Summary:
What if, when lockdowns were announced, you could not switch on your TV to check the
news, not video call your family nor stay warm at day and night? What if every time you
cooked a hot meal, or your child went online for school, you would worry because of the
upcoming energy bill? What if, as a consequence of the economic slowdown, you lost
your job?
The COVID-19 crisis is generating new problems everywhere, regardless of the country,
region, the level of economic development or the cultural and educational background of
people. We, a group of energy poverty scholars and experts, believe that the coronavirus
outbreak shows once more that energy and energy services are essential ingredients to a
safe, healthy, and decent life. Therefore, we call for an informed European debate on a
right to energy and energy services. This should be accompanied by solid scientific
actions on how to deal with the current situation, how to prepare for the aftermath and how
to foster the evolution towards a new normal where energy poverty is kept off, with the aim
to consolidate it in an innovative Energy Solidarity Pact.
Publication date: 01-05-2020
IIT-20-036I
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