The Social Economist Season 3 concludes with a third mini-series on the topic of energy! Europe’s energy transition and what it means for both businesses’ competitiveness and Europe’s strategic autonomy is more important than ever. Is this an area where the social economy and social enterprise business models perhaps have a competitive advantage? Join us for this three episode mini-series to hear more on this critical topic. 

In this sixth episode of Season 3, our third mini-series kicks off! Host Toby Gazeley from Euclid Network is joined by Achille Hannoset from the European Commission’s DG ENER to discuss the overarching European energy policy landscape and its relationship to the social economy. 

Achille and Toby discuss the changing narrative surrounding Europe’s energy transition - from an emphasis on sustainability towards a lever to enable competitiveness and affordability. They reflect on the opportunities European policies on energy have created for the social economy, explicitly supporting energy communities and cooperatives with knock-on societal benefits created through market liberalisation. This conversation comes at the perfect moment ahead of the Citizens Energy Package, something that social economy stakeholders should definitely keep an eye on. 

Kicking-off this last mini-series in style, Achille was kind enough to recommend a number of podcasts including Nerdland and Philosophize This!. The crowning jewel was perhaps the recommendation of ‘How wind energy could power Earth … and 17 other planets’ with Dan Jorgensen on TED Talks Daily - a chance to get to know Europe’s Commissioner for energy a little better. Toby couldn’t resist recommending a podcast and shared an old favourite: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. 

Please do get in touch to [email protected] with questions and comments. 

A special thanks to our producer Jan Kiszowara and the European Commission for making The Social Economist possible. 

Our theme music is ‘another twelve’ by Mikel Patrick Avery at Music for Podcasts.