Against high energy costs, the EU's guidelines arrive: what are the measures of the "citizens' package"

Faster supplier changes, flexible contracts, tax and charge relief on electricity bills, and greater transparency in information on energy contracts and invoices. These are the main measures recommended by the European Commission to national governments to reduce energy bills. Among the measures encouraged by Brussels, included in the "energy for citizens" package presented in Strasbourg, is also an acceleration on renewables and energy efficiency. The package, the EU executive explains, "aims to put citizens at the center of the energy transition".

Among the initiatives, Brussels recommends that governments make it easier for consumers to change energy suppliers within 24 hours, with an estimated savings of 152 euros per year per household. Since about a quarter of energy bills comes from taxes and levies, the Twenty-Seven should also leverage tax reductions that could allow families to save up to 200 euros per year, according to estimates from the Berlaymont. The Commission, for its part, intends to adopt technical rules on supplier changes by the first quarter of this year, adopt a recommendation on the summary of the main conditions of energy contracts, and present a recommendation on standardized energy bill formats in 2027. Another key element of the plan is transparency, in which Brussels aims to improve clarity and comparability of energy bills, so that consumers can better understand what they are paying and decide whether to change suppliers or not. Finally, the 'energy for citizens' package announces a clean energy investment strategy to be implemented together with the European Investment Bank: the president of the EIB, Nadia Calvino, has announced the intention to mobilize 75 billion euros in financing over the next three years to support the goals of the transition to clean energy. In particular, up to 500 million euros will be allocated to the Strategic Fund for investment in infrastructure.