About: energy poverty Archives

For something that blights the lives of between 50 and 125 million European citizens it is strange to discover that there is no EU-wide definition of 'energy poverty', writes Adrian Joyce.

New EU energy efficiency laws will not be dogged by the problems of the past because civil leaders and businesses have bought into the need to fight climate change, the European Commission’s Energy Union chief said yesterday (1 February).

As I write this, an elderly person is deciding whether they can afford to heat their home, a parent is choosing a warm meal over a cold bath for their child, and a household wonders if it can pay its bills. This is unacceptable, writes MEP Theresa Griffin.

An estimated 54 million Europeans suffer from energy poverty, according to the European Commission analysis, which blames rising prices, low income and energy inefficient homes for forcing people to choose between eating or heating.

With the launch of the Emergency Greece campaign, a group of doctors has decried the medical situation in the country as "apocalyptic", blaming the Troika’s crippling austerity measures. EURACTIV France reports.

Commission Vice-President Maroš Šef?ovi? unveiled the executive's plans for laying the foundations of the Energy Union, until the end of its term in 2019.

A new public-private fund hopes to bring electricity to a million homes in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025. Access to energy is one of the major factors inhibiting development in the region. EURACTIV France reports. 

Energy poverty is a stark reminder of the inequality in Europe, writes FEANTSA and a series of other European associations.  Families in poor quality housing suffer because they cannot afford to heat their homes.

SPECIAL REPORT / Governments' inability to address energy poverty in Southeastern Europe is increasing the threat of deforestation, as illegal timbering is seen by needy people as their only chance for survival through harsh winters.

Clean, reliable and affordable energy is essential to the fabric of society itself, driving successful industries and businesses, says Igor Czerny of EDF.

The EU is set to draft a definition of energy poverty in a bid to put consumers on the bloc's energy policy agenda.