BackWithin the framework of an ex officio action to analyze the growing social phenomenon of energy poverty in Catalonia, the Catalan Ombudsman has produced a report to highlight the lack of a public policy regarding this new reality. The report wants to approach it from a global, cross-cutting and co-ordinated perspective. While it is not possible to accurately quantify the number of people affected or to know its features, energy poverty is the result of three factors: the low level of income, the insufficient quality of the housing and the high prices of basic supplies (electricity, gas and water).
The survey of living conditions (IDESCAT, 2011) indicates that this problem affects 193.000 homes (about 500,000 people), a lower percentage of households to the European Union’s one regarding energy poverty for the EU-27. Based on the documentation provided, meetings held with the Government, suppliers and institutions involved and from the experiences of countries such as the United Kingdom or France, the Ombudsman has recommended a set of measures to combat energy poverty in Catalonia.
One of the proposals is to set up a "winter truce" consisting of the non-interruption of supplies for non-payment during the winter period for those people in a situation of poverty. Furthermore, the Ombudsman encourages the supplying companies to reach agreements with affected people so that they can make the total annual payment or only those invoices corresponding to the winter period in instalments throughout the rest of the year. In addition, the Catalan Ombudsman proposes that the interruption of supplies be limited to persons or families with an income below the IRSC (indicator of sufficiency of income).
The Catalan Ombudsman sent the proposals and considerations included in this report to the Catalan Government and public bodies involved in the field, to the companies providing services of general interest and also to some institutions that have collaborated in producing the report.
To read the full press release, please visit the website of the Catalan Ombudsman.
Source: Catalan Ombudsman, Spain
