Sektionen för transporter, energi, infrastruktur och informationssamhället (TEN) - Related Events

The European Economic and Social Committee is organising the 3^rd edition of its conference on energy poverty on 18-19 July 2023 in Brussels. This follows on from the EESC's conferences in 2021 and 2022 on this important issue.

On 13 February 2023 the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN) of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted an online public hearing in the context of its ongoing exploratory opinion at the request of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU on Wooden construction for CO2 reduction in building sector. The opinion is focusing on the following issues: How can the EU proposals such as Sustainable carbon cycles, the EU's bioeconomy strategy and the New European Bauhaus be used to drastically reduce the large construction-related CO2 emissions, store CO2 and make construction more efficient? 

Energy poverty exacerbates gender gap worldwide. It is estimated that 70% of 1.3 billion population in developing countries living in poverty are women. Research has shown that women are more likely to fall into energy poverty as they are the main users and producers of household energy, due to economic, biological/physiological and socio-cultural factors. For instance, older women are the most likely to suffer from energy poverty due to a higher life expectancy and lower pensions compared to men. Women are also more likely to be responsible for householding and cooking activities requiring energy sources.

This conference was co-organised by the European Economic and Social Committee and the Ministry of Economics of Latvia and brought together local, national and European actors to discuss the challenges and solutions of building sustainable and affordable housing. A special focus was put on the role of civil society organisations and local authorities on the ground in achieving ownership, bottom-up participation in housing policies, proper information to the direct beneficiaries and financing facilitation.