Acting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) welcomes the EU Commission's proposal to help reduce energy prices in Europe. She said this on her way to the informal EU summit in Cyprus on Thursday.
- I am pleased that the EU Commission is saying two things. Firstly, that the governments in the individual countries should of course have the opportunity to help citizens and businesses through what may become a real energy crisis. Secondly, the Commission also says that we must get off fossil fuels. Denmark is in a better position than many other countries because we are further along in terms of renewable energy, says Mette Frederiksen.
The EU Commission presented its proposal on Wednesday. It included a number of proposals aimed at both citizens and businesses. The proposal thus supports the ongoing government negotiations, says Mette Frederiksen.
- One of the things we are discussing in the current government negotiations is both how we handle the situation in the short term, but also how we ensure that even more Danes, for example, have security regarding their heating bills. It makes us vulnerable as a country if we are dependent on oil or gas. This applies to both the business community, but also at home, if you use natural gas, for example, says Mette Frederiksen.
DI is following the development
Among other things, the EU Commission is proposing that member states provide subsidies to replace gas and oil boilers with heat pumps and solar cells. This is done to stem the rising energy prices in the wake of the war in Iran. The business community is also following the development closely, says DI's political director, Morten Høyer.
- We are not in an actual supply crisis, but the high energy prices are being felt by both businesses and consumers. The Commission's package of measures to deal with price increases comes at the right time and is well-balanced, says Morten Høyer.
The EU Commission will also give EU countries expanded opportunities to provide state aid to selected industries in 2026, so that, for example, energy-intensive companies or the transport sector that uses a lot of fossil energy can cope.
DI believes that with the proposal, the EU Commission is trying to set a framework so that support becomes more coordinated at the European level.
- Excessive use of state aid can have the opposite effect of what we want. It can drive up energy prices and delay the green transition. We must avoid that, and it is therefore important that the support is used in a targeted, short-term and temporary manner. Because there is only one way forward if we are to ensure cheap and predictable energy prices for European companies and consumers: a rapid green energy transition, says Morten Høyer.
/ritzau/
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
