Fit for 55 will impact consumers and businesses, transition needs to be inclusive

On 14^th July, the European Commission presented the Fit for 55 package that will contribute to meeting the Member States’ commitment to achieve the target of a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The impact of the package on the Czech economy and businesses was discussed by representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament, Czech public administration, businesses and civil society during an online debate co-organized by CEBRE.

As mentioned by Radoš Horáček from DG Energy, the green transformation is a growth strategy that has a potential to significantly increase energy efficiency, especially when it comes to buildings. As for renewable energy sources, every Member State needs to reflect on its strengths and focus on those sources that are available. One of the main priorities of the Commission is inclusive energy transformation with a strong accent on its social aspect.

According to Member of the European Parliament Evžen Tošenovský, it is necessary to accept the fact that energy will be more expensive in the future. As the potential for using renewable energy sources in the Czech Republic is limited by various factors, the main focus should be on investment in new technologies that would reflect this fact, especially when it comes to energy storage solutions.

Tomáš Smejkal from the Ministry of Industry and Trade highlighted, that legislative changes in the area of energy policy are happening very quickly which creates pressure on Member States. He stressed that sometimes the goals of various legislative proposals are contradictory and the EU should prioritise those which are most important.

Zuzana Krejčiříková from ČEZ Group informed that the company strongly supports both renewable energy sources and energy savings; however, it is clear that the package will have an influence on companies and consumers. Therefore, significant financial support from the EU is needed for the transformation to happen, because the costs will be very high.

Jan Rovenský from Greenpeace said that the green transformation is happening worldwide and it is clear that this trend is not temporary. We can see that the industry is embracing this fact and is quite progressive, but the transformation must be backed by strategic concepts from the Czech government as well.