NEUTRALPATH’s new policy brief shares city insights and recommendations to support a fair energy transition in Europe
Heating and cooling account for roughly half of the EU’s total energy demand, yet only around 26% of this energy currently comes from renewable sources. At the same time, more than 40 million Europeans have been unable to keep their homes adequately warm, making the transition of this sector not only a climate priority, but also a social one.
NEUTRALPATH’s new policy brief, “Strengthening EU Heating & Cooling: Insights from NEUTRALPATH’s Policy Dialogue”, explores how European cities can help close the gap between policy ambition and local implementation. The brief builds on a peer-review policy dialogue held in September 2025, bringing together city representatives and stakeholders to discuss barriers, opportunities and policy needs ahead of the forthcoming EU Heating and Cooling Strategy.
The document gathers insights from Dresden, Zaragoza, Ghent and Vantaa, showing how different local contexts shape the decarbonisation of heating and cooling systems. The policy brief identifies key challenges that still limit implementation, including long-term financing, affordability, regulatory uncertainty, data gaps and limited local capacity. Drawing on NEUTRALPATH city experiences and examples from the EU Covenant of Mayors, it highlights the importance of coordinated action across EU, national and local levels to support practical, affordable and socially inclusive heating and cooling solutions.
Do you want to learn more? Read the full policy brief in the project community on Zenodo, here.
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