ENERGY SECTOR INQUIRY

Press Communication -immediate release 16 February 2006

Commission does not address employment issues !

In a hallucinating public presentation European Commissioner Kroes says: The internal market electricity and gas does not work. Hence we need more of it.

In a meeting packed with representatives of the energy sector, big business and corporate lawyers, European Commissioner for Competition presented the findings of the energy sector inquiry. The findings confirm what EPSU has been arguing for the last 10 year: the internal market does not function.

“Instead of drawing the conclusion and seeking a way out of the mess, the Commissioner is like a doctor that prescribes the same medicine in ever higher doses to Europe's society. Too much of the wrong medicine can bring about much harm to European citizens and business” says Jan Willem Goudriaan, EPSU Deputy General Secretary on the occasion of the presentation, 16 February 2006. “Serious issues of employment loss (300.000 over the last 10 years), the emergence of a lack of qualified staff or the impact of competition on vulnerable users have not been addressed. More competition will not bring more investment to a sector that needs a very stable framework, not a policy that has a yo-yo effect. The result will be higher prices and a serious impact on all users.”

The European Commission is incapable of recognising that its dogmatic approach to liberalisation and competition does not produce the appropriate result for citizens and business. It fails to recognise the economic, physical, and social constraints the sector faces. The approach contradicts the need for Europe to have an energy policy that ensures more independence and is focused on achieving sustainable development.

For more information please contact Jan Willem Goudriaan, + 32 2 2501080

For more background information, our research and detailed positions please check:
www.epsu.org/a/1465. The information is available in several languages including French and German.

EPSU is the European Federation of Public Service Unions. It is the largest federation of the ETUC. 8 million public service workers and their 213 trade unions are members. They organise workers in health and social services, local and national administration, energy, water, waste.

In the energy sector EPSU organises in electricity and gas, in production, transmission, distribution, retail and auxiliary services. Our members work in power plants using all fuels such as nuclear, hydro, coal, renewables, gas and wind. Our employers are small and large public (state and municipal) and private companies.