Bert Wollants: “Beware of blind government intervention in energy prices”

Fuel prices at the pump are soaring, and uncertainty on the energy market is weighing heavily on both households and businesses. Yet MP Bert Wollants warned on the programme Wakker op zondag against rushed and poorly targeted government support. “Every euro the government hands out indiscriminately today will have to be found somewhere else tomorrow. We need targeted support and a structural strengthening of our energy independence.”

The current situation on international markets is undeniably severe. Bombings of oil installations in the Middle East are pushing prices to levels not seen since 2022. “It’s a bitter pill for consumers, especially for those who rely on their car to get to work,” Wollants acknowledges. Still, he cautions against the reflex to have the government step in across the board without distinction.

The trap of blanket compensation

While calls for tax cuts are growing louder, Wollants points to the budgetary reality. Previous measures, such as the reduction in excise duties in 2022, cost the treasury billions. “That money has to come from somewhere. We’re paying it back today through spending cuts,” says Wollants.

He warns that handing out money indiscriminately—much of which, according to economic studies, ends up in savings accounts of people who hardly need it—ultimately shifts the burden onto citizens and businesses through future austerity measures.

That is why Wollants does not advocate broad, multi-billion-euro injections, but instead calls for highly targeted support for the most vulnerable—those who genuinely can no longer afford their bills.

Focusing on nuclear energy and renewables

The crisis is exposing our uncomfortable dependence on foreign sources. Wollants is critical of the policies of previous governments: “The decision to shut down nuclear power plants and build new gas-fired plants has only made the problem worse.”

For Wollants, the path forward is clear: a mix of nuclear energy and renewable sources. “Only by accelerating electrification and reducing our reliance on Russian gas or Middle Eastern oil can we secure our energy future. This also means taking a fresh, critical look at gas extraction within Europe itself—something we have avoided for far too long,” he says.

Protecting our industry with an ‘energy norm’

Not only households but also industry is under immense pressure. Companies that depend heavily on gas and oil are seeing their very survival threatened. Wollants therefore stresses the importance of the proposed “energy norm” for industry, a file that is nearly ready for parliamentary debate.

“We must ensure that our industry can access electricity at a lower cost to make the shift from fossil fuels to electrification feasible,” Wollants states. “The goal is clear: to keep our key industrial clusters—and the jobs they provide—here.”