"Everyone has the right to access essential services of good quality, including water, sanitation, energy, transport, financial services and digital communications. Support for access to such services shall be available for those in need".
Access to essential services and energy poverty in the EU
Access to essential services is a core element of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Principle 20 states that everyone has the right to affordable, good-quality essential services, including water, sanitation, energy, transport, financial services and digital communications. However, the Commission’s report on access to essential services shows that people at risk of poverty or social exclusion face persistent barriers, especially in relation to energy, transport and digital connectivity.
The report is important because it connects social inclusion with the green and digital transitions. Essential services are not only basic utilities; they are preconditions for participation in society, access to employment, education, health and public services. When vulnerable groups cannot afford energy, transport, internet access or financial services, social exclusion becomes deeper and more difficult to reverse.
The structural barriers are clear. First, affordability: poorer households spend a larger share of their budget on essential services, so price increases hit them harder. Second, skills: lack of digital or financial skills can prevent people from using online services, banking tools or digital communication. Third, infrastructure: rural, remote and island areas often suffer from weaker transport, broadband and service availability.
Water and sanitation.
Access to basic sanitary facilities is generally high in the EU, with only 1.5% of the total population lacking facilities such as a bath, shower or flushing toilet in 2020. However, the figure rises to 5.1% among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The gap is particularly severe in some Member States, reaching 17.4% in Latvia, 18.1% in Lithuania, 20.6% in Bulgaria and 56.6% in Romania. This shows a clear link between poverty and limited access to water and basic sanitation.
Energy.
Energy is one of the most critical areas. The Commission’s page on energy poverty defines energy poverty as a situation in which a household must reduce energy consumption to a level that negatively affects health and well-being. Its main drivers are high energy expenditure, low income, and poor energy performance of buildings and appliances.
In 2022, 9.3% of people in the EU struggled to keep their homes adequately warm, reflecting the early impact of the energy crisis. People at risk of poverty or social exclusion were much more exposed, with an EU average of 20.2%. However, energy vulnerability is not limited to low-income households. Based on 2021 data, around 53% of people unable to keep their homes warm belonged to middle-income groups.
Digital communications.
In 2022, 2.4% of people in the EU could not afford an internet connection. Among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the figure rose to 7.6%. The highest values were recorded in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, with rates above 25%, 20.5% and 16.5%, respectively. Digital exclusion therefore remains closely connected to income vulnerability and can limit access to education, work, public services and social participation.
Financial services.
Most people in the EU had access to a bank account in 2021. Only Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania recorded access rates below 90%. However, specific groups still face barriers, including high fees, lack of information and legal requirements. These obstacles particularly affect people on low incomes, homeless people and undocumented migrants.
Transport.
The latest EU-level data on transport affordability date back to 2014. At that time, 2.4% of the EU population and 5.8% of people at risk of poverty could not afford to use public transport regularly. Beyond cost, access to transport also depends on service quality, frequency, infrastructure and both physical and digital accessibility. The lack of more recent EU-level data makes it harder to assess current transport exclusion and points to the need for regular data collection.
Poverty energy
EU action on energy poverty has expanded significantly. The Clean Energy for all Europeans package introduced obligations to identify, monitor and address energy poverty through National Energy and Climate Plans. The Commission issued a first Recommendation on energy poverty — EU/2020/1563 as part of the Renovation Wave Strategy, followed by a new Recommendation on energy poverty — C/2023/4080 and a related guidance document.
Several newer instruments strengthen this framework. The Social Climate Fund will support vulnerable households, transport users and micro-enterprises affected by the new Emissions Trading System 2. The revised Energy Efficiency Directive — Directive (EU) 2023/1791 gives stronger attention to energy poverty and consumer empowerment. The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive — Directive (EU) 2024/1275 requires Member States to address energy-poor and vulnerable households in building renovation plans.
The Commission also supports local and regional action through the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub, which provides guidance, publications, an interactive database and training courses to help authorities diagnose, measure and address energy poverty. This is important because energy poverty is often highly local: it depends on housing stock, income levels, climate, local energy prices and the capacity of municipalities to design targeted interventions.
Analytically, access to essential services and energy poverty should be treated together. Energy poverty is one of the most visible and measurable forms of difficulty in accessing essential services, but the same logic applies to transport, digital connectivity, water, sanitation and financial services. The EU policy direction is therefore clear: social inclusion, climate policy, digitalisation and consumer protection must be coordinated so that the green and digital transitions do not leave vulnerable groups behind.
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