With confirmation hearings in the EU Parliament concluded, the newly appointed college of commissioners has commenced work as of 1 December to implement European Union priorities. We turn now to a fresh page in the evolution of Europe’s energy policy landscape. Important milestones stipulated by ambitious and far reaching regulatory initiatives like the EU Green Deal and Fit for 55 package are nigh. As the energy transition affects people in fundamental ways, for instance, by having an impact on their livelihoods, housing affordability, and on the cost of heating and electricity, the success of this urgent process is undeniably tied to how socially just it is.

Local authorities, with the clearest read on community needs, are able to pursue not just ambitious climate neutrality targets, but also anchor concrete policies for energy sufficiency, efficiency and local renewables in models for equitable benefit sharing, opportunities for energy communities to develop, land allocation for renewable energy infrastructure, dedicated funding and one-stop-shops to troubleshoot issues. A remarkable example of the power of local authorities comes from ICLEI Member Cascais (Portugal), which has been pushing for increased adoption of renewable energy technologies and improved energy efficiency in the residential sector, with financial support for families vulnerable to energy poverty.

This week at the Citizens’ Energy Forum, Pernilla Bodin, Deputy Mayor of Växjö (Sweden) and member of the ICLEI Europe Regional Executive Committee spoke about the critical role of local governments in facilitating this transition. "Local governments formulate policies with and for all citizens. Thus, local realities are captured and become part of the intellectual capital to generate socially accepted solutions for a citizen-powered just energy transition."

The Citizens’ Energy Forum has, since its launch in 2008, been a platform for energy market players to exchange on consumer rights, feeding into EU energy and consumer policy. The 16th Edition of the Forum Citizens’ Energy Forum, held this year in ICLEI Member Budapest (Hungary) was even more closely centred on citizens by focusing on The Citizen Energy Package, an important component of the new Commission’s mandate. This measure is meant to boost the social dimension of transition and increase citizen participation through deeper dialogue with local communities. Gaining and maintaining citizen support for the energy transition is, after all, a crucial piece of the puzzle.