Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen will be in Portugal from Friday 30 January until Monday 2 February to discuss energy and housing policies.
Following the power disruptions experienced in some parts of the country due to a storm over the past days, tomorrow morning Commissioner Jørgensen will visit the control centre of the National Electricity Grid operator REN together with the Minister for Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Barroca. The Commission is working on a revision of the EU energy security framework planned for adoption later this year and recently proposed a stronger integration of security considerations in energy projects planning as part of the European Grids Package – the Commission’s latest initiative to lower energy bills and boost Europe’s independence.
As part of his European Affordable Housing Tour, tomorrow, the Commissioner will meet with the Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz and with Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon. In December, the Commissioner presented its first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan to tackle the crisis affecting millions of Europeans. The Commissioner will also participate in a roundtable with housing stakeholders hosted by the Mayor and focused on affordable housing for the youth, housing financing, innovative housing models and the balance between accommodation for tourism and residential use. The session will conclude with a joint press point by the Commissioner and the Mayor at approximately 17:30 CET. The Commissioner and the Mayor will then visit together the Lote 10 housing project, where 476 affordable houses are constructed with the support of NextGenerationEU.
On Monday, the Commissioner will hold a bilateral meeting with Minister Carvalho and co-chair a roundtable discussion with energy stakeholders focused on energy affordability and grids. The meetings will be followed by a joint press point with the Commissioner and the Minister at around 12:30 CET.
Audiovisual coverage of the visit and the press points will be available on European Broadcasting Service (EBS).