Report on 20 years of liberalization of the energy sector in Europe

The report, “Going Public: A Decarbonised, Affordable and Democratic Energy System for Europe”, , was commissioned by EPSU and written by Dr Vera Weghmann from the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) at the University of Greenwich.

The report highlights the many failures of liberalisation – prices have increased for consumers by as much as double in the past 10 years, a quarter of jobs have been lost in the energy sector, and public monopolies have been replaced by powerful private cartels – and also offers alternatives for the future.

The liberalisation of the energy system has provided few answers to the advancing climate crises. The wide-spread use of viable alternatives to carbon-emitting energy sources have largely been delivered with the aid of considerable public subsidies and not free market competition. This report shows that, without rejection of the current model of the energy system in Europe, we will fail to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Taking the energy system back into public ownership for the common good of society can deliver clean, affordable energy and democratic control to the people.