Description
The liberalization of energy prices without social protection will have a major social impact. The project aims to communicate directly with a large number of affected consumers and taxpayers, the options for a better social protection for vulnerable groups. We demand publicly that subsidies now granted to large industrial consumers, many having preferential relations with the state, to be directed to households, making liberalization affordable. Misinformed, nowadays, the payers actually support the businesses of the wealthiest businessmen by subsidies disguised in low energy prices. We provide beneficiaries with easy-to-understand and correct information By a well-mediatized petition, the public opinion will put pressure for adequate social policy. More than 35,000 people online and 700,200 citizens from 4 cities will be informed about the costs and subventions for energy. At least 4,000 people are expected to sign the petition in support of the proposed amendments.
Summary of project results
The policy reforms supported by the promoter in the project are politically difficult and, until now, such reforms could be implemented only with external conditionality from IMF, WB and EC. What was missing was the local "buy-in": citizens need to understand the benefits of reforms, in order not to fall victims to populist policies which favour vested interests and are blocked by decision-makers with populist pretexts or corrupt interests. Within the project, the promoter went "grassroots", discussing locally, understanding people's concerns about energy market liberalisation and mobilising support for proper implementation, including social assistance schemes for price increases. The promoter organised local debates, liaising people's concerns with decision makers, facilitating a better targeting of policy measures to citizen's needs, more transparency and higher accountability of decision makers. The objective was to inform a very broad generalistic audience about major governance and corruption issues in the energy sector in an innovative manner (e.g. information through mail-delivered "mock bills" with costs of poor policies). About 2% of the target population was actually mobilized in submitting petitions, taking action by addressing public authorities and discussing the issues with acquaintances. Also, about 15 people who the promoter has met during the project in various cities have joined them in starting their own watchdog projects with the promoter's help, in a follow-up project. At policy level, the project contributed to the actual implementation of the liberalisation (which was uncertain, at least in the gas market for non-households, by the end of 2014, where vested interests lobbied for further delays) and to higher transparency of the energy regulators and accountability to household consumers, including providing detailed information on its website for consumers. The promoter put pressure on the Government to adopt a new social support scheme for consumers in "energy poverty". The project also stimulated the promoter to build partnerships with NGOs with similar interests (in UK, Romania and, recently, in Moldova for a new project), business associations and activists.
Summary of bilateral results