This year’s European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), organised by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) under the theme “Shaping Tomorrow, Together”, placed a strong spotlight on one of Europe’s most pressing challenges: energy poverty. Across high-level panels, thematic sessions, and community exchanges, the issue of affordability and inclusion in the energy transition emerged as a shared European priority. Energy poverty featured prominently across the flagship events.
On 13 October, during the opening ceremony and presentation of the 2025 Annual Report on the State of Regions and Cities, several high-level speakers underlined the importance of tackling energy poverty as part of the just transition. The Annual Report includes a dedicated chapter on energy resilience, featuring numerous references and infographics on energy poverty, illustrating how rising energy costs and insufficient renovation rates continue to affect millions of Europeans.
On 14 October, the European Committee of the Regions adopted its opinion on the State of the Energy Union, calling for a smooth implementation of the energy transition in line with the Fit for 55 objectives. The opinion includes a specific section on energy poverty, urging Member States to make full use of the Social Climate Fund and other EU instruments to prioritise support for vulnerable households. The Social Climate Fund in particular will mobilize at least EUR 87 billion in public support from 2026 to 2032, to be spent in investments in the building and road transport sector, and addressing specifically vulnerabilities linked to energy and transport poverty. National governments manage their Fund allocation, but local actors have an important role to play in the design and implementation of investments.
On 15 October, the strategic dialogue of the Covenant of Mayors Board and Ambassadors allowed exchanges between local leaders and EU institutions on how to strengthen energy poverty dimension and local implementation. Energy poverty, alongside mitigation and adaptation, is the third pillar of the Covenant, with signatories having to report on progress to tackle energy poverty as of 2025.
During this session the director of Just Transition, Consumers, Energy efficiency and Innovation Ms Rosalinde VAN DER VLIES at DG ENER, underlined that energy poverty is a critical component of the just transition, justice and inclusiveness and recalled the priority of the Commission to reach affordable energy for all citizens. Some mayors shared good examples of measures to empower energy poor households (energy sharing, building renovation, energy efficiency improvements), underlining the importance of structural energy measures to tackle energy poverty. DG ENER is finalizing the “Citizen Energy Package” that will be of primary importance to move forward.
During the Cities Mission Award Ceremony, attended by Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, several mayors, including representatives from Groningen (NL), Liepaja (LV), Rome (IT), and the European Investment Bank, presented best practices for addressing energy poverty at the local level. Mr. Edoardo ZANCHINI, Director of the Climate Office for the City of Rome mention how the city decided to raise they ambition and worked on deepen the analysis and the studies to build a more structured strategies. Working one year with multiple stakeholders was key to develop trust and understanding (access the recording of the ceremony to get additional insight).
The week concluded on 16 October with the Covenant of Mayors Ceremony held at the European Parliament, gathering more than 600 participants. President von der Leyen, President Metsola, Commissioner Jorgensen and CoR President Kata Tüttő all highlighted affordability as a key local challenge for Europe’s green transition. A dedicated block on energy affordability showcased inspiring examples from cities such as Valencia and Getafe in Spain (beneficiaries of European Commission initiative’s EPAH Technical Assistance), where the municipality’s approach proved that renewable energy is social energy. In her intervention, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General of DG ENER, emphasised the concrete results achieved by the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) and its growing role as a bridge between European policy and local practice.
Beyond the flagship sessions, energy poverty featured in 25 of the 38 energy-related events of the EWRC week, illustrating the depth and diversity of local engagement across Europe.
The session “Small Towns, Big Energy: Citizens Shaping a Sustainable Future”, brought together the projects ENTRACK and PLENTY-Life (co-financed by CINEA under LIFE programme), both dedicated to empowering small municipalities to lead fair and sustainable energy transitions through community-driven approaches. By strengthening local capacity in rural Mediterranean areas, ENTRACK showcased how inclusive policy design and partnerships can drive tangible change on the ground, while PLENTY-Life demonstrated how integrated spatial and energy planning helps local governments overcome implementation challenges such as limited administrative and technical capacity of small and medium-sized municipalities, cross-sector coordination and stakeholder engagement. The session presented concrete results, case studies, and engagement pathways from both projects, inspiring participants to replicate similar strategies in their own regions. A panel discussion concluded with guided audience questions exploring how these methodologies can be adapted across different local contexts.
The multi-session “Please Look Up! Efficient, Resilient, Fair and Smart: What Does Our Energy and Climate Future Look Like?” explored how to build an efficient, resilient, fair and smart energy and climate future, addressing topics such as business model innovation, regional energy planning, deep renovation, and policy performance. The Reverter and Renoverty projects (co-financed by CINEA under the LIFE Programme), co-organized several sessions, ensuring that the renovation for vulnerable households was a central theme throughout the discussions.
Meanwhile, the EU Peers Community of Practice focused on how to boost residential renovation through collaboration and peer learning. Stepping outside of day-to-day routines, participants discussed shared challenges and developed a sense of community and purpose. One-stop shops were highlighted as key instruments for addressing energy poverty, by making energy renovations more accessible and affordable for vulnerable households.
These initiatives, all closely aligned with the mission of DG ENER's initiative EPAH, underline how cooperation, technical support, and peer learning can translate high-level goals into local action.
Another highlight of the week was the side event organised by the Covenant of Mayors and AESS Energy, where more than 40 Italian mayors had the opportunity to engage directly with DG ENER and DG CLIMA representatives. The discussion focused on energy poverty and the Social Climate Fund, exploring how these instruments can best support local governments in shielding vulnerable citizens from the social impacts of the energy transition. Participants especially highlighted the importance of tackling barriers to renovations and energy communities for vulnerable households and tackling summer energy poverty.
The event demonstrated how direct dialogue between local and European levels strengthens trust and alignment, ensuring that policies are shaped by on-the-ground realities.
Access DG ENER’s presentation on Energy Poverty (in Italian).
Access DG CLIMA’s presentation on the Social Climate Fund (in Italian).
Throughout the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025, energy poverty was placed at the core of Europe’s regional, social, and climate debate. From the Committee of the Regions’ leadership to the active engagement of DG ENER, DG CLIMA, and the Covenant of Mayors community, the message was clear: a fair energy transition requires local level empowerment and support.
Thanks to strong synergies between European institutions, local authorities, initiatives and projects on the ground, Europe is building the alliances needed to tackle energy poverty confidently and collectively.
Details
- Publication date
- 27 October 2025