Conference on Energy poverty at the crossroads of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Green Deal
European Economic and Social Committee, 2021. 32 pages
ISBN: 978-92-830-5273-9

While the issue of access to energy and clean energy will dominate the EU’s political narrative in the years ahead, the level of energy expenditure is potentially a barrier that risks creating even more poverty and social exclusion. Tackling energy poverty at EU level can at the same time help to achieve climate neutrality goals, reduce inequalities in the European Union and in parallel support the recovery from the economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are the three pillars serving as input into the deliberations of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which held an online conference on Tuesday 20 April 2021 on Energy poverty at the crossroads of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Green Deal that sought to showcase an issue that still affects more than 7% of Europe’s population. Held jointly by the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society, the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship and the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, the event brought together high-level representatives from European civil society, the Brussels institutions, national and local authorities and academia. [+]