European Commissioner Dan Jørgensen: Some Europeans will have to choose between food and heating this winter

Pressure on household budgets

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen expressed concern about the welfare of Europeans during the cold season. According to him, for a significant portion of the population, the approaching winter could become a trial during which they will have to choose between meeting basic food needs and keeping their homes warm.

Scale of the problem

In an interview with Hungarian media outlet 444, the official emphasised the complexity of the situation:

“In a normal winter in Europe, nearly 50 million people face difficulties paying their heating bills. If a person cannot pay for heat, they are effectively forced to choose between hunger and cold. This is unacceptable,” Dan Jørgensen stated.

Risk factors

According to the European Commissioner’s estimates, the coming months could be particularly challenging due to a number of objective factors. These include the high dependence of the European economy on energy imports, as well as the global fuel shortage, which leads to rising prices.

“We do not know how cold it will be, but we understand that more fuel will be needed. And the shortage in the global market leads to rising prices,” he added.