Interview with Simone Raskob, Head of Department for Environment, Transport, and Sports for the city of Essen in Germany

The Third National Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rome from the 1st to 3rd of December 2025, offered a crucial platform for institutions, civil society, businesses, and research organisations to discuss the country’s progress toward the UN 2030 Agenda. Among the most active and engaging moments of the event was the thematic laboratory “Welfare energetico-climatico & Povertà energetica”, where the EU Peers project was presented as an innovative European initiative supporting local authorities and communities in accelerating the energy transition.

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.