Interview with Martina Nemčić, Programme Manager at KLIK Energy Cooperative and at the One-Stop Shop of the city of Križevci, Croatia

Buildings in Europe are the largest energy consumers, with 85% built before 2000 and 75% performing poorly, leading to high greenhouse gas emissions.

The European Week of Regions and Cities in October 2025 set the stage for a dynamic gathering on one of Europe’s most pressing challenges: accelerating residential energy renovation. Against this background, the EU Peers Community of Practice brought together over 70 OSS practitioners in Brussels for its second summit - three dedicated exchange sessions over two days designed not just to inform, but to connect the people driving one-stop shops on the ground.

At a recent cross-country online meeting, participants from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and other EU partners explored the challenges of permit approval processes and the importance of collaboration to improve administrative efficiency. The discussion highlighted real-world examples from Riga, where permit requests often take months and involve multiple departments, emphasizing the value of cross-border learning and coordinated action.

The South East Energy Agency (SEEA) recently welcomed a diverse group of stakeholders to its latest EU Peers Capacity Building Webinar, an interactive session that explored the transformative potential of Integrated Home Renovation Services (IHRS) and One-Stop-Shops (OSS) in tackling energy poverty across Europe. Part of the EU Peers initiative, funded by the LIFE Programme, the webinar highlighted how collaborative efforts can strengthen, upscale, and harmonise home renovation support services across the EU.

The EU Peers Mentoring Programme is opening a new opportunity for hands-on learning: four in-person study visits, each hosted by an experienced organisation operating or supporting One-Stop Shops (OSS) and Integrated Home Renovation Services (IHRS). If your organisation is working to scale up residential energy renovation - or planning to establish an OSS - these visits offer practical insights.

Hungarian one-stop shop (OSS) advisors and the organisations supporting them met for the sixth time on 25 September, during an event organised by Energiaklub. Among the 15 participants were OSS advisors specialising in the renovation of single-family homes or apartment buildings, as well as companies and organisations offering financial consultancy, research, and media support for OSS providers.

One insight emerging from the World Café at the 2nd EU Peers Summit is clear: to reach new, low-income home-buyers, One-Stop Shops (OSS) must engage them before purchase, through trusted local networks and accessible, aspiration-driven communication, ideally linking renovation advice with finance.

More than 70 organizations conform the EU Peers Community in Spain. On Monday, October 13, they met to share how they approach the project design and selection of companies phases (Millin & Bullier, 2021). This is the second of a cycle of four meetings in which the Community shares experiences of the entire housing renovation process.