BRUSELAS, 5 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The European Parliament on Wednesday called on the European Commission to propose a maximum price for gas imports through pipelines and to implement further emergency measures to ease the pressure of rising energy prices on households and businesses. Europeans.
The European Parliament has asked the Community Executive to establish an “appropriate price limit for gas imports” for all gas pipelines that reach the community market, mainly from Russia, and has called for an update of the tools for the joint acquisition of energy, to cheapen imports.
In addition, MEPs have requested measures for the most vulnerable to “prevent people from being forced to choose between eating and heating”, according to the text of the resolution approved by a show of hands in which, in addition, the States are asked member measures so that the gas supply is not cut off to consumers drowned by the increase in bills and to avoid evictions of the most vulnerable households.
The European Parliament has also urged better protection for consumers against the suspension or termination of fixed-rate contracts and rejects the imposition of exorbitant advance payments for gas and electricity.
“In extraordinary circumstances, exceptional emergency measures are required”, stressed the MEPs, who recalled that all measures adopted at European level to fight the energy price crisis must be fully compatible with the Union’s climate objectives long-term.
The European Parliament has expressed its support for the agreement reached last Friday by the EU Energy Ministers to temporarily limit the exceptional income from inframarginal electricity production technologies, that is, those that produce electricity at costs below those set by the gas currently on the wholesale electricity market, such as renewables or nuclear.
Regarding the “solidarity contributions” of fossil fuel intermediary companies, such as oil companies or refineries, the European Parliament has warned that some large companies could get rid of the contribution and ask that their design avoid tax evasion.
In this framework, MEPs have suggested to the European Commission to assess what is the appropriate profit margin and to take further steps to introduce a tax on windfall profits for energy companies that have profited excessively from the energy crisis.
