Ioanna Souka, Energy Policy Analyst at The Green Tank, spoke on Greece’s troubling lead in Eurostat energy poverty indicators and the forthcoming Social Climate Plan in a radio interview on the programme “O men kai i de”, hosted by Maria Tsakiri and Christos Tsalikidis on 102FM.
As she explained, 19% of households in Greece report being unable to keep their homes adequately warm—a share that remains among the highest in the European Union and the second highest recorded since 2019. At the same time, Greece also ranks first in four additional indicators capturing the socio-economic impacts of energy poverty.
Ioanna Souka referred to Greece’s National Social Climate Plan (NSCP), currently under preparation and expected to be submitted soon to the European Commission. The Plan is linked to the establishment of the Social Climate Fund, which aims to support vulnerable households ahead of the implementation of the new Emissions Trading System (ETS2) from 2028. ETS2 is expected to increase heating and transport costs for households that rely on fossil fuels.
She stressed that most measures implemented so far—such as social tariffs and energy bill subsidies—provide only short-term relief and fail to address the structural causes of energy poverty. The Green Tank highlights the need for a long-term, targeted strategy, including deep energy renovations of buildings, electrification of heating (e.g. through heat pumps), rooftop photovoltaics, and the development of energy communities.
Particular emphasis was placed on the fact that, according to a recent study by The Green Tank, around 1.6 million households in Greece require substantial support, while existing policy plans cover a far smaller number. For energy-vulnerable households, very high subsidy rates—up to 100% in some cases—are often necessary to enable a shift to clean and economically sustainable energy solutions.
Finally, she underlined that Greece has access to significant resources, amounting to €4.78 billion from the Social Climate Fund, as well as new financing instruments approved by the European Investment Bank (Frontloading Facility), which can be mobilised immediately to effectively address energy poverty.
Listen to the full interview [in Greek] here.
