In December 2022, the Fossil Free Politics campaign alongside 91 organisations from 15 countries submitted the following petition to the European Parliament:
As gas prices skyrocket, fossil fuel companies make back-breaking profits whilst ordinary people are left in the cold paying the price.
Millions across Europe are now faced with the distressing decision between eating and heating their homes. This is the symptom of a failed energy system run by fossil fuel giants.
And what’s more: the same fossil fuel companies profiting at our expense are to blame for this travesty. For decades, these businesses have paid millions in lobbying to keep Europe hooked on oil and gas whilst blocking a just energy transition.
However instead of being held accountable for this crisis, the European Commission has disturbingly given these companies unprecedented access to serve their own interests.
Since February 2022, there have been over 100 official meetings between fossil fuel lobbyists and EU leaders – that’s one every other day.
Moreover a new ‘Advisory group’ has been established to curb energy prices. This so-called ´expert group´ is full ofwith fossil gas companies.
The good news is: the access they’re using is a privilege, not a right. And we have seen before how groups who do not serve public interest, like the tobacco industry, can have their access privileges revoked.
How much more do Europeans have to tolerate before we stop trusting fossil fuel corporations with our future?
Climate NGOs, energy poverty groups and anti-poverty networks across Europe call on the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions to not turn their backs on Europeans left in energy poverty and say enough is enough to fossil fuel influence.
We ask you to hold these companies to account and call to end their access to our decision makers.
For an example of their influence, ENTSO-G has now proposed 300 new gas projects over the next ten years to respond to Europe’s energy needs. This will do nothing to help peoples energy bills in the short term and will only commit us to further gas and oil profits. This will lock us into costly fossil gas contracts for decades to come.
On top of dozens of EU top-priority projects worth €13 billion , the EU Commission proposed in its REPowerEU plan further 13 large-scale fossil gas projects, and several options to fund these with tax money.
This huge U-turn by the European Commission highlights the influence and lobbying power the fossil fuel industry has had this year to scale up massive political support for new gas infrastructure and gas-based technology development. We have extensive evidence these companies, who are amongst the biggest spenders on EU lobbying, pay millions for this influence to the detriment of people and planet. Awareness of this has been raised to the European Ombudsman who recommended the PETI committee to follow forward on this political contention.
We believe the intertwinement of EU decision makers and fossil fuel lobbyists, and their subsequent actions, have severely breached EU Green Deal commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. This also violates article 37 on environmental protection of the EU Charter of fundamental rights and the Paris agreement which obliges us to keep global temperature rises well below 1.5 degrees. There are also substantial findings of the human rights violations of these companies. This is clear in our evidence attached.
As people grow more aware of the social and environmental costs of climate change and fossil fuel extraction, there is a rising call for fossil free politics across Europe.
After all: it is the European taxpayer who will be left to clean up the mess for these companies.
We ask for PETI committee members to be a bridge between Europeans and the EU institutions and do everything within your power to protect the European public from further fossil fuel influence and crises like we are seeing today.
Europeans ask for no more backtracking and back room deals. Organisations representing millions of Europeans ask you to raise the alarm, protect our democracy and support fossil free politics.
We call for:
- A public hearing in PETI committee to hold fossil fuel companies to account for their role in fuelling the cost of living crisis
- Access for fossil fuel companies to EU institutions to be revoked, starting with the immediate removal of their lobbying badges.
- A conflict of interest framework to be developed across EU institutions on climate and energy policy, similar to restrictions on the tobacco industry lobbying on health policy.
- An EU task force of climate and social advisors to be set up, including NGOs, energy poverty groups and trade unions to build a socially and environmentally just advisory group