For over a year, energy prices have been soaring, bringing working people to their knees and bringing record profits to the likes of Shell and TotalEnergies.

This is happening because the electricity market is rigged and despite President von der Leyen’s promises, the electricity market reform leaves the pricing system untouched. Caught up in an endless ping-pong between European institutions and member states, the European Union is leaving families exposed to unbearable energy and living costs.

As part of its Power to the People campaign, The Left in the European Parliament is advancing its proposals and vision for a renewed energy model that works for people and the planet.

On the 12 and 13 of April, The Left is organising a two-day event in the European Parliament to design a roadmap for a just energy system. The initiative opens with two parallel participatory workshops that will explore how to create a public and democratic energy model by building synergies across political and social movements.

On 13 April, Left co-president Martin Schirdewan and the three spokespeople for Left’s energy campaign MEPs Sira Rego, Marisa Mathias and Cornelia Ernst will open the plenary session. Martha Myers (Fossil Free Politics) and Camille Barbagallo (SunRise Projects) will report back from the workshops.

Decolonising climate action, wealth redistribution and ecofeminism are all essential for an energy model that is fit for purpose. Kahina Rabahi (European Anti Poverty Network), Markus Trilling (Eurodad) and  Azahara Palomeque, writer and journalist, will focus on these aspects during the second panel.

Thanks to the thousands of people in Europe taking the streets to demand a fair energy system and an end to the cost of living crisis, the system is finally cracking. The only way out of the crisis is a system that serves the interests of the many, not the few: a fair energy mode based on renewables and under public control.

The full programme is available here.  Interpretation is available in DE/EN/ES/FR/PT.