From rising gas prices lead to more and more problems. In the EU, the number of households that can no longer pay their energy bills is increasing. Tonight, European heads of government will meet in Slovenia to discuss possible solutions.
Italy is one of the countries where it is already a big problem. Before the corona crisis, almost 10 percent of the families lived in so-called ‘energy poverty’. That number has only increased.
Take Susanna Maccagni, a single mother from Brescia in northern Italy. “This is the gas bill for December and January 2018: 301 euros”, she shows in a thick folder that she keeps in her wardrobe. “And this is last winter’s: 527 euros.”
‘I hold my heart’
Prices for gas and electricity had already risen in recent years, but this fall it will be even faster. In Italy, the electricity price rises by 30 percent and the gas price by 14 percent. “I haven’t gotten the bill for this month,” Maccagni says, “but I’m holding my breath.”
This isn’t the first time Maccagni has been concerned about money. After her divorce, her partner’s income disappeared and she had to manage on her own. She found a job in a school cafeteria, earning about $1,000 a month. “That’s why I managed to pay off in installments.”
But she lost that job during the corona crisis. “I will manage to pay the bills. I always succeed,” she puts into perspective. “I just don’t know how yet.”
More poverty after corona
Due to the pandemic, many people in this region have ended up in the same situation, sees social worker Anna Attolico. Her organization helps 100 families pay bills and other problems.
“There are several stories that precede energy poverty,” she says. “If you have to choose between paying the bill and going to the dentist, you quickly stop going to the dentist. It’s those everyday choices that make many families slip.”
Maccagni recognizes it. “I’ll have the holes filled, but there is no money for more expensive things.” Heating the house has always been successful so far. “We set the heating two degrees colder at night than during the day, and never higher than 19.” She hopes to survive this winter as well.
European cooperation
To prevent rising energy prices from being fully passed on to consumers, Italian Prime Minister Draghi recently announced a package of measures worth 3 billion euros. Countries such as the Netherlands, Spain and France have also announced measures. Nevertheless, the pressure on the EU to come up with a joint solution is growing.
Spain suggested this week that the EU should jointly purchase gas in order to keep the price down. The committee is also considering a solution for poor households. For example, European Commissioner Frans Timmermans wants European money to go to households that can no longer pay the bills, in order to distribute the costs of the climate approach more fairly.
The committee’s major fear is that – if energy bills continue to rise – support for European climate measures will decline. Fossil fuels will become increasingly expensive in the coming years, and the yellow vest demonstrations across Europe are still fresh in the minds of many government leaders.
‘I prefer to rely on my own strength’
Susanna Maccagni does not know whether she would take to the streets. “If it is a peaceful demonstration, then yes. I know so many people in this situation who are ashamed. It is better to show that we are here.” She can’t imagine organizing such a protest herself. “I already have a thousand things on my mind, I really can’t handle that.”
Maccagni expects nothing from the Italian government, or even the European Union. “If help comes, it certainly makes my situation easier. But I tell everyone that I’m looking for work, and I’m sure something will come. I’d rather rely on my own strength than on government measures.”
–
