On 27th May, we held the first round table of the ENERGY POVERTY NEXUS project in Madrid. The round table was organised by Ecoserveis, the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Change (MITERD), the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), the Pontifical University of Comillas, and ECODES. The meeting served to launch the community of experts who will accompany the creation of the State Energy Poverty Observatory (OPE Community).
The establishment of the Observatory is one of the measures set out in the new National Energy Poverty Strategy for 2026–2030. This measure was developed through participatory sessions that reviewed the previous strategy with technical experts and individuals experiencing energy poverty.
Roundtble results
Twenty-two people attended the roundtable. Some represented coalitions and networks of third-sector entities campaigning for energy rights, including the Alliance for Energy Poverty (APE), the Coalition for Community Energy and the State Network for the Right to Energy (ReDE). Also present were researchers from Comillas Pontifical University, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the Municipal Land and Housing Company of Getafe, the Association of Environmental Sciences, Socaire, Ecodes and Provivienda. The session was facilitated by MITERD, IDAE and Ecoserveis on behalf of the ENERGY POVERTY NEXUS project.
During the session, the results of the previous public consultation on the Observatory, as well as the progress made in establishing it, were presented. The process of establishing the Observatory and its associated network of experts will be supported by the research projects ENERGY POVERTY NEXUS, ASSUMER and EP-MED, which were also presented.
Following the presentations, there was a discussion with the attendees to gather their input on key aspects of the Observatory. The current situation, the challenges it should address, its added value, functions and scope were all debated.
The session marked the first step in establishing a community of experts to assist in developing the Observatory. The Observatory is intended to collect consistent data at a national level and provide evidence to inform policies that address energy poverty.
More about the ENERGY POVERTY NEXUS project
The Energy Poverty Nexus project aims to empower Member States to address the urgent issue of energy poverty. The project’s core focus is on establishing energy poverty observatories, or providing support for existing ones, in seven pilot countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Spain, Estonia, Greece, Hungary and Poland.
You can find more information about this project here.
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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.
