But for renewable energy, prices have fallen over recent years and are stable.
- So for us it is very clear that in the long term it is important to invest in renewable energy, which gives us more independence, she says.
Winter half-year with "extraordinarily high prices"
Electricity and heating prices in Europe have increased significantly over the past 12 months. And here at home, an energy company has warned consumers about a winter half-year with "extraordinarily high prices" on the Danish electricity market.
Energy prices have also become part of the agenda at a ministerial meeting of EU climate and environment ministers. It has crept in during a meeting where other major issues such as the EU's climate package and the COP26 climate summit are also to be discussed.
It is at the request of Poland, Greece and Spain - with support from other delegations - that it has become an item on the agenda. During the European Parliament session in Strasbourg on Wednesday, four hours have been set aside to discuss the situation.
Morten Helveg: Wind and solar are the long-term answer
In Strasbourg, Morten Helveg, a member of the European Parliament for the Danish Radical Party, is making the same point from the rostrum as the President of the European Commission.
- It is much cheaper to produce green electricity from wind turbines and solar cells than it is from coal and gas. Therefore, the long-term answer to the short-term challenges we face is to expand them. And quickly, he says.
There are several factors that contribute to the high prices for electricity and heating. The economy has picked up, so we use more energy. It has rained less in Norway than usual, so we get less hydropower from there. And a reform of the European CO2 quota system has made it more expensive to pollute. And at the same time, gas prices have risen sharply.
Ritzau
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