2005: Manifesto against fuel poverty

Date interview: July 1 2016
Name interviewer: Morten Elle, Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transition, Department of Development and Planning, Aalborg University, Copenhagen
Name interviewee: Raphaël Claustre (RC)
Position interviewee: Director of CLER

Social-technical relations Social-economic relations Regional organizations Re-orientation Re-invigoration NGOs Networking Identity Finance Competence development

This is a CTP of initiative: INFORSE ‐ CLER (France)

2005: Manifesto against fuel poverty   CLER did develop a manifesto against energy related social insecurity in 2005 – together with a number of other French organisations. The basic idea is to mobilise all relevant actors in the battle against the increasing problem of fuel poverty in France. This is a turning point for CLER as the organisation now very clearly addresses the questions of renewable energy and energy savings not only from an environmental point of view, but also from a social, economic point of view. Social justice is seen as an important part of the energy question. The manifesto leads to the creation of the network organisation RAPPEL. The manifesto also leads to a major national debate concerning the energy transition in a social justice perspective.

Co-production

The manifesto was developed together with a number of organisations focusing on the conditions of pour people, among those the Abbé Pierre Foundation and the catholic help organisation. Other types of organizations like the French urban planners associations were also involved in the development of the manifesto. ADEME plays a role in the creation of RAPPEL. The Abbé Pierre foundation has stressed the importance of CLER as a central actor in the French fuel poverty debate – especially due to the excellent way CLER did organise all the relevant actors across their different ‘sectorial’ interests.

Related events

Some housing associations and NGOs had started the work with fuel poverty in the years before 2005. One of these housing associations made the board of CLER aware of the size of the problem, and of the fact that there was almost no political debate about the problem.

Contestation

No contestation

Anticipation

The involvement of CLER happened very fast, and even though it was difficult to develop a large manifesto involving a large number of different actors, it was developed quite fast.

Learning

Taking on board the question of social justice was a turning point for CLER. CLER learned that the question is very hot in a number of European countries, especially in the Mediterranean area and in Eastern Europe. The involvement in the fuel poverty question lead to the participation of CLER in the EU project EPEE. In EPEE the organization worked together with the Spanish INFORSE member Ecoserveis, the English organisation NEA, the Italian organisation Punti Energia and the Belgian organisation CUNIC, trying to find a platform for fighting fuel poverty in Europe.