Energy poverty – a lack of access to affordable energy sources – has an impact on people’s quality of life and can lead to health problems and, in the worst cases, social exclusion. The phenomenon is multi-dimensional, and therefore difficult to address. It touches on issues such as mounting inequality, income poverty, unemployment, inefficient housing, high costs, inefficient energy use and lack of clarity about pricing. In its ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package, the European Commission addresses energy poverty in some areas, underlining the relevance of the social dimension for the energy transition in Europe. However, this is just one step in a longer journey, involving significant challenges such as how to properly define and measure energy poverty and provide a framework that can best support initiatives aimed at overcoming energy poverty. This Policy Dialogue presented the findings of the EPC Energy Poverty Task Force established in 2016, and included a keynote speech by Maroš Ševčovič, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of the Energy Union. This event was organised with the support of the Schneider Electric Foundation and the King Baudouin Foundation.

Speakers included: Lieve Fransen, Senior Adviser at the European Policy Centre, Claire Dhéret, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, Theresa Griffin, Member of the European Parliament, Gilles Vermot Desroches, Sustainability Senior Vice-President for Schneider Electric, Sandrine Meyer, Researcher at the ULB, Eero Ailio, Deputy Head of Unit Retail Markets, Coal and Oil at the Commission’s DG Energy