This week marked the 19^th edition of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), the biggest annual EU event dedicated to the clean energy transition. Some 10 000 participants met in Brussels and connected to the event online, following many topical debates. 

Based on this year’s overarching theme, ‘Powering a fair and competitive green transition’, the 3-day event saw 7 plenary and 60 parallel policy sessions discuss diverse aspects of the energy transition. This includes issues such as how the right energy choices can fuel Europe’s competitiveness, as well as how to make the clean energy transition as inclusive as possible. The sessions also touched upon aspects of energy security and presented success stories in energy cooperation at local, regional, national and European level. These topics were further showcased by the traditional Energy Fair with more than 30 exhibition stands of organisations and projects linked to the clean energy transition.

As ever, one of the highlights of the week was the EUSEW Awards, which were again divided into 3 categories, with 3 impressive finalists under each heading. In the ‘Innovation’ category, the winner was AQUABATTERY, a project that is piloting a groundbreaking energy storage solution based on saltwater in the Netherlands. Energy Community for Social Housing in Otterbeek (Belgium) won the award in the ‘Local Energy Action’ category for finding and implementing innovative ways to provide renewable energy access to vulnerable tenants. For the award in the category ‘Woman in Energy’, the winner was Stella Tsani, a Greek academic working at the intersection of economics, sustainability and policy as well as investing heavily in the next generation of energy professionals, especially young women.

For the third time, EUSEW also welcomed a new cohort of Young Energy Ambassadors, a group of 30 students and young professionals in the energy sector chosen by the Commission from more than 1 300 applications received earlier this year. Apart from participating in EUSEW, the incoming group had an opportunity to take part in an informal breakfast discussion with Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen as well as in a closed-door workshop with experts from Directorate-General for Energy. This week’s activities officially kick-started their one-year long mandate during which they will be able to further engage with Commission’s energy experts – including through a mentoring scheme – and at the same time act as ambassadors for EU energy policy in their networks both online and offline.

Here are some of the highlight quotes from this week’s EUSEW 2025 sessions:

‘To address energy security, climate change and competitiveness, we need to stay on track. The green transition is not the reason for these problems. The green transition is the answer to these challenges.’ – Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing

‘We need each other, we need you all, we owe you a green future. A sustainable, bright, peaceful and inclusive future’ – Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition

‘Decarbonisation is about climate, competitiveness and independence, and all 3 will continue to matter a lot going forward. That is what is at the heart of the Clean Industrial Deal that we launched with the Commission in February this year’ – Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth