The 11th Citizens’ Energy Forum – Empowering consumers in the clean energy transition

Citizens are at the heart of the EU’s energy policies and the 11th Citizen’s Energy Forum brings their perspective to the forefront during a two-day event in Dublin, Ireland on 12-13 September 2019.

The forum is organised annually and plays an increasingly important role as a platform to exchange views and promote the consumer perspectives of the EU energy retail market. This year, the forum has a broader focus on the role of consumers in the clean energy transition, including in terms of involving consumers through new services and enabling sustainable finance for greener and cleaner investments.

By involving citizens, the forum helps ensure their trust while shaping ambitious EU policies that have a direct impact on them. As stated by Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, Deputy-Director General of DG ENER at the European Commission, the forum has been central as a discussion and testing place for the Commission’s proposals and it has made significant contributions to the ‘Clean energy for all Europeans’ package. The package was finalised earlier this year and its new rules enable the active participation of consumers whilst putting in place a strong framework for consumer protection.

The theme of this year’s forum goes hand in hand with the key messages from the special Eurobarometer report on Europeans’ attitudes on EU energy policy, published on 11 September, specifically as a strong majority of the survey respondents agrees that EU must ensure clean, secure and affordable energy for all Europeans. 

During the second day of the forum, there will be an interactive plenary session on the role of consumers in the move towards a carbon neutral energy system. The session highlights how different groups, including energy poor consumers, are affected by regulatory and technological changes in the energy market. 

Anyone can take part in the plenary sessions of the forum, by following the livestream and also contributing directly through social media or the participatory tool Sli.do.

For social media #En4Cit, #NewDealForConsumers and #EUDialogues

The 11th Citizens Energy Forum

Special Eurobarometer report 492: Europeans attitudes on EU energy policy