Europe’s vision of a citizen led energy revolution is falling short of expectations with legal confusion and technical barriers slowing progress, according to new auditors.
A report from the European Court of Auditors warns that energy communities were supposed to transform how people generate and share power across the bloc but the rollout has been far slower than planned.

Community Energy England and a coalition of 250 organisations have delivered an open letter to the government urging urgent action to unlock the full potential of community energy.

The signatories span climate, poverty reduction, community development and local enterprise, and include public figures and businesses from across the UK.

What if saving money, creating jobs and tackling climate change all went hand in hand?
In this episode, we leave the policy talk behind and meet the people making the circular economy happen, from repair café volunteers and reuse hubs to engineers refurbishing tools and fashion workers giving textiles a second life.
Their stories reveal five simple reasons people love the circular economy.
This isn’t a distant ambition. It’s already here and people want more of it.

The upcoming food sovereignty conferences are likely to shape debates on the future of French agriculture in 2026. The main responses provided over the past two years can be summarised as follows: remove production constraints to produce more of everything (both animal and plant products), to recover market shares in France and abroad. Seeking to produce more of everything without considering adaptation or transition is a form of denial, at a time when climate change is hitting farmers hard and regularly, and when our dependence on imported fertilisers and oilseed meals undermines our sovereignty. The conferences must take these considerations into account — otherwise, they will serve only to perpetuate the notion of an illusory sovereignty.

Efficient Buildings Europe says the Affordable Housing Plan, presented by the European Commission in December 2025, rightfully acknowledges the role of energy-efficient buildings and energy renovations and will require new forms of cooperation between EU and national actors.

The European Commission’s Affordable Housing Plan aims to address one of the most pressing needs of European citizens. The Commission says the plan is a first step to support Member States deliver more affordable, sustainable and quality homes across Europe.

The Good Bench manual is a practical and inspiring tool for anyone working on cities, streets, and public spaces. It explores how something as simple as a bench can play a powerful role in shaping social life, wellbeing, and inclusion in the public realm.
Rather than treating seating as an afterthought or a design object, the manual reframes it as essential urban infrastructure and a clear signal of hospitality. It explains why places with good seating feel lively and welcoming, while places without it often become spaces people only pass through.

The Energy Community Secretariat has invited postgraduates, researchers, and young professionals to apply for the 10th edition of the Energy Community Summer School, taking place at Polis University in Tirana, Albania, between August 22 and 29 this year. The program focuses on energy sectors in transition, in particular in South Eastern and Eastern Europe, according to the announcement.

The Energy Community Summer School, designed for postgraduate students, researchers, and early-career professionals, provides an in-depth exploration of the technical, economic, legal, political, and sustainability dimensions of the energy transition, including energy systems, markets, and geopolitics.

Achieving the UK’s net zero target by 2050 will cost less than a single oil shock and bring health and economic benefits while insulating the country against future costs, the government’s climate advisers have forecast.
Eliminating the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by adopting renewable energy and green technologies, such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, would be the best and most cost-effective option for the future economy, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) found.

Transitioning to renewable energy does, in itself, require energy. But how much? A new model finds that phasing out all fossil fuels in EU by 2035 would require up to 39% of the current total energy supply.

The ILHO (Investigation Logement Huisvesting Onderzoek) housing investigation system in Schaerbeek (BE) mobilises a multidisciplinary team, including municipal departments (urban planning, population, debt recovery, etc.) and external partners (police, neighbourhood associations, etc.) to combat inadequate housing and exploitative landlords. The system prevents landlords enriching themselves at the expense of vulnerable tenants.
The system also enhances knowledge of local buildings, and better connects administrative data in a territory, to identify who lives in each home. By connecting house owners with organisations that help renovate buildings and support tenants, the ILHO aims to improve housing quality and tenants’ well-being.

Ah, les champs ! Cette commune des Alpes-Maritimes a engagé une transition alimentaire écologique depuis maintenant quinze ans. Elle incite les habitant·es à cultiver, attribue de nouvelles terres à l’agriculture… Des pratiques qu’elle voudrait voir se développer ailleurs, y compris au-delà des frontières.

A new vision for urban living is taking shape, driven by an urgent need to make our cities more liveable, sustainable and resilient. Here’s what the metropolitan areas of tomorrow will look like
Wooden towers rise above the tree canopy, their facades alive with plants and shimmering solar cladding. The hum of traffic is gone. Instead, a quiet feet of autonomous robovans glides along dedicated lanes, linking neighbourhoods in smooth, predictable loops.

Europe banished much of its industry, but we continue to enjoy its fruits: globalised manufacturing chains provide us with cheap goods that arrive in neat packages. And while our cities are beautified with good intentions, they are being reduced to markets for the consumption of that beauty: streetscapes fill Instagram feeds, as surely as homes become Airbnbs. Meanwhile the average resident, faced with dwindling employment outside the tourism industry, is increasingly priced out of their own home town. When heavy industry was offshored, so was its labour.

In 2014, Dunkirk made the decision to get on board with free public transit. Mayor Patrice Vergriete, who has a doctorate in urban planning, pledged during his election campaign that the city would become the largest in France to drop fares on local networks. Today about 150 vehicles — labeled “100% free bus, 7 days a week” — crisscross the city and its surroundings, giving 200,000 residents free access to 18 routes.
“We made this decision to prioritize freedom [for residents] and really create a shock to improve mobility in Dunkirk,” says Jean-François Montagne, the deputy mayor of Dunkirk and head of the region’s ecological transition efforts.

Close to 1,000 municipalities have taken part in a recent survey about municipal heat planning: a key finding is that cooperation from an early stage onwards facilitates implementation. Financing and a lack of resources and of knowledge are still presenting challenges.