news of the

news of the
SCARCITY
OBSERVATORY
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY NOVEMBER, 2012
THIRD Edition, 2012
Editorial
jean-françois cirelli,
Vice-Chairman and President of GDF SUEZ
GDF SUEZ, solidarity in Europe…
For the third year running, our International Observatory on Energy
& Water Scarcity is reporting on the initiatives taken by GDF SUEZ
Group in its efforts to fight such scarcity.
This year, Electrabel will be hosting us in Brussels and Sophie
Dutordoir, the company’s Director-General Manager, will unveil
the ambitious action plan to combat energy precariousness that
our Group is launching in Belgium to go above and beyond what
it is already undertaking.
Energy precariousness is a curse which, during a crisis, affects
a number of our customers. Everywhere we supply energy, we
pay special attention to these difficult situations and propose
innovative custom schemes that incorporate measures that are
both curative and preventive at the same time.
The schemes are set up in partnership with public authorities,
regional authorities and associations. Our event today is thus
twinned with the event organised by the ELISAN* network to
promote integration and local social measures in Europe, which
took place yesterday at the European Economic and Social
Committee.
I would like to thank the many personalities who agreed to speak
or take part in our discussions, with a special thought for our
Observatory’s sponsor, Martin Hirsch, who is with us year after
year. Thank you also to the new Chairman of the European Anti
Poverty Network (EAPN), Sergio Aires, who plays an active role
in our Observatory.
PRECARIOUSNESS COLLOQUIUM
TAKING ACTION…
F
or the third year running I will be taking part in the GDF SUEZ International
Observatory on Energy and Water Scarcity conference.
I agreed to sponsor it because the fields in which it is active lie at the core
of issues that are essential and crucial to everyone on the planet.
We are all aware to what extent energy, water and sanitation are major issues for
mankind, and the economic, social and environmental responsibility of groups
such as GDF SUEZ who conduct most of their business in such fields is immense.
This observatory is an opportunity to exchange experiences and to open
up to civil society, which I believe is essential.
After two years in Paris, this year the conference is moving to Brussels, and
Electrabel’s involvement in organising the event, as well as the announcement
Electrabel’s CEO Sophie Dutordoir will be making there, demonstrate just how
necessary it is that scarcity be dealt with via coordinated action at all levels:
communal, regional, national, European, etc.
I am keeping, and I will keep, a close watch to ensure that this observatory, following
two years of studying, measuring and understanding the phenomena that lead to
scarcity, takes action to make sure GDF SUEZ sets up concrete initiatives
to help people affected by scarcity everywhere it has provided people with
these services that are essential to life – energy, water and sanitation.
Martin Hirsch,
Sponsor of the International Observatory
on Energy and Water Scarcity of GDF SUEZ
You will notice that the focus this year is on the battle against
energy precariousness, but the dual purpose of our Observatory,
which I wish to reiterate today, will lead us in 2013 to organise
our conference in partnership with SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, with
the focus on water precariousness.
* ELISAN: European Local Insertion and Social Action Network
GDF SUEZ/Abacapres/C.Guibbaud
In 3 years of activity, our Observatory has gained a reputation
as a sound tool in the fight against energy and water scarcity.
The measures announced this year by Electrabel bear witness
to that fact.
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
Headlines
Energy precariousness:
A key challenge for Belgium
Maggie De Block, State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Policy,
Social Integration and the Fight against Poverty
Fighting against energy precariousness is a key
challenge for Belgium. For people on low incomes, single
persons, single-parent families and tenants in particular,
energy bills take up a large portion of their budget. That
is not only due to high energy prices but also to the fact
these people are more likely to live in dwellings that are not
energy-efficient without the means to make energy-saving
investments.
I would therefore urge CPASs/OCMWs to do more to help
people with limited means to improve their homes. For
example, CPASs/OCMWs could work more effectively with
local authorities to carry out energy audits using the FRCE/
FRGE (Reduction of overall energy cost Fund) and help
people take simple steps to cut their energy bills.
I have already taken a number of measures to reduce the
workload of CPASs/OCMWs to free them up to work on
energy audits, among other things. In addition, all members
of the government will implement the Federal Poverty
Reduction Plan and take actions such as improving the social
heating allowance, in consultation with energy suppliers.
Acting as a responsible
and committed partner
sophie dutordoir, director-general manager of electrabel
T. Du Bois
13% of the Belgian
population is currently
victim of energy
precariousness.
This phenomenon, which
is on the rise in our country
and the rest of Europe,
stems from the combination of three factors: low
household income that is not sufficient
to meet basic needs (e.g. energy, water,
food), poor thermal quality of housing and
global evolution of energy cost.
As a responsible and locally committed
stakeholder, Electrabel GDF SUEZ has
always paid special attention to the
energy challenges, above and beyond
purely environmental aspects. In addition
to the social tariff mechanism provided
by law, Electrabel also cooperates,
for example, with public social welfare
centres.
To further strengthen its commitment to its
poorest customers, and due to the lack
2
of objective knowledge concerning this
problem in Belgium, Electrabel actively
contributed to a joint research conducted
by the University of Antwerp and the
Free University of Brussels. Notably on
the basis of the recommendations of the
study, Electrabel has developed a global
action plan.
“Electrabel GDF SUEZ
has always paid special
attention to the energy
challenges.”
Electrabel’s plan is based on a
partnership approach and centres
focuses on three key areas:
- Communicate more appropriately
with customers, with particular
attention to the poorest among them;
help them better manage and prepare
for their bill and reduce their energy
use on a daily basis.
- Help improve habitat by working
in conjunction with the GDF SUEZ
Rassembleurs d’Énergies initiative
to provide support to social
entrepreneurs working in the
renovation or construction of highly
energy-efficient housing intended
for poor households. The choice of
entrepreneurs will be made via a call
for projects organised by the King
Baudouin Foundation.
- Encourage the ongoing
understanding and monitoring of the
problem by supporting the University
of Antwerp in launching and long term
operation of a Belgian Observatory on
energy precariousness. The primary
mission of the Observatory, which will
bring together the key stakeholders
from various horizons, will be to initiate
and undertake initiatives aimed at
fighting energy precariousness.
I wish to thank all of our partners and
employees who helped develop this
plan, and I will be sure to provide
regular updates regarding the results
it yields.
Ensuring adequate protection of consumers
Jan Panek, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy
Eurostat figures show that 115.5 million EU inhabitants
were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2010,
representing 23.4% of the population. This indicates that
the number of energy consumers at risk of vulnerability for
economic reasons may be growing at least in some Member
States. In addition, energy poverty should not be isolated from
other forms of poverty.
Furthermore, consumers in the evolving energy markets
could increasingly face the risk of vulnerability for reasons
other than, or in addition to, poor health, low income or a
precarious economic situation. Some may not have the tools
or competencies (literacy, access to information on- and offline,
etc.) to participate actively in the newly developing market and
reap the benefits on offer.
These developments are not an argument against continued
liberalisation, but highlight the fact that market reform must be
accompanied by appropriate measures for consumers at risk
of vulnerability. Ensuring adequate protection of consumers,
especially those in vulnerable positions, will thus be one of
the key success drivers of the completion of the EU’s internal
energy market.
The ongoing changes in the energy retail markets, including
increasing competition amongst suppliers, should lead
to benefits for all consumers through more choice and
empowerment, the availability of new demand management
solutions, product and service innovation, etc. But competition
and sector regulation alone may not be enough to deliver
effective protection for consumers in vulnerable positions.
At last year’s Citizens’ Energy Forum organised by the
European Commission, it was clearly stated that the consumer
should play a central role in energy retail markets, and that the
vulnerable consumer concept be urgently defined by Member
States. Accordingly, more public and policymakers’ attention is
now focused on vulnerable consumers and the cohesion of EU
policies (employment, health, energy, etc.) that protect them.
Member States should provide targeted assistance to
vulnerable consumers to address their economic vulnerability
and to help them make informed choices in the increasingly
complex retail markets. Commission services intend to support
Member States in defining what is meant by and what causes
energy consumers’ vulnerability by providing guidance and
facilitating the exchange of best practice.
While assistance to vulnerable consumers through financial
measures may be part of social policy, assistance with energy
efficiency improvements can represent a cost-effective form of
assistance. Member States should therefore emphasise the
importance of energy efficiency improvements in addressing
consumer vulnerability and energy poverty.
By People For People
VALÉRIE BERNIS, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING GDF SUEZ
AND VICE-CHAIRWOMAN OF THE GDF SUEZ FOUNDATION
the Observatory’s projects was clear – State representatives,
local and regional authorities, major NGOs, but also university
researchers, community associations and employees from our
Group, all convinced that the battle against precariousness is a
fundamental issue for our business, since it is indeed our role
to contribute to human development, of all forms.
When I was asked, in December 2009, to back the creation of
the International Observatory on Energy & Water Scarcity that
our Group wanted to set up, I of course accepted, convinced
of its right stance and of the importance of taking an interest
in such problems that burden our customers on a daily basis,
wherever they are.
Unfortunately, I am unable to attend this time, but I would like
to reiterate my support for this cause that all of you, each in
your own way, are defending: the fight against all forms of
poverty and precariousness.
GDF SUEZ / A. Messonnier
Owing to the nature of its
business activities, GDF SUEZ
Group is well integrated into local
communities, where it provides
essential basic services and is
at grips with the key challenges
of sustainable development
– combating global warming,
protecting natural resources,
and ensuring access to energy,
water and sanitation for all.
Thus, in 2010 and 2011, I took part in our first colloquiums
in Paris, where the commitment of all those cooperating on
For our 3rd colloquium, to be held in Brussels this year, I am
happy to hear that Electrabel will be announcing, via its CEO
Sophie Dutordoir, an action plan that should benefit our
customers throughout Belgium.
See you in 2013 at our 4th colloquium, which will offer us an
opportunity to take stock once again of all the efforts made by
our Group and our employees in line with our “By People For
People” baseline.
3
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
Water precariousness
What lies behind “water precariousness”?
The gap between concept and local reality
In Northern countries, the urban
frontiers of precariousness in the
water field are no longer determined
uniquely by limitations to the extension
of technical drinking water systems.
The access or lack thereof to running
water is no longer the only criterion
that distinguishes the rich from
the poor. Today, the gap is better
illustrated by the unequal weight of
water bills in household budgets.
Some households cannot even pay
for this essential public service – it has
become “unaffordable”.
In France, Article 1 of the Law on
water and aquatic environments
(2006) and the increase in modernday situations of insecurity – and
t h e i r d i v e r s e n a t u re – c a l l f o r
better consideration of such social
issues by local public drinking
water services. Owing to the new
sustainable development guidelines
for urban network services, public
and private operators, as well as their
delegators, are obliged to question
the relevance and adaptation of their
everyday water services management
practices, or indeed their resilience
capacity. Does the concept of “water
precariousness” really enable those
responsible for water services to
understand and examine these social
water precariousness problems? What
socio-spatial reality does the notion of
“water precariousness” reveal to us
when we consider precariousness at
a local level?
J. Batisse
SANDRINE VAUCELLE, LECTURER-RESEARCHER, université bordeaux 3, AND JULIEN BATISSE, PHD STUDENT, université bordeaux 3
Faced with such questions, our
plan is to develop a qualitative
a n d q u a n t i t a t i v e a p p ro a c h t o
precariousness, with a view to giving
more substance and prominence to
the notion in the field of water. From a
classical human and social sciences
“The concept
must be weighed
up against local
reality.”
angle, we attempt to describe
the phenomena in order to better
characterise them and, according
to a specific geographical approach,
we work on the concept in an aim to
obtain figures for, and add a spatial
dimension to, the concentration and
spread of water precariousness in
urban areas.
It is our hypothesis that, while the
concept of “water precariousness”,
through the establishment of threshold
values, constitutes an important tool
within the framework of a global
theoretical approach to the notion of
precariousness in the field of water,
its operational scope remains relative
nonetheless. For this reason, the concept
must be weighed up against local reality.
After reiterating the processes that led
to the emergence of the notion, we take
the analysis of poverty a step further
by studying the statistics of, and by
mapping, precariousness at a local level,
based on the distribution agreement
between the Urban Community of
Bordeaux and Lyonnaise des Eaux. The
tool we used for this demonstration is
an interpretative framework that we built
on the basis of the notion of “payments
outstanding”, for which we put forward
a new categorisation.
NEWS
Social tariffs for water in Dunkirk
Since September 24, the public-private syndicate for water supply in the Dunkirk area ( Syndicat
mixte pour l'Alimentation en Eau de la Région de Dunkerque, SMAERD) has been offering its
customers water tariffs based on social criteria. Three progressive price brackets, with a very low
tariff for the first 75 m3 for individuals covered by complementary French universal healthcare
coverage (Couverture Maladie Universelle, CMU), have been established, and a “water voucher”
has been devised to adapt to the situation of households in hardship. An observatory has been set
up to assess the quantitative and qualitative impact of this new system.
Source: Les Echos, September 24, 2012
4
22,000 signatures against energy precariousness
On September 19, the Walloon Confederation of Christian Trade Unions ( Confédération des
Syndicats Chrétiens Wallonie, CSC ) submitted a petition with over 22,000 signatures against energy
precariousness to the cabinet of the Walloon Minister for Housing, Jean-Marc Nollet. Basing itself
on research conducted by the Belgian Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation ( Commission
de Régulation de l'Électricité et du Gaz, CREG) and the Walloon Energy Commission ( Commission
wallonne pour l'Énergie), the Walloon Confederation is calling for the introduction of a progressive,
solidarity-based pricing scheme and an increase in the number of more energy-efficient dwellings.
“Since 2010, energy tariffs have increased by 30% on average for all citizens. It is time for a longterm change”, said Thierry Demuysère, Energy and Environment permanent for the CSC.
Source: www.levif.be, Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Innovative technical assistance for
accessing water and sanitation
solutions after earthquake disaster in Haiti
Alexandre Braïlowsky, Michel Vermersch AND Sidoine Ravet - SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT
Just after the Earthquake, an efficient
technical assistance for several
weeks has been provided in order
to restore a minimal service in the
area. But the situation still needed
f u r t h e r i m p ro v e m e n t : D I N E PA
(Direction Nationale de l’Eau Potable
et d’Assainissement) has decided to
launch an international bidding process
for providing three year operational
technical assistance to CAMEP, the
water utility of Port au Prince.
The objective of the project, tailored
to the local situation and needs, is to
transform the state-owned CAMEP
into an efficient water utility, providing
a satisfactory service to the population
by increasing the daily duration of
water supply and the number of
active customers, and providing a
better service to the low-income areas
supplied by standpipes managed by
CAEPA (Comité d’Approvisionnement
en Eau Potable et Assainissement).
And, with the outburst of the cholera
epidemic at this time the challenge of
water quality was the first the new team
had to deal with.
With the clear definition of roles and
responsibilities of each actor it will allow
the authority to decide what would
be the best solution to follow this first
partnership: by the end of the threeyear period, DINEPA will decide on the
future institutional framework under
which the utility will then operate.
Results and Conclusions
A variety of institutional solutions for
international participation have been
initiated and are being experimented
with the aim of permitting the Haitian
water and sanitation sector to
progress beyond its chronic state of
underdevelopment.
Sidoine Ravet
Material and Methods
The Technical and Operational
Assistance contract started along
with the setting up of the sectorial
reform in the capital city of Haiti: the
Technical Centre for Exploitation (CTE,
Centre Technique d’Exploitation) took
over from the CAMEP (excepted the
investments, which are now managed
by DINEPA) in early 2011.
The capital city, Port au Prince, is
now in a critical phase, trying to move
forward from earthquake emergency to
reconstruction and development. The
role of the DINEPA and all its partners
is crucial as the improvement of water
and sanitation can change the living
conditions of inhabitants living in the
metropolitan area.
The population of Haiti has great hopes
for significant progress. It will be very
interesting and useful for all those
involved in the water sector to learn the
lessons which should emerge over the
coming years from these many different
alternative approaches.
Sidoine Ravet
Haiti is one of the poorest countries
in Latin America and, with regard to
access to water and sanitation, it has
the lowest ratio of the region. The
country is currently emerging from two
decades of major political and social
crises, which have left the water and
sanitation installations in poor condition
and have heavily jeopardized economic
and social development. And last but
not least, the powerful earthquake
which occurred on the 12 January
2010 resulted in the death of more
than 300,000 people and destruction
of most of the public facilities in the
metropolitan area of the capital city of
Port-au-Prince.
Indeed, this new approach implicates
challenges for each actor involved
in the process the Public Authority,
the Operator, the Users and the
International Financial Institution.
5
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
Energy precariousness
call for action
Energy precariousness in Belgium:
It’s all about the numbers
Stijn Oosterlynck and Bart Delbeke, Professors at University of Antwerp
Energy precariousness is increasingly
being recognised as a major political
and social challenge. The Belgian
government, the European Union and
the United Nations have all examined
the issue recently. And a rising number
of households who are unable to pay
their energy bills are no stranger to this
phenomenon either.
A household is considered to be in
energy precariousness if more than
10% of its income has to be spent on
adequate heating for the home.
Tw o m a j o r c a u s e s o f e n e r g y
precariousness are a family income
that is not enough to meet basic
needs (e.g. energy, as well as water
and food) and poor insulation of the
home, which has an impact on energy
consumption and of course on the
energy bill.
Additional causes can tip a faltering
budget over the edge, such as a
sudden increase in energy prices,
illness, an accident, limited education,
etc.
A budget that is no longer balanced
will have two consequences for the
home. First, the household may be
forced to restrict consumption to a
level that is below their basic needs.
This type of energy precariousness is
not accounted for in current statistics,
since it mainly has to do with the cost
of energy and payment problems.
Second, the household can try to
restrict its necessary consumption, but
at the risk of not being able to pay the
energy supplier, thus ending up in a
spiral of debt.
In both cases, energy precariousness
can mean an increased risk of health
problems, social exclusion (e.g. not
daring to invite friends or family over) and
deteriorating quality of the home.
If we want to fight against energy
precariousness, then we must first
and foremost have a clear and
accurate view of the magnitude of the
problem. We need a tool for measuring
energy precariousness. The above
definition of energy precariousness
and the term “protected customer”,
as used in Belgium, does not meet the
requirements of a good tool, because it
focuses too much on actual expenditure
on energy and does not take account of
energy requirements.
The energy quality of the house is a
critical factor in energy precariousness
issues, but data is scarce. One of the
avenues currently being followed is
to take account of information about
type of home and family composition
based on data from the SILC (Survey
on Income and Living Conditions). This
should give a more concrete picture of
the scope of energy precariousness.
Source: Poverty in Belgium, 2012
Annual Report
Socio-demographic characteristics of the
households facing energy precariousness
Hélène Paquot and jean-pierre zamwangana, M&S Strategy, Electrabel
Electrabel conducted a research project in partnership with the University of Antwerp and the Free University of Brussels (ULB)
with a view to better understanding the actual needs of people experiencing energy precariousness and developing effective
initiatives to help the customers in question. A statistical profiling analysis and an interview-based study of needs helped highlight
the socio-demographic characteristics of the households facing energy precariousness and pinpoint their needs and expectations.
Despite the wide variety of profiles
studied, some trends emerged from
comparison of the characteristics
of households experiencing energy
precariousness with those of the rest
of the population.
People in energy precariousness
are more likely than average to be
isolated (43% of them live alone,
compared to 20% of the Belgian
population); they are more likely
not to be working (41% of them
6
are inactive – this includes retired
people – against 34% of the Belgian
population).
Half of the households affected
b y e n e r g y p re c a r i o u s n e s s a re
homeowners, which seems quite
high when taken alone but is actually relatively low compared to the
rest of the population (three in four
Belgians are homeowners). Similarly,
a large but relatively lower share of
such households (56% compared
to 72%) live in houses as opposed
to flats. Furthermore, a greater
proportion of households in energy
precariousness (59% compared to
39%) live in urban areas or ‘postindustrial’ regions.
Finally, these households tend to
consume more energy, which is probably because their housing is not
as well insulated, their appliances
consume more electricity and they
use energy less rationally.
Changing approaches to energy
precariousness in France
Isolde Devalière, Sociologist at the French Scientific and Technical Centre for Building
A s t i m e h a s g o n e b y, e n e r g y
precariousness has been handled in a
variety of different ways, ranging from
fighting exclusion to making thermal
improvements to buildings, in the aim
of pushing palliative measures into
second place behind efforts for thermal
renovation of existing buildings.
Measures against poor housing
Abbé Pierre’s 1954 appeal for an
“insurrection of goodness” is certainly
a good starting point if we wish to
consider the origins of the first-ever
measures taken by campaigners to
help the people with the worst housing
conditions.
The economic crisis that followed
on from the oil crisis contributed to
changing the way the most vulnerable
people were treated. Personalised
housing benefit (APL – Aide
Personnalisée au Logement), which
was introduced in 1978, helps to keep
the poorest housing occupants in the
black.
In 1985, France’s energy suppliers
set up their first assistance fund for
unpaid energy bills (North). The funds
“Pauvreté-Précarité” (FSL – Housing
Solidarity Funds) administered by the
social services aim to overcome poverty
by providing assistance and support.
Starting in the 1990s, the country’s
traditional energy supplier worked to
strengthen its partnership with the
social services, the only bodies capable
of judging whether an energy customer
was poor. At the same time, the State
beefed up the legislative framework to
guarantee the most deprived the right
to housing (1990) and energy (1992).
Towards a preventive approach
The national gas and electricity market
was liberalised in 2004. The General
Councils that took charge of managing
the FSLs realised that it was inefficient
to pay out recurring benefits while failing
to take preventive action. At that point,
600,000 people were receiving support
from the FSL energy programme, and
the number was increasing every year:
could it be that the only social measure
addressing energy precariousness was
inefficient?
That was the point raised by the
manifesto signed in 2005 by a group
of activists who wanted to make the
public authorities aware of the need to
take action to ensure that “energy does
not become yet another obstacle for
vulnerable households”. This collective,
which was the driving force behind the
foundation of network of fuel poverty
actors called “RAPPEL” (Réseau des
Acteurs de la Pauvreté et la Précarité
Énergétique dans le Logement), gave
national stakeholders, energy suppliers,
technicians and decision-makers the
opportunity to pool their efforts with a
view to tackling energy precariousness
as far upstream as possible.
Thus the Grenelle II Law (2010), in
recognising the existence of the
phenomenon, which is linked to
insufficient resources or unsuitable
living conditions, examines the concept
of minimum comfort. The issue of
having a standard and of the need for
an acceptable temperature is key to
recognition of the problem of energy
precariousness.
Energy precariousness is no longer
addressed by simply handing out social
benefits. Instead, the approach to the
matter involves all of the stakeholders
working to open up access to energy,
improve thermal comfort and, by
extension, prevent a section of the
population from falling into poverty.
As we can see, energy precariousness
is a complex phenomenon, and is
now one of the core economic and
social concerns of decision-makers,
who are fleshing out the range of
available measures for addressing it.
The approach to energy precariousness
no longer consists in simply paying
the bills without tackling the source
of the problem. We can but hope that
it will soon no longer be possible to
sell housing without guaranteeing a
minimum level of comfort for the new
inhabitants. That would be a step in
the right direction for the fight against
energy precariousness.
Putting forward preventive measures
Henri Ducré, GDF SUEZ Executive Vice-President in charge of GDF SUEZ Energy France
GDF SUEZ Energy France has a strong commitment to
fighting energy precariousness. This commitment is a key
consideration in our energy supply activities, our social
responsibility and our public service remit. We have been
helping our vulnerable customers for some years now,
and our experience in doing this has convinced us that the
struggle against energy precariousness must take place
on a global scale and focus on preventive measures if it is
to be effective.
There must be assistance measures to keep households
from becoming trapped in difficult situations. With that in
mind, we are currently working to boost the accessibility
of the Special Social Tariff and broaden the conditions for
its award.
However, if our efforts are to be effective, we must help
households to control their energy budget by improving
the energy efficiency of their homes and helping them
save energy in their day-to-day lives. That is the reasoning
behind our involvement in the Habiter mieux (Live better)
programme; that is the purpose of the 242 mediation bodies
with which we work, which assisted 40,000 customers in
2011.
7
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
Access to energy: A basic right
Mathieu Verjans, National Secretary ACV/CSC
The Confederation of Christian Trade
Unions (ACV/CSC) firmly believes that
access to affordable energy for all is a
basic right. Sufficient energy for heating,
lighting, cooking, washing and so on is
essential in order to lead a dignified life.
Studies show that Belgium scores poorly
in terms of energy precariousness. Six
percent of Belgians have problems paying
their water and energy bills, a much higher
percentage than in the United Kingdom, the
Netherlands, France or the Scandinavian
countries. Low-income groups spend 15%
of their income on energy while the figure is
just 4% for the wealthiest groups. Moreover,
this proportion is rising at an alarming rate
among the poor.
The cause of this high level of energy
precariousness is obvious: too little
income. In a rich country like Belgium,
it is unacceptable that so many people
should still be living below the poverty
line. The solution is also obvious: better
distribution of wealth, and when it comes
to energy policy the best tool for doing
that is progressive tariffs. The ACV/CSC
advocates a system in which those who
consume more (electricity and gas, for
example) should also pay a higher tariff.
Consequently, energy consumption
for meeting basic needs will become
affordable for everyone. There will also be a
significant environmental benefit since major
consumers will be discouraged financially.
The free kWh in Flanders is a simplified
form of a progressive tariff, and one which
the ACV/CSC wholeheartedly supports. It
is fair and sustainable!
In addition to too low incomes, poor housing
is also a key factor contributing to energy
precariousness. People with a low income
do not have the means to insulate their
homes or buy energy-efficient appliances.
They often rent their homes or apartments
and the owner is not prepared to invest
in insulation or efficient heating systems.
Although this problem has long been
acknowledged, too little is being done
about it. It is clear that we cannot leave this
up to the free market. This is an important
responsibility for the authorities at all
policymaking levels. In addition, supporting a
large-scale (energy) renovation programme
is an excellent tool for encouraging local
economic development. We want lower
energy bills for families, we are reducing our
CO2 emissions and we are creating local
jobs in the building industry that cannot be
relocated abroad. What are we waiting for?
Need for integrated policies to fight
energy precariousness
Jan vercamst, national president aclvb/cgslb
Combating energy precariousness in
Belgium requires integrated policies
Energy precariousness – which is generally
defined as a household having difficulty
paying its energy bills and meeting its
basic needs – still affects 50-125 million
people in Europe. Such a situation is clearly
unacceptable from a social standpoint.
Belgium is currently addressing the problem
primarily by way of special social tariffs
for electricity and gas, the Social Heating
Fund (Fonds social chauffage/Sociaal
Verwarmingsfonds) and Reduction of Overall
Energy Cost Fund (FRCE/FRGE), and
energy guidance of the Public Center for
Social Welfare (CPAS/OCMW). We believe
that these are certainly crucial mechanisms
and structures but that more must be done
to fully grasp and address the many aspects
of energy precariousness.
Shortcomings in the liberalisation
of the energy market plunge
people into precariousness
Despite being heralded as a move to
provide consumers with more choices
8
around their energy supplier and thus to
reduce prices by virtue of competition,
liberalisation of the energy market in
Belgium has failed to boost consumers’
purchasing power; on the contrary, in fact,
consumers are being faced with everyspiralling energy bills. Shortcomings in
the liberalisation model and privatisation
of the sector are thus contributing not
only to plunging more and more people
in general into precariousness but also to
making the situation of those already in
precariousness worse: as income declines,
so the proportion of that income spent on
energy increases.
Energy prices must also take
account of environmental issues
and sustainable development
The cost of energy will continue to rise
in the future due to the effects of climate
change and as natural resources steadily
dwindle. Surely it is therefore crucial for the
public authorities to promote responsible
and sustainable energy-consumption
models which not only factor in the true
social impact of energy policies, but which
also ensure that we remain mindful of
our responsibilities in terms of energy
consumption. Accordingly, minimum
energy needs to survive should be made
free, whilst excessive, non-essential
consumption should be subject to higher
tariffs.
Providing decent housing means
providing housing that is energyefficient
The poorest households in financial terms
often live in sub-standard accommodation
that is not at all energy-efficient. Such
households – many of which are not
owner-occupiers – lack the financial means
and legal authority to invest in making their
homes more energy-efficient. It is therefore
crucial not only to ensure that the social
housing complies with stringent standards
in terms of insulation but also to address
the issue of the situation of tenants in
order to enable them to compel owners to
carry out the work required to make their
habitations more energy-efficient.
Energy precariousness:
a priority for society!
DANIEL VAN DAELE, FEDERAL SECRETARY OF THE BELGIAN GENERAL FEDERATION OF LABOUR (ABVV/FGTB)
Energy precariousness arises when
three primary factors are present: low
household income, poor thermal quality
of housing, and high energy costs.
of service quality, expansion of the
services on offer, and tailoring of
the services on offer to consumers’
needs. There is still a long way to go.
Belgium has already developed a
range of interesting initiatives to
tackle energy precariousness, often
at the instigation of the trade unions,
especially ABVV/FGTB (Belgian
General Federation of Labour).
These measures include social tariffs,
automatic application of social tariffs,
the Social Heating Fund, payment
in instalments, and the Reduction of
Overall Energy Cost Fund.
H o w e v e r, t a k i n g m e a s u re s t o
improve efficiency also makes it
possible to enhance households’
purchasing power, create jobs, protect
households from the effects of rising
energy prices, and contribute to the
fight against climate change.
Market liberalisation was supposed to
make it possible to achieve significant
progress, such as cost reductions,
guarantee of supply, improvement
Besides, ABVV/FGTB has been calling
for the creation of an EmploymentEnvironment Alliance since 2005.
Our call was heard and tentative
attempts were made to answer it, with
responses differing from one region
to another. Nonetheless, we are still
awaiting results.
ABVV/FGTB firmly believes that it is
vital to move towards recognising
the guarantee of universal service
(expanded to include small and
medium-sized enterprises), respecting
the obligations of public service,
protecting social groups who are
economically disadvantaged and thus
at risk from energy precariousness,
striving for economic, social and
territorial cohesion, and applying
reasonable, comparable and
transparent prices.
In ABVV/FGTB’s view, the economic
crisis, the increasing scarcity of natural
resources and the necessary shift
towards a low-carbon economy make
energy precariousness a key topic for
discussion in society.
The fight against energy scarcity
How can vulnerable citizens be protected?
Remo Sernagiotto, Chairman, ELISAN, Regional Minister of Social Services, Veneto Region, and Barbara Trentin, Chairwoman,
ELISAN steering committee, Chief of Staff to the Regional Minister of Social Services, Veneto Region
Energy scarcity is an ever-growing
phenomenon throughout all of the
European Union Member States,
affecting 50 to 125 million European
citizens. It lies at the crossroads of
social, environmental and economic
issues and is therefore at the core
of the concept of sustainable
development at national, European
and local level.
The opening up of the market to
competition has emphasised the need
to ensure that all European citizens
have access to a service that is a
primary necessity. To this aim, ELISAN
is driving to set up a “European energy
community” and it is vital that local
and regional authorities be involved in
this procedure.
In light of the above, ELISAN and
GDF SUEZ decided to increase their
initiatives and team up. 2011 saw
the launch of a competition for a
European award: “Energy poverty,
how to get out?” following the
numerous best practices inventoried in
order to help and encourage citizens
to consume less energy on a daily
basis. ELISAN and GDF SUEZ are
following on with their initiatives in
2012, with the organisation of two
European conferences. On November
27, an event is be held in conjunction
with the European Economic and
Social Committee on the theme of
“Energy for everyone – what action
and role for the European Union?”
The aim of the conference is to devise
common, more effective solutions
to energy scarcity at the various
levels of European governance. The
following day, November 28, on the
basis of the recommendations issued
and conclusions reached, ELISAN
joins the 3rd annual conference of the
International Observatory on Energy
and Water Scarcity organised by
GDF SUEZ and Electrabel. We are
looking forward to this cooperation
that will help increase the number
of solutions to put forward for the
vulnerable citizens.
9
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
The European Anti-Poverty Network:
A key network influencing European policies
Vincent Caron, EAPN Policy Officer
Since 1990, the European Anti-Poverty
Network (EAPN) has been an independent network of associations and
groups committed to fighting poverty
and social exclusion alongside and for
individuals experiencing poverty in the
Member States of the European Union.
The EAPN is currently composed as
follows:
• 30 national networks: one in each European Union Member State (except
Latvia) and one in Norway, Iceland,
Serbia and FYROM (Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia);
• 25 European organisations.
The EAPN is funded by the European
Commission via the Progress Programme.
The range of policies the EAPN focuses
on is vast and includes:
- The Europe 2020 Strategy and the
impact of the crisis, European inclusion and employment strategies (or
the Open Method of Coordination);
- Structural Funds and the Progress
Programme;
- Services;
- The adequacy of minimum income
and active inclusion;
- Civil dialogue and the participation of
people experiencing poverty;
-
The cross-cutting integration of
concerns regarding the globalisation
of discrimination.
At European level, the EAPN is a key
player in the development of policy
to fight poverty throughout Europe. It
played a vital role in establishing the
Open Method of Coordination in the
field of social inclusion. It also pushed
hard (in partnership with other social
NGOs) for the incorporation of a social
pillar, “inclusive growth”, into the new
Europe 2020 Strategy, with an objective of reducing poverty by at least 20
million people by 2020. Unfortunately,
despite this new target, current figures
indicate an increase in poverty in the
European Union (+ 2 million individuals). 115 million people in Europe are
at risk of or are experiencing poverty.
The EAPN is a major player in moni-
toring the Europe 2020 Strategy and
the poverty-reduction objective. In its
2012 analysis of National Reform programmes (NRPs) and National Social
Reports (NSRs) , the members of the
EAPN state their concern over meeting
this objective.
In order to meet the objective to reduce
poverty, the EAPN recommends:
1. Back Social Europe and restore
balance to economic and social
objectives;
2. Re-focus on the poverty target delivered through integrated strategies
and prevent austerity increasing
poverty;
3. Launch a Social Investment Package to support Inclusive Growth;
4. Make Structural Funds a key instrument to deliver on poverty reduction;
5. Re-launch Europe 2020 as a democratic, participative social as well as
economic process;
6. Seize the opportunity of NSRs to
re-launch a dynamic integrated strategy and process to fight poverty.
best practices
The King Baudouin Foundation
Encouraging innovative exchanges
and projects on climate justice
© Jan Locus
Pascale Taminiaux, project responsible at the king baudouin foundation
10
Green certificates, energy bonuses,
certificates recognising buildings’ energy
performance, “green” tax deductions,
smart meters, street-by-street renovation
measures… whether direct or indirect,
the anti-climate-change tools targeting
individuals raise some fundamental
questions. Are they accessible to
vulnerable sections of the population?
Are they clear and practicable for social
groups who lack education, financial
resources and/or access to services? Or
worse: could these measures aggravate
social marginalisation, thus leaving
the weakest members of society by
the wayside as we continue along the
(long) route towards drastic reduction
of greenhouse gases?
When these risks came to its attention,
the King Baudouin Foundation,
whose primary mission is to combat
poverty, decided, from 2009, to forge
connections between two different
types of stakeholder who had no real
history of dialogue before then, namely
climate change experts and social
justice experts. With the Foundation’s
encouragement and support, over
100 Belgian and European specialists
met in Brussels and participated
in an online dialogue in November
2009 and November 2010 with a
view to exchanging information on
their practices and, ultimately, issuing
recommendations to political decisionmakers(1). Building on these innovative
exchanges, the Foundation launched a
call for projects targeting field players in
the area of climate justice in late 2010. It
was an immediate success: 60 requests
for support were submitted.
In the end, 13 local projects(2) were
selected, and the Foundation currently
provides them with funding totalling
€100,000. A common feature of all
these projects is that they design,
develop and test practical tools to
promote responsible consumption –
especially of energy – in their target
groups. In Brussels, young people
doing voluntary service are working to
draw up strategies to raise vulnerable
families’ awareness of fighting climate
change. In Leuven and Namur,
associations are working on board
games and videos that are specially
designed for vulnerable target groups.
The projects in Ostend and Kortrijk are
testing out the idea of lending at 0%
interest and making collective purchases
for entire neighbourhoods as a way
“The solutions must be
very practical, directly
involve vulnerable
people and, most
importantly,
be capable of being
reproduced elsewhere.”
of enabling low-income households
to insulate their homes more cheaply.
“The solutions must be very practical,
directly involve vulnerable people and,
most importantly, be capable of being
reproduced elsewhere,” explained
Pascale Taminiaux, project manager at
the King Baudouin Foundation.
The Foundation is set to launch another
call for projects in late 2012. This one
will focus more closely on energy
consumption in vulnerable households.
In early 2013, the Foundation will
publish a best practice guide for climate
justice, which will draw inspiration from
the projects that are currently being
conducted. As such, it will be a real
handbook for people looking to launch
concrete projects. Other measures under
development are based on assessment
of the energy performance of buildings
and the need to bring together several
stakeholders in energy renovation and/
or construction of buildings occupied by
vulnerable people. It is already clear that
these projects will involve long-term efforts.
For more information about the project,
visit www.kbs-frb.be or contact Pascale
Taminiaux ([email protected])
(1) C limate change mitigation policies and social
justice in Belgium. Analysis of three measures and
recommendations. June 2011, http://www.kbs-frb.be/
otheractivity.aspx?id=293948&langtype=2060
(2) You can view the list of projects at http://www.kbs-frb.
be/call.aspx?id=293421&langtype=2060
Fighting energy
precariousness in Liège
Christelle breyer, cabinet assistant at the liège cpas
The non-profit association Liège-Energie
was founded in 2010 as a Local Energy
Agency focused on the housing sector.
Right from the very beginning, the fight
against energy precariousness has been
a truly transversal issue affecting many of
the information, advisory and investment
support activities for which Liège-Energie
is responsible. The City of Liège, the
social assistance centre (CPAS/OCMW),
the social housing office and the public
housing associations have been involved
in the project from day one with a view to
helping Liège-Energie get to the heart of
the problem.
The project aims to develop an
overarching preventive approach by
bringing together the different support
mechanisms – both human and financial
– that could contribute.
Energy precariousness in Liège has
recently increased by 20-23%, meaning
that 46,000 more inhabitants are affected.
The Liège CPAS/OCMW’s Energy and
Debt Mediation Unit is the first point of
contact for these people. Its social teams
monitor debt repayment plans for almost
10,000 households.
If it appears that situations could benefit
from some technical work, an ‘energy
social guidance’ process is applied,
following the steps outlined below:
- p rior behavioural, financial and
technical analysis of a household’s
living conditions;
- energy audit of the housing;
- activities assigned a priority level based
on their cost effectiveness;
- creation of a technical and financial
file, including all forms of direct aid and
additional forms of credit at 0% interest;
- consultation and selection of companies;
- work monitored and accepted;
- payment and monitoring of guarantees;
- individual follow-up of the technical and
behavioural situation among households
that have received assistance;
- in extreme cases, work can initially be
financed in full by Liège-Energie, to be
paid back based on the savings made
by the household.
At the same time, Liège-Energie is
offering financial support to public housing
associations to top up the resources
allocated to them under the Wallonia
Housing Association’s Exceptional
Investment Plan. The first project involving
this cooperation has just been carried out:
energy renovations have been performed
in the Cité du Moulin social housing
project, covering 167 homes. Besides
this, an original extra step has been
added into the process, after the technical
work: each of the families that have
received assistance will get a home visit
aimed at finding out more about their
perception and use of the new equipment
and identifying expectations in terms
of information, advice and individual or
collective support in the long term.
11
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
The Energiesnoeiers: A leverage to
reduce energy consumption in Flanders
Jan Vranken, Professor Emeritus, University of Antwerp
We waste energy. That’s bad for
the environment and for our wallets.
Something has to be done about this,
especially for people who are already
having trouble making ends meet.
For them, heat leaking through doors
and windows and energy-hungry
appliances are a disaster. Reducing
energy consumption would help them
to stay out of debt and maybe even
enable them to set money aside for
other, longer term expenditure.
That’s why we have energy audits,
although they aren’t cheap and not
feasible for everyone. The energy scan
is less thorough than an energy audit,
but also significantly cheaper.
The energy scan is a key component
in the Energiesnoeiers project
launched by Flemish Minister Kathleen
Van Brempt in 2007 in cooperation
with the distribution system operators
(DSOs). The project is run by the
various municipal authorities.
The energy scan provides a quick
o v e r v i e w o f a h o m e ’s e n e r g y
consumption and is carried out by
specially trained and monitored
Energiesnoeiers. Following a simple
inspection, the resident is given an
overview of the energy situation
along with tips for saving through
better insulation, heating, lighting,
household appliances and energysaving behaviour. He/She is also
given advice about potential changes
he/she could make and an overview of
existing bonuses and subsidies. The
report includes a description of minor
energy-saving measures implemented
by the energy scan operator, such as
installing energy-saving light bulbs,
an economical showerhead, radiator
foil or insulation for pipes. Some 70
Energiesnoeiers started performing
energy scans in the autumn of 2007.
E n e r g y s c a n s a re o rd e re d b y
the DSOs, which are required to
perform scans for around 2% of
their customers. The DSOs agree
with the municipal authorities on
who will carry out the scans: the
12
authorities themselves, the DSO or
a third party. A significant proportion
of the scans are carried out via
socioeconomic initiatives. Every town
taking part defines a target group.
The government is seeking priority for
low-income homes. Many towns have
already done that.
In 2008, the Walloon government
launched the “Tuteurs d'énergie”,
an initiative to ‘increase citizens’
purchasing power. Just like the
Energiesnoeiers in Flanders, the
Tutors are usually unemployed
individuals who have been given
special training. Over a period of two
years, the Region funded training
for 50 Energy Tutors to help them in
their work (materials and education)
and with the actual implementation
of measures on the rational use of
energy in homes. Following a positive
evaluation, the contracts for 20082010 were extended until at least
the end of 2011. The measure and
accompanying budget are guaranteed
until 2014.
The Energiesnoeiers could do
even more if given appropriate
training, enabling them to carry out
a broader range of simple energysaving activities, bigger tasks (such
as installing insulation material under
a roof or in the attic), more complex
work (such as super-insulating
glazing, the installation of highperformance boilers in cooperation
with the construction industry) and
production-related activities, especially
for sheltered workplaces (such as the
assembly of solar panels).
And yet more is needed to combat
the problem of energy precariousness,
even at the micro-level. For the families
living in energy precariousness, we
need to determine the respective
impact of behaviour, appliances
(domestic appliances, light) and the
structure of the home itself (insulation,
heating, hot water for domestic use)
for potentially reducing consumption
or improving comfort. For many,
there is little or no latitude in terms
of changing behaviour or making
small changes (such as energysaving bulbs, reflecting foil behind
radiators) because consumption has
already been adjusted to their limited
means. The measures promoted by
the Energiesnoeiers can help some
homes – especially when there is a
clear problem in managing energy
consumption – but solutions based
on consumer behaviour fall on deaf
ears compared with the impact of
appliances or the structure of the
home. One benefit of this type of
approach is that a review can be
made on-site.
“The energy scan
provides a quick
overview of a home’s
energy consumption
and is carried out
by specially trained
and monitored
Energiesnoeiers.”
So, it would be interesting to expand
the scope of these actions to a
support for families in their quest
for help in making their home and
appliances more energy efficient,
whether they are owners or tenants.
These ‘social auditors’ can then act
as intermediaries between tenants
and owners in coming up with various
approaches and agreements that
encounters the interests of all parties.
For example, tenants and owners
might have a standard agreement on
access to a ‘social green loan’, or they
might be informed that it is possible to
entrust the home to a Social Letting
Office for a guaranteed rent over
x years, along with a commitment
to improve the building’s energy
efficiency.
Does it really need to be pointed out
that resolving problems of energy
precariousness requires a structural
approach?
Do the Click Educating
our children to energy savings
Barbara De Laet, Brand & Campaign Management, Electrabel
Since the 2011-2012 school
year, Electrabel has been
working with educational
publisher Averbode and kids’
TV channel Nickelodeon to
make children aged 6-12 more
aware of how to save energy.
In 2008, Electrabel unveiled
its Together for less CO 2
pledge. Our Click campaign
aims to encourage people
of all ages to make energy
savings of up to 30%. It
offers a range of fun activities
to help school pupils and
their parents get involved in
energy-saving actions.
In running this campaign,
we hope to raise primary
school pupils’ awareness of
the issue and give parents a
helping hand.
The initiative is supported by
Averbode and Nickelodeon:
Averbode has contributed
educational materials for
children and teachers, while
Nickelodeon’s fun-based
approach looks at energy use
at home.
The campaign is structured
around Cliquette, who sets
a good example. Starting in
November, Cliquette will be
making her way to 60 schools
of all types throughout Bel-
gium with a view to involving
pupils in saving energy at
school through a range of
innovative games and tools.
This will enable pupils to evaluate, check or broaden their
knowledge of the three basic
themes – namely heating,
electricity, and lighting – while
having fun at the same time.
For more information:
www.faisleclic.be
13
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
SOLIDARITY
Innovation that benefits vulnerable populations
Bernard Saincy, Director Corporate Social Responsibility and Vice-President of the GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs d’Énergies solidarity company
One year ago, the GDF SUEZ Group
launched the GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs
d’Énergies initiative. This global initiative
aims to both help provide poor
populations in developing countries with
access to energy and fight against energy
precariousness in developed countries.
This is a major challenge and a difficult
one to tackle: firstly, because it means
helping to eliminate a serious social evil,
namely the lack of access to sustainable
energy, which affects 1.3 billion people,
and secondly, because the level of
innovation required is immense. In fact,
rising to this challenge calls for the
implementation of new, sustainable
business models tailored to the specific
features of the populations and areas in
question and which can be replicated on
a large scale. The distinguishing feature
of these inclusive business models is the
focus on their social and environmental
impact in terms of access to energy,
establishing economic activities, creating
jobs and promoting the use of renewable
energies (see use of carbon finance) while
ensuring long-term economic viability.
The economic analysis underlying these
new models is still ongoing, said analysis
entailing resolving market imperfections,
internalising positive externalities,
reducing the poverty penalty and so
forth. The process is complicated by
the fact that experience has shown that
inclusive business models for consumer
goods can differ greatly from those
geared towards essential services such
as energy or water. For example, positive
externalities linked to access to modern
energy sources for the poorest population
groups (in terms of overall economic
development, gender equality, easy
access to education and health) are
greater than those linked to improved
access to consumer goods. In the
case of access to energy, this specific
feature justifies the use of hybrid value
chains (e.g. private/public, philanthropic/
market logic), which seem to be the most
relevant and the most efficient solution.
The GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs
d’Énergies initiative ties in with this. It
supports social entrepreneurs by using
14
three different levers (either simultaneously
or sequentially) that have the same
objective, namely that of fulfilling the
expectations of poor populations
regarding access to essential services.
The levers take the form of donations
(and/or public subsidies), technical
assistance and investment. The financial
strength, competencies, experience
and understanding of procedures
demonstrated by large companies mean
that they can support the development
of innovative social entrepreneurs by
mobilising one of the three levers. In
return, the social entrepreneur boosts
the company’s technical, managerial and
organisational innovation.
“The GDF SUEZ
Rassembleurs
d’Énergies initiative
supports social
entrepreneurs by using
3 different levers :
donations, technical
assistance and
investment.”
The main innovative aspect of
the initiative lies in its practical
implementation of hybrid value chains
that are tailored to the needs of the
vulnerable population groups in question
as well as to the requirements of a
productive partnership between large
companies that want to take on their full
social and societal responsibility and small
social entrepreneurs who are innovative
and dedicated.
A number of volunteers involved in the
initiative have spent a year studying
several dozen projects from social
entrepreneurs and NGOs that focus
on providing poor population groups
with access to energy. Ten projects
have already been launched in the form
of donations (through the GDF SUEZ
Foundation) or investment (€100 million
will have been invested by late 2013)
made through the solidarity-based
company GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs
d’Énergies and the solidarity fund created
for this purpose.
Donations are often the preferred lever
during a project’s incubation phase
(i.e. whilst it is being prototyped by an
NGO or association); those projects in
respect of which the relevant prototype
proves successful will then receive direct
investment via a social enterprise (either
an existing one or one specially created
for the project). This investment is a social
one, the aim, in principle, not being to
generate a particular rate of profitability
but to ensure that the investment can
at least be recovered in full after seven
or eight years (the time necessary for
the project to become independent and
sustainable).
Projects put forward by social
entrepreneurs supported by the
GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs d’Énergies
initiative have been launched in
developing countries (such as
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Burkina Faso,
Peru, Tanzania and India) as well
as in developed ones. The initiative
first invested in a social enterprise in
Northern France called The Foncière
Chênelet, which builds energyefficient accommodation for vulnerable
populations.
“The GDF SUEZ
Rassembleurs d’Énergies
initiative is now entering
a phase of rapid
development.”
Following a year of initial activity and
planning (primarily involving establishing
criteria for selecting and evaluating
projects), the GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs
d’Énergies initiative is now entering
a phase of rapid development. The
assistance it has received from
GDF SUEZ employees (acting as the
established solidarity fund’s shareholders
or as ‘providers’ of technical assistance)
and the considerable interest and support
shown by public authorities, development
NGOs and social entrepreneurs in
particular is helping to boost the number
of energy-access projects benefitting the
most disadvantaged population groups.
Be.Face: Companies acting together locally
against social exclusion
MARC BRONNE, HEAD OF BE.FACE AND ROLAND VAN OVERMEIREN, BE.FACE
Be.Face is a non-profit association
that was founded in 2010 by 12 large
companies (including GDF SUEZ and
Electrabel) who decided to join forces to
draw closer to their social surroundings
and prevent and combat all forms of
exclusion, discrimination and poverty.
Be.Face draws on the experience and
expertise of FACE France (Fondation
Agir Contre l’Exclusion), a public interest
foundation established in 1993 by 15
companies, which now consists of a
network of 4,000 companies spread
throughout France.
Initially, the founding members decided to
focus on the Northern Quarter in Brussels,
as they are all headquartered in the area
and have significant business activities
there. Be.Face has since expanded its
work to cover other Brussels districts that
are particularly hit by unemployment and
poverty.
Be.Face aims to address all forms of
exclusion, while respecting people’s
identities and helping them to help
themselves and integrate into their society.
The foundation works directly in the areas
it aims to assist, in close cooperation with
existing local structures. It takes action
when its involvement could create added
value and its activities are geared towards
practical solutions. Be.Face believes that
examples and demonstration are the most
reliable means of achieving its aims.
Be.Face’s two main areas of activity for
2012 are:
1/ Employment and training
Mentoring, social temp work, work-linked
training, action on sports in schools,
visits to introduce people to companies,
internships, and so on;
2/ Community and solidarity
Be.Face helps companies and their staff
to take socially responsible actions at
local level through practical volunteering,
donating materials, and building up skills
and offering advice to local associations
and the people they help.
As part of these activities, Be.Face – with
technical assistance from Electrabel –
performed energy audits in buildings in
the Northern Quarter and Anderlecht.
These buildings are occupied by three
associations with which Be.Face has
developed a strong partnership.
The audits enabled the associations to
learn about the measures they should
take to significantly reduce their energy
consumption and tailor their energy
packages to meet their needs. This helped
them to make considerable savings.
Furthermore, in late October, Be.Face
launched a series of information sessions
for the people receiving support from
the associations. The sessions aim to
give people a range of handy hints and
tips to help them optimise their energy
consumption and consume less. They
also feature a simplified rundown of
the formalities with which vulnerable
customers should be familiar.
Be.Face hopes to be able to offer these
people comparable support for other types
of service (such as telecom and banking),
given that it is often the same people who
have problems in these domains.
If its preventive actions are to be truly
effective, Be.Face must have input in the
form of expertise from suppliers of these
products and services.
If you would like to find out more about
Be.Face, send an e-mail to [email protected],
visit the website www.beface.be
or call Marc Bronne (+32 478 652 193).
Committed employees make the difference
MATHIEU VANDENBROECKE, SPONSORSHIP PROJECT LEADER, ELECTRABEL
A company and an industrial group cannot grow and develop without interacting
with the society in which they operate.
This applies particularly to companies
such as Electrabel and GDF SUEZ that
are active in the energy sector: electricity
and gas are products that concern us all.
As well as being public utilities they are
also of strategic importance. Not only do
they have implications for our security of
supply, the competitiveness of our economy and the great environmental challenges facing us, but they also have a
direct impact on the purchasing power
of households and the social protection
of the most disadvantaged among us.
Because of the particular nature of her
activities Electrabel also bears a special
responsibility in social terms.
We meet this responsibility through
among other things a clearly defined
sponsorship policy covering four main
areas, namely social solidarity, helping
people integrate into society through
sport, protection of the environment,
and culture. Electrabel devotes more
than 1.1 million euros annually to
sponsorship in Belgium, with particular
attention to the relationship between the
initiatives it supports and the company’s
own activities. It also seeks to involve
Electrabel’s own employees in these
initiatives. It is for this reason that we
have set up the Power2Act programme
in which Electrabel aims to combine its
commitment with that of its employees,
by providing financial support to
associations and projects in which they
are personally involved.
15
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
Partners for a warm winter
Kim Vercruysse, Campaign & Communication Collaborator, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen vzw
The Immigration Office is located some
100 meters from GDF SUEZ Tower in
Brussels’ Northern area, where people
fleeing war, violence and persecution
come on a daily basis to apply for
asylum in Belgium. The application
process takes a whole day. It involves
following a procedure, answering
questions and above all a lot of waiting
around. The Government Departments
close at lunchtime and asylum-seekers
– and their children – have to wait
outside on the street.
Just a stone’s throw from the offices
of Electrabel and GDF SUEZ, the
NGOs Flemish Refugee Action
(Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen) and its
sister organisation CIRÉ operate a soup
kitchen where they distribute free soup
and provide vital information about the
asylum procedure and the rights and
responsibilities of asylum-seekers. We
help around 80 people each day.
Belgium’s asylum reception system
has been in crisis for over four years,
which means that not every asylumseeker receives the accommodation
and support they are entitled to. At such
times, people flood into the soup kitchen
in search of warmth and assistance.
Electrabel and GDF SUEZ have been
supporting the soup kitchen for the
past two years, in the form of both
dedicated employees, who give
up their time as volunteers, and of
financial assistance, which allows us
to continue our vital work. All year
round, but especially at times of crisis,
the partnership with Electrabel and
GDF SUEZ is a heart-warming gesture
of support for people who desperately
need our help and advice.
Mediation Office increasingly contacted
on energy precariousness issues
Michel Astruc, GDF SUEZ Mediator
Mediation is developing in new areas every
year, particularly in France. GDF SUEZ,
through its energy activities, is directly
impacted by the growing number of
people who have difficulties paying
essential utility bills, i.e. heating, hot water
and cooking.
GDF SUEZ has set up mechanisms aimed
at listening to these societal issues, and
the GDF SUEZ Mediation Office works
closely with these to exercise its role.
16
The Mediation Office has seen an increase
in the number of customers contacting
it in 2012. Most are having temporary
difficulties paying bills and also want help
to manage their consumption and budget.
In some cases, complex situations have
arisen due to “accidents of life” but
also depend of public policy responses
that could extend their field of action in
the areas such as social tariffs, energy
efficiency grants and so on.
Beyond finding solutions to individual
situations, the Mediation Office
encourages stakeholders to continue
working on ongoing projects such as
initiatives with local networks, raising
awareness about energy saving,
expanding the eligibility criteria for
social tariffs and strengthening housing
renovation programmes.
Energy Assistance: 11 years of
voluntary work to fight energy poverty
Roland Rosseel, retired Electrabel employee, Energy Assistance Director
Energy Assistance (EA) is a non-profit
association whose volunteer members
are active or retired employees of
GDF SUEZ’s energy Business Lines
(including numerous Electrabel (ex-)
employees in Belgium). It has received
financial support from the Group since
its foundation.
EA aims to put the skills of its
members, plus a range of technical
resources, at the disposal of
humanitarian projects targeting
people who do not have access to
the energy they require to meet their
basic needs. Its projects focus on
health, education and sustainable
development, and we give priority to
solutions involving renewable energy
sources.
Energy Assistance’s activities have
expanded steadily since its creation
in 2001. By the end of 2011, the
association had carried out 121
projects in 30 countries. These
projects required some 44,000 hours
of voluntary labour, all of which was
performed by our volunteers in their
spare time. Energy Assistance’s
work has enabled some 2,400 kW of
power to be supplied, and according
to estimates, over two million people
may benefit from EA’s projects.
Our volunteers have given such
positive reports of their experiences
working on the projects that many
people who hear them are inspired
to get involved, so the number of
people volunteering to go on missions
is increasing constantly.
It goes without saying that our work
is concentrated in the world’s poorest
countries, especially Africa and, more
specifically, the DRC, for historical
reasons. Despite this focus, EA
wants to help the growing numbers
of vulnerable people throughout
the world, even those living in rich
countries. This year, we conducted
out first ever project in Europe, in
Romania, with support from a local
Group subsidiary, Distrigaz Confort.
With this in mind, EA could soon be
putting its volunteers’ energy and
talents to good use in the Group’s
traditional areas of operation and,
who knows, maybe even in Belgium.
Photovoltaic installation for Piela health centre
(Burkina Faso).
Jacques Haumont (left) and Georges Demeijer
(right) of Cofely Services
Natalja Svarinska (Electrabel), Jean-Claude Montignie
(Cofely) and a local government employee on the
construction site for a kindergarten in Gura Sutii
(Romania)
A very practical observatory!
Daniel Dantand, Observatory Coordinator, GDF SUEZ Strategy and Sustainable Development Division
This year, Electrabel will host the third international colloquium of
our International Observatory on Water and Energy Scarcity. The
colloquium will take place at Electrabel’s headquarters in Brussels,
close to a number of European institutions as well as to our two
partners, ELISAN and EAPN.
The presentation given by Sophie Dutordoir, Director-General
Manager of Electrabel, on Electrabel’s action plan for customers
and populations affected by energy precariousness also ties in
with this aim and will be the central focus of the third
colloquium.
At the colloquium, speakers and experts will share their
experiences in English, Dutch or French, enhancing our discussions
on how to more efficiently fulfil the energy needs of the most
vulnerable population groups.
As always, our Observatory aims to transform detailed, in-depth
discussions between various actors into practical, immediate
actions.
Moreover, future colloquiums of the GDF SUEZ
International Observatory on Water and Energy
Scarcity will present an opportunity for each of our
other Functional Lines serving the energy, water and
decontamination needs of private customers to host
what is a large-scale dynamic and solidarity-boosting
meeting where the focus is on making practical
suggestions, as we will do today in Brussels.
17
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
BIOGRAPHIES - EXTERNAL speakers
SERGIO AIRES
CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN ANTI POVERTY
NETWORK
Sergio Aires is the Chairman of the EAPN since June
2012. Master in sociology, he is a recognised independent
consultant on issues and policies regarding social
inclusion and the fight against poverty, not only in
Portugal, but throughout Europe and at international level. He has been
the Director of the Lisbon Observatory of Poverty and Social Exclusion
since 2006. For over 18 years, he has been involved in social research in
the fields of poverty and social exclusion. He coordinated the activities of
Portugal’s EAPN network for over 10 years. He has a long experience in
setting up institutional, multi-partner national and international projects
with NGOs. He is also involved in training activities for NGOs, in particular
on the area of organisational development. In addition he is involved in
the NGOs’ social consulting. He is also an expert on the following fields:
ethnic minorities, Roma, fight against discrimination, etc.
CHRISTELLE BREYER
CABINET ASSISTANT AT THE LIEGE CPAS (PUBLIC
CENTRE FOR SOCIAL ACTION)
A political scientist by trade and specialist in European
affairs, Christelle Breyer left the University of Liege in
2010 and has since been Cabinet Assistant at the CPAS
of Liege, where she deals with matters such as health,
in-home care for the elderly, housing and energy.
SANDRA DAVIES
CONSULTANT IN PUBLIC HEALTH
Sandra is a consultant in public health working in Liverpool
and is responsible for putting into place programmes that
improve the health of the local population. She has a PhD
and a Masters in Public Health, and has worked in the
field of preventive health for over 20 years. She is also
a member of the Faculty of Public Health.
Sandra has chaired a European funded Project looking at protecting children
from Tobacco, and has been involved in topics as varied as obesity, sexual
health, alcohol misuse and public mental health. She is also a Trustee for
an NGO, the Heart of Mersey, which works on a population basis to reduce
Cardio vascular disease.
MAGGIE DE BLOCK
STATE SECRETARY FOR ASYLUM AND MIGRATION
POLICY, SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND THE FIGHT AGAINST
POVERTY
Maggie De Block has obtained a doctorate in Medicine
& Obstetrics at the Vrije Universiteit of Brussels in 1988
and is a registered General Practitioner since 1991.
Maggie De Block is Member of Parliament for the voting district of BrusselsHalle-Vilvoorde since1999 and, in December 2011, she became Secretary
of State for Asylum and Migration, Social Integration and Anti-Poverty. She
also chairs the Infrastructure Committee since 2010.
18
MARTIN HIRSCH
SPONSOR OF THE OBSERVATORY ON ENERGY AND
WATER SCARCITY OF GDF SUEZ
Martin Hirsch was born on December 6, 1963. He is a
Councillor of State and has headed the French Civic Service
Agency since its creation in May 2010. He has also held
administrative positions, amongst other things as director
of the Central Pharmacy for Paris Hospitals, Chief Executive of the French Food
Safety Agency, and then as Head of the New Agency for Active Solidarity. At
the same time, he undertook volunteer commitments at Emmaüs, including
five years as Chairman of Emmaüs France. He was also Vice-Chairman of
the French Cancer Research Association between 2005 and 2007.
From 2007 to 2010, he was a member of government, as High Commissioner
for Active Inclusion against Poverty and High Commissioner for Youth. He
has written a number of works and has just had the book La lettre perdue,
les racines de l’engagement published by Editions Stock.
FRANÇOIS MARTY
CHAIRMAN OF FONCIÈRE CHÊNELET
François Marty holds an Executive MBA graduate obtained
at HEC Paris. François Marty founded and is also chairman
of a community project near Calais for unemployed youths,
refugees ad released prisoners. The emerging company,
called SPL (Scierie et Palettes du Littoral), has become a
market leader in pallet production.
Former Councillor and Chief Advisor of Guy Hascouët, former Minister at the
State Secretariat for Solidarity-based Economy, he co-wrote the parliamentary
report «Territories, employment and sustainable development» for Lionel Jospin.
In 1988, he founded Le Chênelet, a company which mainly aims to boost the
production of eco-friendly houses for the poorest. He is now the Chairman of
the Chênelet association and Chairman of Foncière Chênelet.
François Marty received several awards: Ashoka prize winner in 2008, RethinK
C.C.I PARIS prize winner in 2009, winner of the Jury special prize for the R.S.E
Région Nord Pas-de-Calais in 2009 and winner of the prize “Favorite person
of the Mayors of France” in 2010.
STIJN OOSTERLYNCK
PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
ANTWERP
Stijn Oosterlynck is professor of Sociology at the University
of Antwerp. He is spokesperson of Centre OASeS (Centre
for Research on Inequalities, Poverty, Social Exclusion and
the City) and coordinator of a research project on energy
precariousness that is funded by Electrabel.
JAN PANEK
HEAD OF UNIT DEALING WITH RETAIL ENERGY MARKETS,
COAL AND OIL IN THE DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR
ENERGY OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Jan Panek is Head of Unit dealing with retail energy markets,
coal and oil in the Directorate-General for Energy of the European
Commission in Brussels. He joined the European Commission in
2005 following an earlier career in the diplomatic service of the Czech Ministry of
Foreign Affairs during which he occupied positions in the Ministry headquarters as
well as in Czech diplomatic missions in Tokyo and Brussels. He also spent several
years in the 1990s with the Boston Consulting Group in its London and Central
European offices. He holds a B.Sc. in Applied Geophysics from Charles University
in Prague and an M.A. in International Economics/A.F.P. from The Johns Hopkins
University – S.A.I.S. in Washington, D.C. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst
(CFA) charterholder.
BIOGRAPHIES - EXTERNAL speakers
MARTINA RATTINGER
DIRECTOR EU-REPRESENTATION OFFICE OF CARINTHIA
Education: academic studies of law, Master business
course at the University of Hagen, Master in “International
Relations”.
International/national professional experience: employee
in an international corporate law firm in the USA; assistant at the faculty of
law at the university of Graz (constitutional and European law); parliamentary
and academic assistant (European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg,
responsible for European Regional Policy and European Transport Policy);
head of office of MEP; Director EU-Representation Office of Carinthia in
Brussels and director of the subdivision of the Directorate of the State
Office European and International Matters of Carinthia.
JAN VRANKEN
PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
ANTWERP
Jan Vranken (born in Vucht/Maasmechelen, 1944) has been
Professor Emeritus at the University of Antwerp since 2009. It
was there, in 1990, that he started up what is now called the
OASeS Centre (Ongelijkheid,Armoede, Sociale uitsluiting en de
Stad). He has run dozens of projects on poverty and other forms of social exclusion
(homelessness, migration), urban issues and similar situations.At European level,
he has coordinated multiple projects including two within European framework
programmes. He works as an expert for four peer reviews on social inclusion.
He also served as chairman of the Flemish government’s Steering Group for
Strategic Labour Market Research from 1994 to 2012 and has chaired WEB
(Work Experience Firms) since 1992.
He has been the keynote speaker and chairman at many international conferences.
In 2005 he held the Franqui chair at the Catholic University of Louvain.
He was in charge of editing the first 19 editions of the Flemish Annual
Report on Poverty and Social Exclusion, and is now a member of the editing
team of the federal Annual Report on Poverty in Belgium.
For an overview of his publications, research projects and involvement in
international conferences and seminars, see www.oases.be.
BIOGRAPHIES – GDF SUEZ speakers
Jean-François CIRELLI,
Vice-Chairman and Vice-President of GDF SUEZ
Sophie DUTORDOIR,
Director-General Manager of Electrabel
Françoise GUICHARD,
Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development GDF SUEZ
Jean-Pierre HERVÉ,
GDF SUEZ
Annick ROSSEY,
Electrabel
Bernard SAINCY,
Director Corporate Social Responsibility and Vice-President
of the GDF SUEZ Rassembleurs d’Énergies solidarity company
Sidoine RAVET,
SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT
ENERGY:
THE EUROPEAN
GOOD PRACTICES
The Best Practice guide of European energy use will be distributed at the
Colloquium. It is co-edited by the UNCCAS (Union nationale des centres
communaux d’action sociale), ELISAN (European Local Inclusion & Social
Action Network) and the GDF SUEZ Foundation
News of the Scarcity Observatory 2012
Directors of publication: Bernard Saincy and Daniel Dantand – Design and layout:
Photo credits: GDF SUEZ, Jean-Luc Debeve, Aimée Thirion, Guy Puttemans, Guillaume Mirand, Hans Westerling, David Plas, DR
19
© Pierre Gleizes/Rea
ENERGY AND WATER SCARCITY OBSERVATORY
COLLOQUIUM PROGRAM
08.00
am
Welcome & Breakfast
09.00
am
Opening of the Colloquium
Françoise Guichard, Senior Vice President Sustainable Development GDF SUEZ
Martin Hirsch, Sponsor of the International Observatory on Energy and Water
Scarcity of GDF SUEZ
09.20
am
Sequences Study and Understand
(ELISAN, EAPN, Electrabel and University of Antwerp)
10.30
am
Sequence Act
• Presentation of Rassembleurs d’Énergies and the partnership with Le Chênelet
• 4 workshops about concrete actions
•P
resentation of the precariousness policy of Electrabel by Sophie Dutordoir,
Director-General Manager of Electrabel, followed by monitoring of energy
precariousness in Belgium by Jan Vranken, Emeritus Professor at the
University of Antwerp
12.15
am
Belgian and European vision
Contribution by Maggie De Block, Belgian State Secretary for Asylum and
Migration Policy, Social Integration and the Fight against Poverty and Jan Panek,
Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy
1 pm
Closing address
1.15
pm
Lunch
Jean-François Cirelli, Vice-Chairman and President of GDF SUEZ
This colloquium is twinned with the conference
of the ELISAN network and the European
Economic and Social Committee, on November
27, at the European Economic and Social
Committee in Brussels.
Energy for everyone: what action should the
European Union take and what is its role?