Brussels moves to coordinate action on affordability and renovation as Social Climate Fund activation approaches
The European Union is stepping up efforts to address the interlocking crises of housing affordability and energy poverty, as officials warn that the bloc’s green transition risks deepening inequality unless policy frameworks are aligned at both the local and national levels.
Speaking at a Euractiv event organised by the LOCATEE project on 28 May, senior figures from the European Commission, housing bodies and research institutions argued that energy poverty and housing quality were inseparable challenges demanding coordinated responses across multiple tiers of government.
Véronique Marx, representing the Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, described energy poverty as “a very complex and multi-dimensional phenomenon caused mainly by low-income, high-energy prices, but also the lack of access to energy efficiency, particularly in the building stock.” She said the Commission’s near-term priority was no longer primarily legislative but focused on “the transposition and implementation of the EU framework that we now have in place.”
Energy performance
