While the energy sector in Europe has undergone change in the last decade, substantial barriers still remain that prevent households, businesses and industry from reaping the full benefit from the ongoing energy transition, exercising sensible control over their consumption and reducing their bills - suggests working paper of Michel Lebrun on Delivering a New Deal for Energy Consumers. The document was presented and discussed at the European Committee of the Regions' Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) today.
In order to overcome these obstacles and enable end users to take control of their energy consumption and become full market players, Members of the ENVE Commission debated the European Commission's proposal published in July this year. It suggests implementing a strategy based on three pillars: consumer empowerment, the development of "smart" technologies for managing domestic energy consumption and guaranteed data protection and confidentiality.
Lebrun's opinion aims to provide recommendations while applying a broad expertise and experience that LRAs dispose of with regard to the issues covered by the three pillars.
The opinion will be discussed at ENVE commission in February 2016.
It's adoption at CoR plenary is scheduled for April 2016.