Von der Leyen: "The cheapest energy is the one you don't use"

Ursula von der Leyen preaches energy savings as the Economics forum debates whether this signals an era of imposed scarcity and degrowth.

English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published

The cheapest energy is the one you don't use: Von der Leyen's mantra

Ursula von der Leyen's latest gem on energy saving has sparked a storm in the Economics subforum, where users were quick to interpret the message as an invitation to systematic impoverishment. The paradox of a technocratic elite that preaches degrowth while maintaining a lifestyle of private jets and luxury diets has outraged a community that sees in these statements the roadmap to an economy of imposed scarcity.

The contradiction of mandatory savings

The thread, which has already accumulated more than 140 replies, dissects the disconnect between Brussels' political agenda and the reality of the average citizen. While some forum members point out that the discourse is a reductio ad absurdum—comparing it to the dystopia of 1984 or Cuban rationing—others note that the real problem is Europe's structural energy inefficiency. Criticism focuses on how private consumption is incivil while mandatory office attendance is maintained, forcing workers to burn fuel unnecessarily to justify offices that could be dispensable.

Degrowth or industrial dismantling?

The debate is divided between those who see a deliberate betrayal of European industry and those who, with skepticism, recall that energy dependence is a planning failure of decades. It is stressed that, without cheap energy, the future of the European economy, especially in high-tech and AI sectors, is doomed. The question left hanging, and which the forum cannot resolve, is whether we are facing a population control strategy or simply the management of the decline of a model that can no longer sustain itself.

The general feeling is one of fed-upness. Is this the price of the energy transition or the prelude to an era where personal well-being will be considered an unsustainable privilege?

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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (140 replies).

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