European Union Pushes WFA and Energy Subsidies amid Crisis

UNSPLASH. Guillaume Périgois

JAKARTA - The European Commission has asked the member states of the European Union (EU) to implement various support measures, including remote work obligations, amid the energy crisis, according to a Financial Times report on Sunday, citing related documents.

In an annex to the draft communication, the Commission said companies should be encouraged to implement at least one day of work from anywhere (work from anywhere/WFA).

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Sunday, April 19, the Commission also recommends subsidies for public transportation and a reduction in VAT on heat pumps, boilers, and solar panels.

In addition, the European Commission will also set new electrification targets and announce support for EU countries to develop social rental programs for environmentally friendly technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles.

His party is also expected to recommend savings in gas and oil consumption, noting that similar guidelines were issued by Brussels in 2022.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that they had closed the Strait of Hormuz since Saturday night, and this will remain in place until the US Navy blockade is fully lifted.

On April 13, the US Navy began closing all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for about 20 percent of global oil, petroleum products, and LNG supplies.

Washington insists non-Iranian vessels are free to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as long as they do not pay duties to Tehran.

Iranian authorities have not announced the imposition of import duties, but have discussed the plan.