Analysis and guidelines for a sustainable and socially fair energy transition
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 25 June 2025 (24th sitting) (see Doc. 16182, report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and
Sustainable Development, rapporteur: Ms Saskia Kluit). Text adopted by the Assembly on
25 June 2025 (24th sitting).
1. Clean, safe and affordable energy
is essential for securing Europe’s continued prosperity. It is also central
in addressing the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate
change and biodiversity loss. As part of the international community’s
efforts, the Council of Europe member States have committed to changing
their legislation and policies in the light of the Sustainable Development
Goals of the United Nations, climate treaties and the European Green
Deal of the European Union.
2. This commitment was further strengthened at the 4th Summit
of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik
in 2023, when member States of the Council of Europe recognised
that “human rights and the environment are intertwined” and that
“a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is integral to the
full enjoyment of human rights by present and future generations”.
The Parliamentary Assembly considers that socio-economic transformation,
including the transition to a more sustainable energy system, is essential
for this collective endeavour and should follow a human rights-based
approach, as both the goal of a clean and safe energy system and
the transition towards it strongly affect basic human rights.
3. The Assembly highlights the importance of stable access to
clean energy for the enjoyment of fundamental social rights to housing,
work, health, education and protection from poverty and social exclusion, as
well as the rights of vulnerable persons (notably children, persons
with disabilities and older persons), as enshrined in the (revised)
European Social Charter (ETS No. 35 and ETS No. 163, the Charter).
The Assembly is concerned that in Europe millions of people still
experience energy poverty caused by a combination of low income,
high energy costs and poor energy efficiency in buildings, as well
as the choice of transport modes. In line with the requirements
of the Charter, States have the obligation to remedy and prevent
the situation of energy poverty as far as possible. A well-designed
national energy transition strategy with strong social and economic
dimensions is crucial to this end.
4. The Assembly acknowledges the challenges of building sustainable
and socially fair energy systems in member States. The transition
to renewable energy technology requires strong and stable investment,
social adaptation and decisive governance measures to guide and
support citizens and businesses in adapting to renewable energy
systems. There is a need to embrace new technologies, improve energy
efficiency in companies, housing and modes of transport and change
both products and procedures, including their location. Special
attention is needed to ensure that citizens view the transition
as a positive development.
5. The Assembly considers that the transition to clean energy
systems presents real opportunities for European countries to boost
the resilience of their national economies against external shocks,
strengthen energy security, enhance competitiveness thanks to green
technologies, empower consumers and improve public health. This
complex undertaking requires a holistic vision accompanied by ambitious
and stable long-term policies, sectoral synergies and coherent investment
strategies aimed at supporting the large-scale deployment of renewable
energy sources and phasing out fossil fuels which, according to
the International Energy Agency, still account for around 70% of
the energy produced in Europe. The Assembly underlines that new
investment in solar and wind projects in the European Union is now
cheaper than continued investment in coal and gas.
6. The Assembly expresses grave concern that the Russian Federation’s
full-scale aggression against Ukraine has dramatically exposed the
vulnerability of energy systems to armed conflict. Repeated and deliberate
attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure
have led to severe disruptions in the energy supply, threatening
not only the safety and well-being of millions of civilians but
also undermining regional energy security. The Assembly underlines
that military aggression against energy systems is not only a violation
of international humanitarian law but also a threat to global climate
and energy transition goals.
7. The Assembly believes that, in exercising their responsibility
to ensure access to clean, safe and affordable energy for all, which
is a key goal of the transition, States should act through regulatory
and budgetary tools on three main axes: providing adequate energy
supplies by maximising investment in clean, locally available energy
sources; designing fair pricing strategies that underpin responsible
production and use of energy; and supporting vulnerable users in
their transition to more sustainable and energy-efficient systems. Measures
should prioritise the transport and housing sectors, which are the
largest energy consumers in Europe and significant emitters of greenhouse
gases.
8. The Assembly welcomes the targets set under the European Green
Deal of cutting national greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55%
and increasing the share of renewable energy to 45% of the national
energy mix by 2030. It also welcomes the European Union’s Action
Plan for Affordable Energy and underlines that switching to more
environmentally friendly sources of energy and improving efficiency
of energy use make good economic sense. This enables households,
businesses and States to make savings in the long term and enhances
energy security through abundant, free local resources, while also
benefiting society at large in terms of improved public health and
well-being, and reduced pollution. However, in the transition phase,
States should protect citizens, notably vulnerable groups, against
expensive lock-in problems and help to cover high transition costs,
especially in rural areas.
9. The Assembly calls on member States to steer sustainable energy
policy choices for all stakeholders at the national level, while
ensuring their consistent and long-term implementation by building
synergies through co-operation at the pan-European level. It therefore
recommends that member States:
9.1 consolidate
their national strategy for transitioning to clean, safe and affordable
energy and promote it through a public communication campaign highlighting
the advantages of embracing renewable energy sources;
9.2 put in place more incentives for investment in sustainable
mobility, renovation of older buildings, green technologies and
smart grids to improve energy efficiency, where appropriate through
public–private partnerships;
9.3 considering that data centres and artificial intelligence
applications significantly increase energy consumption, make better
use of artificial intelligence as a powerful tool to develop policies
that can dramatically advance the energy transition;
9.4 consider the possibilities offered by the Council of Europe
Development Bank for financing projects that promote a sustainable
and socially fair energy transition;
9.5 promote local production of clean energy by private and
public stakeholders, notably through local co-operative initiatives;
9.6 eliminate public subsidies for fossil fuels and scale
down public investment in such sources of energy;
9.7 foster sustainable mobility by improving public transport
infrastructure, accessibility and affordability, encouraging walking
and cycling, and accelerating the shift towards shared mobility
and clean vehicles;
9.8 with a view to shielding vulnerable members of society
from energy poverty, consider using structural measures such as:
9.8.1 price caps and tax reductions to offset the effect of
spikes in energy prices;
9.8.2 targeted payments and income support for the most vulnerable;
9.8.3 grants to help implement housing renovation schemes and
facilitate the acquisition of electric vehicles;
9.8.4 bans on the disconnection of vulnerable users from the
energy supply;
9.8.5 professional training schemes to enable workers to acquire
new skills and access “green jobs” in the energy sector;
9.9 involve citizens and municipalities in the shaping and
implementation of local energy partnerships, in order to empower
them as “prosumers” (producers-consumers);
9.10 develop socially fair green taxation schemes that favour
transition to clean energy by stimulating investment and shifting
the financial burden onto polluting activities and away from green
solutions;
9.11 engage in regional cross-border projects aimed at optimising
interconnections, improving network stability and guaranteeing mutual
support in situations of disruption in the energy supply;
9.12 invest in back-up and storage capacity to manage fluctuations
in renewable energy supply and demand;
9.13 support job creation in sectors that underpin the transition
to a sustainable energy system and set up social transition funds
to help employees to move from fossil-fuel based sectors to clean
sectors;
9.14 conduct regular and independent energy audits at the national
level to track progress and ensure accountability in the clean energy
transition;
9.15 provide continued technical, material and financial support
to Ukraine for the restoration, renewal and modernisation of its
civilian energy systems. Such support should prioritise decentralised, renewable
and resilient energy solutions, helping to rebuild Ukraine’s energy
sector in line with European clean energy goals and to ensure the
population’s access to electricity, heating and critical services;
9.16 strongly condemn any military aggression targeting civilian
energy infrastructure and support co-ordinated efforts to hold perpetrators
accountable under international law.
