Press releases

Energy ministers from national governments have agreed to push for a weak energy savings target in 2030, as part of a comprehensive reform of the EU’s energy market. This is despite energy efficiency being one of the most important ways to cut CO2 emissions and for consumers to save money.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) undertook a consumer performance check of the first two-and-a-half years of the Juncker Commission.1 We looked at the Commission’s legislative initiatives and its key policy actions and graded their performance on a scale from very good to very bad.

With the Brexit talks about to start, EU consumer groups have outlined how the interests of EU and UK consumers should be protected during the negotiations. The European Consumer Organisation and its members want any decisions related to the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU, and its subsequent relationship, to be assessed against the impact on consumers.

Today the European Commission is releasing a set of proposals to reform the EU energy market, particularly for electricity. The Commission has understood that for the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy market to be a success, consumers need to become more involved in energy markets. Therefore, the Commission is keen to improve the clarity and quality of information consumers receive on their energy consumption, particularly on bills or through new, smart technologies. The Commission is also releasing its long-awaited Ecodesign work plan which sets design standards for energy-using products so they become more efficient and cut energy bills for consumers. On the downside, however, consumers who have invested in solar panels to produce their own electricity could find the road bumpier in the future.