Campaign Highlights Climate Justice & Energy
In 2023 we continued to push for climate justice and a just transition at the highest levels of the EU leadership. We advocated for the EU to take a position in favour of a fossil fuel phaseout at the COP28 negotiations in Dubai. The European Commission supported this initiative, but unfortunately, it was not adopted by the EU Council. We also supported our team from Friends of the Earth International at the COP28 negotiations, helped prepare our member groups for the climate talks, and spread the messages from our global network to a European audience.
We made significant progress on the objectives of our work on energy. We actively shaped European energy legislation, generating a broader and more coordinated civil society voice by bringing together the social and environmental dimensions.
“We want the EU to set a deadline for phasing out fossil fuels. The EU will have to stop using them well before 2050 and well before developing countries, because of our historical responsibility for climate change.”
End energy poverty now
Energy Poverty has been high on the European political agenda, with a ban on disconnections as a central demand on our part. After tireless advocacy with the Right to Energy coalition, allies and friends, the year ended with a bang: a ban on disconnections was included in the Electricity Market Redesign.
The Right to Energy Forum, an essential hub for civil society coordination on energy poverty, brought together 500 participants, including MEPs from across party groups.
“After our latest winter of crisis, we can no longer tolerate a situation where millions are left unable to afford the energy, they need to live safe, dignified lives. We need a ban on disconnections as a key step toward tackling Europe’s energy poverty crisis.”
Build Better Lives
We engaged in advocacy throughout the year, sharing our concerns and demands regarding the energy poverty policies in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). We had some success! The agreed text of the EPBD includes some positive provisions that will help people living in energy poverty to benefit from renovations.
Together with CAN Europe we founded the Build Better Lives campaign uniting social, housing, climate and youth movements to promote the need for more energy efficient buildings that can improve millions of people’s lives throughout Europe.
“Renovating the EU’s worst-performing homes, those that waste the highest quantity of energy — and often housing the most vulnerable families — will help tackle housing exclusion and improve living conditions. Fixing Europe’s housing is key to eradicating energy poverty.”
Gas – a burning issue
Our advocacy and campaigning for a gas phaseout contributed to changes in the regulation on Trans-European Networks for Energy, the EU gas package, and the general discourse of European decision makers in relation to ending the use of fossil fuels.
“The recent Eurostat data shows us that it is in fact possible to loosen the tight grip that fossil fuels have on our energy system. This should be a real wake up call for our decision makers; our energy system can be radically changed, and even faster than we imagined! /…/ We need to make sure we continue to drive reductions of gas consumption, but critically that the energy poor are protected and urgently provided with real non-fossil fuel solutions…”
A decade of community power
The European Community Power, a coalition of more than 50 organisations advocating for community energy from across Europe, celebrated its tenth anniversary. The achievements of the coalition were celebrated at an event hosted at the European Parliament in September.
Our advocacy work contributed to the Electricity Market Design, ensuring legal clarity and concrete provisions for energy sharing, empowering energy communities and individuals to participate in the energy system.
Our Campaigns
Corporate power
Food, Farming and Nature
Resource Justice & Sustainability
Climate Justice & Energy
Solidarity Work
Youth Empowerment