On 25 September, more than 70 participants came together for the Midterm Event of the SCEPA project at L’Académie du Climat in Paris. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from across Europe met to address one pressing question: how to achieve more social impact with your energy poverty approach? The discussions highlighted how energy poverty impacts not only housing and energy bills, but also people’s health, financial stability, social inclusion, and institutional trust.
The added value of transnational cooperation
The event highlighted the added value of transnational cooperation. By sharing methods, data, and lessons learned, local and regional authorities, energy agencies, NGOs, and housing associations can accelerate effective local responses while contributing to a just energy transition across Europe.
Inspiring opening & keynotes speakers
The event was inspiringly opened by Mme Léa Filoche, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Solidarity, who welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts to tackle energy poverty and social exclusion. Mme Rachel Guyet, Director of the Master in Global Energy Transition and Governance at CIFE in France, highlighted how municipalities can lead just and innovative energy projects, inspiring participants to take practical action in their own communities.
Ms. Anna Veltkamp
Ms. Anna Veltkamp (moderator of the day) is a consultant specialized in citizen participation and democratic innovation. She advises municipalities on inclusive governance and regularly moderates events, ensuring open dialogue and broad engagement.
Mme. Léa Filoche
Mme. Léa Filoche is Deputy Mayor of Paris for solidarity, focusing on emergency housing, refugee protection, and fighting social exclusion. She works to promote inclusion and support vulnerable communities.
Mr. Thijn de Voogd
Mr. Thijn de Voogd represents the municipality of Arnhem as Lead Partner of the SCEPA project. During the introduction, he will clarify what SCEPA is about and why this topic was chosen.
Ms. Josha van der Beek
Ms. Josha van der Beek is an ecologist at Alliander (Dutch regional grid operator), working on sustainable energy solutions that connect ecology, technology, and society. In her keynote, she shares how energy transition can be socially inclusive and benefit all communities.
Mme. Rachel Guyet
Mme. Rachel Guyet is Director of the Master in Global Energy Transition and Governance at CIFE. Her work focuses on energy poverty and local transitions. In her keynote, she will highlight how municipalities can lead just and innovative energy projects.
Valuable network across borders
Thijn de Voogd, project lead of SCEPA, reflects: “At SCEPA, we collect proven energy poverty approaches from across Northwest Europe to give municipalities and partners the insights they need to support households more effectively. Our Midterm Event aimed to show that tackling energy poverty can have a broader impact: not just on energy bills, but also on health, debt, and community cohesion. I’m confident it will inspire many follow-up conversations.”
Moray Gilland, Head of Interreg Programmes Unit at the European Commission’s DG Regional and Urban Policy stressed that “By building knowledge, developing targeted solutions, and testing innovative approaches in North-West Europe, the SCEPA project resonates strongly with the priorities set at the European level to bring about a just and fair energy transition. That is why the European Union decided to co-finance this project with 3,7 mln € which is 60% of the project budget. The project is also a good illustration of how EU funds are transformed into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.”
Looking ahead
The insights from Paris will guide SCEPA’s focus in the second phase of the project taking the social impacts of energy poverty approaches more into account, including the pilot actions of many SCEPA-partners. The partnership will continue developing policy recommendations to strengthen Europe’s fight against energy poverty.