This request follows the announcement of the cessation of activity of the energy supplier Aeco throughout Belgium.
The consumer organization wishes to bring together suppliers, federal and regional regulators, network and distribution operators, and consumer representatives to discuss structural solutions to deal with this energy crisis, but also with the next crises which our country will not miss. to be confronted, according to her.
The situation in Ukraine does not bode well for price developments, stresses Test Achats, for whom the high prices will not decrease anytime soon. It is therefore necessary to discuss fundamental aspects such as the protection of consumers in the event of the bankruptcy of a supplier, the situation of the Brussels market, the consumer agreement, cleaning up the electricity bill, etc.
Active on the market since 2007 for the supply of electricity and since 2018 for gas, AECO supplied around 10,000 customers and was better known until the beginning of December 2021 under the name Energie2030. The explosion of energy prices has given a final blow to their activity, according to Test Achats. It is the third energy supplier to be the victim of insolvencies after the bankruptcy of Vlaams Energie Leverancier, the request for protection against its creditors by Watze and the definitive cessation of activity by Octa + in Brussels. Many suppliers have also withdrawn from the Brussels market.
Affected customers in Brussels will switch to the substitute supplier, Engie after a transition period of 25 days. They remain free to compare offers and opt for another supplier, although the choice is extremely limited. The tariff shock for these households will be inevitable, the tariffs for the month of February being extremely high.
For Test Achats, part of the problem lies in the lack of competition on the energy market, “less competition is bad news for all consumers: this leads not only to a reduction in supply, but also to an increase in price potential as well as a risk for vulnerable families of finding themselves without energy due to a lack of supply”, explains Test Achats. “Urgent and drastic measures must be taken to remedy this situation, which Test Achats has been denouncing since 2018 already without a reaction from the political world to match the challenge.”