While housing’s energy renovation is central to European climate action, if carried out without sufficient precautions, it risks exacerbating existing social inequalities. In a report published on Thursday 29 January, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) highlights the perverse effects of a green transition that fails to adequately consider fundamental rights.
Buildings are responsible for 34% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, and almost 75% of the building stock remains energy inefficient. Between 2015 and 2023, housing prices rose by 48%, and by 2024, 9.2% of Europeans were facing energy poverty.
According to the FRA, current renovation measures are based on technical or digital criteria, or require households to bear a significant portion of the cost of the work.
These are all factors that discriminate against low-income households, the elderly and people with disabilities. Tenants, more than 30% of the European population, are the most affected.
Because they are poorly protected by renovation policies, they often see their rent increase or face the risk of eviction once the work is completed.
The EU agency therefore recommends integrating fundamental rights into national energy-climate plans, as well as implementing better protection for vulnerable groups and facilitating legal recourse.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/kgz (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)