Actor-grounded Coordination Structures for SUMMER Energy Poverty
The ASSUMMER project, coordinated by AISFOR and funded by the European LIFE programme (LIFE25-CET-ASSUMMER, Grant Agreement no. 101293845), has as its main objective to strengthen dialogue and coordination between the different actors working in the fight against summer energy poverty, a phenomenon still largely absent from European political agendas despite its growing impact linked to climate change and heat waves. Vulnerable households face acute health and social risks, aggravated by precarious housing conditions, urban heat islands and lack of passive cooling solutions. The project recognises that National Observatories on Energy Poverty, although they provide essential data and policy guidance, cannot alone ensure that national strategies translate into concrete actions on the ground.
For this reason, ASSUMMER establishes a multi-actor National Coordination Structure (SEP-NCS) in each of the 7 Euro-Mediterranean countries involved, which acts as a bridge between policies and their practical application. The programme adopts a bottom-up approach: it strengthens the capacities of local actors through mentoring and peer-to-peer exchange paths, co-creates practical tools and training through the ASSUMMER-EP Toolkit (which integrates the social, construction, urban and health dimensions), and supports evidence-based policy-making through national policy briefs and EU-level dialogues. The replicability of the model is supported by a Mediterranean Coordination Board and, subsequently, by a European Coordination Board, aligned with LIFE indicators (households reached, energy savings, CO2 reduction, investments activated).
Objectives
- Bridging the gap between national policies on energy poverty and their application on the ground, by establishing multi-actor National Coordination Structures in 7 Euro-Mediterranean countries
- Strengthen the skills of local actors (social, technical, health, institutional) through mentoring and peer exchange paths
- Provide practical tools and targeted training through the ASSUMMER-EP Toolkit, which integrates the social, construction, urban and health dimensions of summer energy poverty
- Promote the replicability of the model at Mediterranean and European level, through a dedicated coordination Board and a sustainability plan aligned with LIFE indicators
Actions
- Establish in each of the 7 pilot countries (Italy, Spain, France, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and Cyprus) a National Coordination Structure (SEP-NCS), with structured governance processes, seasonal evaluations and policy-practice dialogue events
- Launch a single call to select at least 10 local actors per country in the mentoring process and additional beneficiaries in the peer exchange process
- Co-design and disseminate training tools and materials through the ASSUMMER-EP Toolkit, field-tested during two summer seasons
- Establish a Mediterranean Coordination Board, later expanded to a European Coordination Board, to support the replicability of the model beyond the boundaries of the project
- Collecting and disseminating the stories of families, social workers and administrations involved, to give a human face to the issue of summer energy poverty
