Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 8 November 2023 - Brussels

State of the Energy Union (debate)

  Mick Wallace (The Left). – Mr President, one of the primary objectives of the Energy Union was to provide clean and affordable energy for the people of Europe. Yet, Irish consumers pay annual energy bills that are about EUR 800 more than the average in the EU. Irish households pay EUR 0.47 per kilowatt-hour for electricity, compared to a European average of EUR 0.26. That’s nearly double the EU average. The EU has pushed the privatisation and liberalisation of the energy sector for decades, promising it would lead to greater efficiency, lower prices and a decarbonised economy. But that’s failed. The pace of decarbonisation is far too slow and the concept of marginal pricing means consumers pay gas prices for renewable energy anyway.

And Commissioner, you’re boasting about reducing consumption of Russian gas. But, I mean, we’re buying LNG from America, paying a lot more for it. These are people who’ve dropped more bombs than the rest of the world put together since the end of the Second World War. And we’ve done a gas deal with Israel. With Israel! They’ve just killed 4 000 children ...

(The President cut off the speaker)