Big polluters should pay your energy bill!

Fossil gas prices are increasing, energy bills are skyrocketing all around Europe, and fossil companies are making massive profits at the expense of households like us.

The deep problems of our outdated, dirty, and inefficient energy system are exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. It is more important than ever that decreasing dependency on Russian fossil fuels is translated into a transition to renewables which are a clean and the cheapest source of energy.

Citizens are now forced to pay the cost of rising energy prices, particularly our most vulnerable neighbors who are now forced to choose between heating or eating.

These high costs for regular people are at odds with the huge profits some fossil fuel energy suppliers are making right now. Energy corporations are making excess profits from this situation, often buying gas at a fixed price, selling it at the market prices, and cashing in billions.

What is even worse is that shareholders and executives of these big polluter companies could get bonuses for the profits they are making off the energy cost increase. Money they are directly making off the backs of regular households and the crisis in Ukraine.

What if these windfall profits and bonuses are diverted to insulate our houses, invest in renewables, and support families and low-income households struggling to cope with the energy price increase?

European governments must act to stop big polluters from making profits off of households paying for the rising price of energy. Electricity and energy should be a right, not a luxury!

It's time to call on the EU governments to solve the deep problems of the energy system and to urgently relieve households and vulnerable people from the increase in their energy bills by:

• Taxing windfall profits that fossil fuel companies are enjoying from the soaring prices
• Putting a cap on bonuses shareholders and executives would get from increased energy prices
• Returning this money to households, invest to enhance building efficiency and transition to renewable energies
• Secure the right to energy: no one has to choose between heating and eating!