Energy poverty continues to be a topic of discussion across Europe, as households navigate varying levels of access to adequate heating, cooling, and lighting. Recent indicators suggest some improvements, though many households continue to experience challenges linked to energy costs, income constraints, and the energy performance of buildings. In parallel, the concept of summer energy poverty has received growing attention, with interest in understanding how climate trends and heatwaves may influence living conditions and local planning considerations.

A range of EU initiatives provides a framework for examining these issues, including the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive, the reform of the Electricity Market Design, and preparations for the Social Climate Fund, which is expected to support measures from 2026. Advisory platforms such as the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub offer tools and guidance to local and regional authorities assessing how to address energy poverty within their communities.

Housing affordability and availability have also become prominent discussion points in several Member States. The European Affordable Housing Plan sets out proposals intended to increase housing supply, support investment, simplify administrative procedures, and introduce measures for groups facing specific challenges in the housing market. The plan includes actions related to construction productivity, permitting processes, short-term rentals, market transparency, and housing support for young people. A European Housing Summit and a Housing Alliance are foreseen from 2026 to facilitate exchanges among policymakers and stakeholders.

Listen to this Euractiv Virtual Conference, supported by the LIFE project LOCATEE, to assess the EU’s evolving framework on energy poverty and housing, examining how existing legislative files and policy initiatives respond to current challenges, their strengths, and areas where further attention may be required.

Questions to be addressed include:

- How are EU policies and funding programmes currently being implemented in relation to energy poverty, and what feedback is emerging from institutions, stakeholders, and market actors?

- What considerations arise when applying legislation such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive, or Electricity Market Design reform, and how do these measures address identified needs?

- How are stakeholders assessing the European Affordable Housing Plan, and how are links being made between housing affordability, renovation requirements, and efforts to address energy poverty?

- How can local authorities, owners, housing entities, and social organisations cooperate effectively to identify and support households experiencing energy poverty, and how are policymakers and stakeholders considering summer energy poverty in relation to housing, planning, and renovation policies?

LOCATEE will address financial, regulatory, social and technical constraints in renovating private multi-apartment buildings while developing the capacity of local authorities to become intermediaries of the energy transition process - implemented in three pilot municipalities: Rumia (Poland), Torres Vedras (Portugal) and Piraeus (Greece).

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.