Source: European Parliament
12.10.2025
Question for written answer E-003997/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Fabio De Masi (NI)
European businesses and households are currently beset by high energy and gas bills, particularly as a result of the ban on Russian gas imports and the profit motive of many privatised utilities in Europe.
However, in Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 of 6 October 2022, the Council recommended a ‘solidarity contribution’ tax on excess profits[1]. A study by the EPRS also concluded that a windfall tax should be applied at European level to prevent tax avoidance within the EU[2].
On 9 October 2025, former ECB President Mario Draghi supported the idea of public intervention in the electricity market in order to limit ‘the unearned additional profits of many established players’ and to lower electricity prices[3].
- 1.What position does the Commission take on the recent comments by the former ECB President?
- 2.What is the Commission’s stance on an EU-level windfall tax on electricity companies?
- 3.If such a windfall tax were introduced, would the Commission intend to make the revenue available to the Member States or would the Commission allocate the revenue to the EU budget?
Submitted: 12.10.2025
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32022R1854
- [2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/740076/IPOL_STU(2023)740076_EN.pdf
- [3] https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/energieversorgung-draghi-fordert-eingriff-in-strommarkt-berlin-zoegert/100159432.html