Stavros Spyridakos

Country: Greece
Nominated by: Sofia Natalia Boemi (Environmental Engineer, Energy Poverty and Energy Policies Expert )

Summary of Nominee’s Contributions

Stavros Spyridakos is an emerging young leader (27 years old) in the European fair energy transition. With a background in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD candidacy at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), his research focuses on net-zero energy buildings, heating and cooling systems, energy efficiency, energy poverty, and the fair and just transition.

As an expert at the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP), he has played a critical role in shaping energy and climate policies at the EU level, ensuring that initiatives such as the Social Climate Plans, Citizen-Led Renovation, and Just Transition Platform align with the European Green Deal and the Social Climate Fund.

Stavros is also shaping the future of EU-wide Just Transition as an Ambassador of the Just Transition Platform Working Group (1st & 2nd circle) and lead author of the White Paper on Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement for the Just Transition Mechanism. His work extends to Greek smart and climate-neutral city strategies, ensuring that innovative climate policies are effectively implemented and deliver measurable results on the ground.

Creativity and Strategic Vision

Stavros has shown a remarkable capacity for creativity and strategic vision by identifying systemic issues in just transition planning. He is currently leading the development of a White Paper on Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement for future Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) planning. His leadership earned him an invitation to the Just Transition Platform Working Group, shaping Europe’s Just Transition future.

Recognising the need for practical guidance in Citizen-Led Renovation (CLR) Phase I, Stavros led the development of the “How-To Citizen-Led Renovation Guide”, expanding beyond the project’s scope to create a framework that empowered communities. By integrating co-creation, participatory decision-making, and digital monitoring tools, he helped the IZGREI community overcome initial hesitancy, uniting residents in a successful collective renovation, setting a model for Europe.

Stavros’s strategic vision is also evident in his work on Social Climate Plans (SCPs) in nine countries, ensuring stakeholder engagement was not just a formality but genuinely inclusive. He developed tailored consultation frameworks, involving local communities, youth, civil society, industry, and policymakers, turning SCPs into platforms for real dialogue.

Stavros’s ability to translate climate policy into action is reflected in his work with Greek municipalities like Kozani, Volos, Sami, and Deskati. Using a data-driven approach, he helped them develop smart, measurable climate-neutral strategies suited to local economic, social, and environmental realities. He also played a key role in Greece’s first One-Stop-Shop for energy poverty in Mavrodendri, Kozani, setting a model for integrated solutions that bridge policy, technology, and social impact.

Impact

Stavros has made a significant impact by combining scientific rigour with policy leadership, ensuring the European energy transition is inclusive, evidence-based, and socially just.

As the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Citizen-Led Renovation (CLR) Phase I, he successfully supported the IZGREI energy community in Bulgaria in launching a citizen-led energy renovation project, empowering residents to improve energy efficiency, combat energy poverty, and enhance building performance. Now, as Coordinator of CLR Phase II pilots, he is scaling up and refining the framework, ensuring methodologies from Phase I are adapted and effectively implemented across multiple regions. He has also played a key role in projects like JUSTEM, contributing to energy poverty monitoring and ensuring vulnerable groups benefit from energy transition policies. Additionally, he designed and implemented Greece’s first One-Stop-Shop for energy poverty in Mavrodendri, Kozani, offering tailored support, financial guidance, and energy efficiency solutions to vulnerable households.

As Scientific Coordinator of key EU-funded projects such as LIFE2023-JUSTEM, OBSERVE, and InEExs, Stavros integrates scientific data, climate modelling, and impact assessments into policy frameworks. These projects drive Europe’s climate goals, providing data-driven solutions for just energy transition metrics, energy poverty monitoring, and industrial carbon neutrality. His ability to translate complex research into actionable policy recommendations ensures that data-driven governance is central to European climate and energy policies.

Stavros has also shaped EU climate and energy policies through his stakeholder engagement leadership in the Social Climate Plans (SCPs) across nine EU Member States, ensuring policy processes are inclusive and participatory. He considers the socio-economic impact of the Emissions Trading System (ETS2) on vulnerable households and businesses, advocating for measures that protect affected communities. His leadership in drafting the White Paper on Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement for the Just Transition Platform has set new standards for inclusive policymaking, incorporating diverse perspectives and facilitating cross-border knowledge exchange to promote a collaborative, socially just energy transition.

Leadership

As lead coordinator for Social Climate Plans (SCPs) across nine EU Member States, he ensured the planning processes were inclusive and participatory, preventing engagement from becoming a mere formality. He developed country-specific consultation frameworks, involving local communities, youth, civil society, industry, and policymakers, transforming SCPs into platforms for real dialogue and collaboration.

As Scientific Coordinator of LIFE2023-JUSTEM, OBSERVE, and InEExs, he integrates data analytics, climate modelling, and impact assessments into decision-making frameworks, advancing Europe’s just energy transition and energy poverty monitoring. His leadership extends to Citizen-Led Renovation (CLR), where he played a key role as Single Point of Contact (SPOC) in Phase I, assisting the IZGREI energy community in Bulgaria in overcoming challenges to implement a citizen-led renovation initiative. Now, as Coordinator of CLR Phase II pilots, he is scaling and refining the framework to ensure methodologies are adapted and widely replicable across multiple regions.

As an Ambassador of the Just Transition Platform Working Group, he leads the White Paper on Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement, providing the European Commission and regional authorities with structured approaches to inclusivity, economic diversification, and social resilience in transitioning regions. His impactful contributions to the future of Just Transition policy earned him an invitation to the second-circle Working Group, reinforcing his role in shaping the EU’s Just Transition Mechanism.