Theresa Griffin is probably the European politician who has had the greatest impact on getting policymakers to understand, acknowledge, and act on energy poverty.
From the moment she first met a single mother in Liverpool who had been left without electricity to the point where she managed to bring forward energy efficiency requirements for vulnerable families at the European Parliament, Theresa tells us about her journey to promote energy justice. Although she had to leave her seat at the European Parliament because of Brexit, she is still working to ensure that the social and human dimensions are present in European climate and industrial policies. Theresa is now advocating for fire safety to be included in European legislation and for more girls and young women to be trained in scientific professions.
Theresa will, therefore, naturally open the second edition of the International Energy Poverty Week (20-24 February 2023). We couldn’t dream of a better ambassador.
“I hope that if you and I have this conversation again in five years, we can actually say that energy poverty is being eradicated not just across Europe but across the globe”
Theresa Griffin was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2020. She was the 2017 Energy MEP of the Year for her work addressing energy poverty. She has consistently called for greater ambition in European policies for a ‘just transition’ that leaves no worker, community or young person behind.
She worked as a legislator on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and ensured fire safety was included in her remit after the Grenfell disaster in the UK in 2017. Today, Theresa works with many organisations, including FEEDS, the Forum for European Electrical Domestic Safety, of which she is President.
