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.

On 1 January 2025, discussions on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034 moved into a more structured preparatory phase within the EU institutions. These talks come at a challenging moment for Europe, marked by geopolitical instability, weaker economic growth, and ongoing concerns about the EU’s competitiveness. The outcome of the negotiations will have a significant influence on the EU’s economic priorities over the next decade.

Through its “Spending Smarter: An Alternative Vision for the Next EU Budget” initiative, EPICENTER aims to contribute a critical and evidence-based perspective to the debate on EU spending and revenue raising. The initiative looks at how the EU budget can be used more effectively to support innovation, productivity, and economic resilience, while also considering the consequences of current proposals for taxpayers and Member States. It is based on cost-benefit analysis of key spending programmes and an assessment of proposed revenue measures and their economic effects.

While there is broad consensus on the need to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and resilience, there are differing views on how the EU spending should contribute to these goals. In particular, questions remain about the balance between new investment, spending efficiency, and fiscal discipline. Some observers warn that expanding EU expenditure without clear priorities or performance criteria risks putting additional strain on public finances without tackling underlying structural problems.

Others argue that EU-level spending can add value, especially when it supports cross-border cooperation and investment, provided it is well targeted and focused on areas where EU action clearly makes sense and complements market-based solutions.

This Euractiv Hybrid Conference will discuss how the next Multiannual Financial Framework can be shaped to deliver a more focused, efficient, and future-oriented EU budget for 2028–2034, while strengthening competitiveness and maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Key questions include:

• How can the next MFF be designed to ensure EU spending has a clear and measurable economic impact?
• What principles should guide smarter EU spending, such as efficiency, subsidiarity, and performance-based approaches?
• How should policymakers assess the impact of MFF spending and revenue proposals on taxpayers and Member States?
• What are the best ways to raise the necessary revenues for the next MFF?
• What changes are needed to reduce overlap between programmes and better target EU funds?
• How can public spending, market-driven solutions, and regulatory reform work together to support innovation, investment, and long-term growth?

The EDF 2050 Net Zero scenario for Europe outlines the contours of a possible energy future. This new edition projects us into a Europe that firmly chooses competitiveness and sovereignty, while accelerating its path towards carbon neutrality. In a context where geopolitical tensions, energy costs and climate imperatives reshape priorities, EDF unveils an optimized pathway towards a continent that is more independent, more efficient and decarbonised by 2050. A pathway built on reducing final energy demand through large scale electrification of uses, and decarbonisation of energy supply with all low carbon energy sources.

The scenario highlights that climate neutrality is not only an environmental goal: it is also a major economic opportunity, enabling a lasting reduction of total energy costs, a significant decrease in fossil fuel imports, and value creation at the heart of European industries. Through new analyses, in depth projections and fresh insights into flexibility needs, electrification and the central role of nuclear power, this 2026 edition sheds light on the decisions that must be taken today to build a competitive, sovereign and low carbon Europe.