From the 30th September to the 8th October 2019, the European Parliament holds its hearings for the European Commissioners-designate. During this process, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are invited to question the Commissioners-designate on their suitability for their (likely) new role as well as on their plans for their mandate in their respective policy areas/societal challenges. The European Parliamentary Network on Energy Solutions (Energy Solutions) welcomes this process which brings added democratic legitimacy and transparency to the confirmation process of the next European Commissioners.
While the Energy Solutions’ Advisory Board is delighted to see the forward-looking draft programme of Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen – and in particularly applauds on the ambitious plan towards decarbonising the European economy by the mid-century – it would be keen to receive more clarity around the proposed climate and energy framework (the European Green Deal) and some of the interlinked initiatives. To this end, the members of Energy Solutions have put forward suggestions for oral MEP questions to the hearings of European Commissioner-designate to be involved in the future energy and climate policy design. The questions cover a wide range of topics from the EU’s 2050 decarbonisation strategy, to energy efficiency, renewables, transportation, buildings, fiscal incentives and digital challenges within the energy sector. Better understanding the Commission’s plans on these areas at an early stage will be crucial for the industry representatives in order to better accommodate the new EU priorities in their long-term business strategies and help Europe to fulfil its enhanced climate and energy commitments.
Read more about the topics of key interest for the Energy Solutions members in their proposal for oral questions for the hearings here.