Is-sidien tad-djar m’għandhomx iġorru l-piż tal-ispejjeż eċċessivi tal-bini li jkun effiċjenti għall-enerġija

L-eks Prim Ministru Alfred Sant ivvota kontra l-abbozz tar-rapport tal-Parlament Ewropew ‘Cuffe’ li jistabbilixxi standards ogħla għall-effiċjenza fl-użu tal-enerġija fil-bini. Huwa faħħar l-għan tal-Unjoni li toħloq stokk tal-bini li huwa effiċjenti ħafna fl-użu tal-enerġija u ħieles mill-karbonju, għan li hu vitali fuq perspettiva tat-tul. Madanakollu, Sant saħaq li l-miri għoljin wisq li qed jiġu proposti se jaffettwaw b’mod negattiv lis-sidien tad-djar b’mod inaċċettabbli.

Il-kap tad-delegazzjoni Maltija (S&D) tal-Partit Laburista saħaq li l-konsegwenzi soċjali, skont id-diversi kulturi u modi kif ir-residenzi fl-Unjoni Ewropea jinxtraw u jinżammu miċ-ċittadini fid-diversi inħawi kellhom jiġu kkunsidrati bir-reqqa. Dan ma sarx kif suppost. Filwaqt li huwa rrikonoxxa li n-negozjaturi tal-Parlament Ewropew ippruvaw iqisu l-ħtiġijiet ta’ familji vulnerabbli u b’ġenitur wieħed, tal-bżonnijiet fl-akkomodazzjoni soċjali kif ukoll il-ħtiġijiet ta’ dawk li jgħixu f’żoni rurali u mbiegħda, huma injoraw wisq fatturi essenzjali li jaffettwaw dawn is-setturi vulnerabbli (u oħrajn).

Skont il-Kummissjoni Ewropea, il-bini fl-Unjoni Ewropea huwa responsabbli għal 40% tal-konsum tal-enerġija tagħna u 36% tal-emissjonijiet tal-gassijiet serra. Fil-15 ta’ Diċembru 2021, il-Kummissjoni Ewropea adottat proposta leġiżlattiva biex tirrevedi d-Direttiva dwar l-użu tal-Enerġija tal-Bini (EPBD), bħala parti mill-hekk imsejjaħ pakkett ‘Fit for 55’. Liġi Ewropea ġdida dwar il-Klima (Lulju 2021) daħħlet kemm il-miri tal-2030 kif ukoll tal-2050 f’liġi Ewropea irrevokabbli.

“Fid-deċiżjoni tiegħu dwar l-użu tal-enerġija tal-bini, li hi kwistjoni soċjali sensittiva ħafna, il-Parlament Ewropew kellu bżonn jagħżel mira komuni li tista’ tiġi applikata proporzjonalment għal kulħadd, indipendentement mid-differenzi nazzjonali u reġjonali. Minflok, bl-argument li hemm bżonn li ma noqogħdux lura fil-qasam tal-ħarsien tal-klima, mingħajr ebda ħsieb xieraq, l-ispejjeż ewlenin marbuta ma’ din il-bilda ġew mitfugħha fuq iċ-ċittadin komuni”, insista Sant.

Il-MPE Laburista Sant saħaq li l-obbligi approvati f’dan ir-rapport mhumiex realistiċi u ma jistgħux jintlaħqu. Għal din ir-raġuni, huwa appella għal pożizzjoni aktar moderata biex jiġi żgurat li s-sidien tal-bini residenzjali jiġu inċentivati ħalli jtejbu l-użu effiċjenti tal-enerġija tal-proprjetà tagħhom, minflok jiġu penalizzati. Ir-rapport għandu jiffoka wkoll fuq miri aktar realistiċi u li jiddaħħlu b’mod gradwali, issuġġerixxa Sant.

Ir-rapport ġie adottat bi 343 vot favur, 216 kontra u 76 astensjoni.

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Homeowners should not bear the brunt of excessive energy performance building costs

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant voted against the draft ‘Cuffe’ European Parliament report setting out higher standards for the energy performance of buildings. He praised the Union’s objective to create a building stock that is highly energy efficient and carbon-free which will be vital in the long run. However, he stressed that the costly measures being proposed will affect homeowners negatively in an unacceptable way.

The head of the Maltese (S&D) Labour Party delegation emphasized that the social consequences, according to the various home-owning cultures and structures in the Union should have been thoroughly considered. This has not been properly done. While acknowledging that European Parliament negotiators tried to take into account the needs of vulnerable and single-parent households, social housing as well as of rural and remote areas, they ignored too many essential considerations for these exposed sectors.

According to the European Commission, buildings in the European Union are responsible for 40% of our energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. On 15 December 2021, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), as part of the so-called ‘Fit for 55’ package. A new European Climate Law (July 2021) enshrined both the 2030 and the 2050 targets into binding European law.

“In deciding about the energy performance of buildings, a very sensitive social issue, this House needed to go for a common denominator that could be proportionately applied by all, independently of national and regional differences. Instead, on the grounds of climate ambition, it has blithely attached the major costs for change to ordinary citizens”, Sant stressed.

Labour MEP Sant emphasized that the obligations endorsed in this report are not realistic and achievable. For this reason, he called for a more moderate position to ensure that residential building owners are incentivized to improve their property’s energy performance, rather than be penalized. The report should also focus on more realistic and incremental targets, Sant suggested.

The report was adopted with 343 votes in favour, 216 against and 76 abstentions.