ACER’s inventory of 400+ energy emergency measures seeks to aid policy makers going forward

In response to the energy crisis, every Member State introduced emergency measures to support their citizens and economy, and to mitigate security of energy supply risks.

Today, ACER publishes an inventory of 400+ measures adopted by Member States to cope with the energy crisis. ACER publishes its inventory in the form of an interactive dashboard, providing a high-level analysis of the measures. In a second step, ACER will proceed with an assessment of the measures, focusing on lessons learned and publishing a fuller report in July 2023.

How is ACER’s inventory of energy measures relevant?

ACER’s detailed EU-wide picture of the energy emergency measures adopted across Europe is timely:

• As energy and fiscal policy makers consider next steps now to cope with persistent short term energy challenges;
• With Member States starting to re-evaluate their energy emergency support measures in the context of falling energy prices; and
• Given recent calls (by certain EU bodies) for fiscal policy (in the current high inflation environment) to be targeted, tailored and temporary.

Lessons from measures taken over the past year and a half could help Member States direct any future energy emergency support measures, when and where deemed appropriate, to those who need it most.

What is ACER’s inventory of emergency measures about?

• The inventory collects over 400 measures implemented by Member States from July 2021 until February 2023.
• It relies on information collected by the European Commission, directly from Member States, as well as on publicly available information. National regulators validated and complemented the information.
• ACER clusters the measures related to gas and electricity into categories according to criteria, such as the primary purpose of the measure or the specific group of (targeted) consumers.

What are ACER’s high-level findings to date?

• Every Member State has adopted energy emergency support measures.
• 1/3 of the measures aim at what we have labelled broader security of supply objectives, while 2/3 aim to tackle affordability for end-consumers.
• Almost 1/2 of the measures take the form of direct support to final consumers.
• 1/2 of the measures targeting broader security of supply objectives aim at increasing energy efficiency and renewable generation uptake, thereby also contributing to the Green Deal and Fit-for-55 policy goals.
• Some measures aiming at replacing the use of gas for heating or for producing electricity could, however, hamper the decarbonisation goals; hence, their use should be limited to areas where alternatives to safeguarding security of supply are not readily available.
• 40% of the measures aiming at tackling energy affordability target households (sometimes inter alia with other consumer groups) but less than 1/4 of them target vulnerable consumers.
• 60% of the measures aiming at providing direct support to consumers come in the form of income support (e.g. one-off cash payments), while the rest come in the form of discounts in the energy bills (price support).

What’s next?

ACER plans to publish a fuller analysis of emergency measures in July 2023 to further assist policy makers.

As this ACER inventory might not be complete, ACER welcomes feedback on its inventory (by 16 April 2023), to be sent to 2023_emergency_measures(at)acer.europa.eu.

Access the Emergency Measures inventory.