The Green Tank participated in the public consultation launched by the Ministry of Environment and Energy on the updated National Action Plan to Combat Energy Poverty, submitting detailed comments and recommendations. The organisation recognises that the Plan moves in the right direction, combining short-term relief measures for households with longer-term interventions aimed at the structural alleviation of energy poverty. However, it highlights the need for improvements in several key areas.
Positive aspects:
- Promotion of energy communities and self-generation through renewable energy projects and storage systems, strengthening energy democracy and enabling citizens to participate in the energy transition.
- Alignment with European guidelines on energy poverty definitions, measurement indicators, household information, energy efficiency improvements, access to clean energy and financial support for low-income households.
Key recommendations for improvement:
- Clear link between energy poverty and fossil fuels, including the additional burden from ETS2.
- The Plan should include an assessment of economic impacts, implementation costs and funding sources.
- Reevaluation of the definition and identification of energy-poor households is needed to ensure all affected groups are captured.
- Relief measures must cover all vulnerable households, with fair support mechanisms and universal service tariffs that do not lock consumers into higher charges.
- Inclusion of social housing in the proposed long-term measures to address energy poverty.
The updated Action Plan represents an important step towards addressing energy poverty; however, substantial improvements are needed to ensure it becomes effective and fair for all households.
Read the full set of comments submitted by Green Tank [in Greek] to the public consultation here.
