The energy transition in Europe has “huge potential” to revolutionise social order in the bloc by linking new energy initiatives to regional policy and development, and closer cooperation between EU bodies and civil society, said Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the Energy Union.

Speaking at the latest plenary of the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, Sefcovic said the renewables-powered shift toward a decentralised energy system in the EU would be increasingly driven from the “local level”, which would be a “rich source of innovative solutions”.