As a brutal heatwave sweeps across Europe, claiming at least 1,300 lives and pushing temperatures to record highs, the European Commission has deliberately avoided taking a position on the increasingly polarised debate over air conditioning. The EU executive insists it is not its role to dictate whether citizens should install cooling systems, even as the continent grapples with the deadly consequences of extreme heat.
Speaking on Monday, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the Commission's spokesperson for climate, made clear that Brussels has no official stance on AC units. "Whether we have a position on air conditioning, pro or contra, not really," she said, adding that the issue is addressed indirectly through policies on renovation and energy efficiency of buildings. The Commission's priority, she stressed, is ensuring an "efficient and effective" transition to climate neutrality by 2050.
The reticence comes as only about 20% of European households are equipped with air conditioning, a stark contrast to rates above 90% in the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The lack of cooling has become a political flashpoint, with the heatwave prompting desperate searches for makeshift solutions. In France, the far-right National Rally party, leading polls ahead of next year's presidential election, has floated a mass subsidised roll-out of AC systems. Even Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, conceded that AC was "becoming" necessary.
AC Politics and the Green Deal Recalibration
The debate over air conditioning is unfolding against a broader rethink of the European Green Deal, the comprehensive set of laws designed to achieve climate neutrality. While the 2050 deadline remains, many of the original measures have been simplified under pressure from governments and industry. The Commission has quietly dropped the term "Green Deal" from official communications, now favouring "net zero" and "decarbonisation."
Critics of AC argue that it drives up electricity demand, strains power grids, releases hot air into the atmosphere, and fails to address the root causes of the climate crisis. Advocates counter that it is essential for maintaining liveable conditions and labour productivity during extreme heat. The Commission, mindful of this tension, is treading carefully. Itkonen noted that the real focus should be on the energy source powering AC systems, not the units themselves. In 2025, about 47% of the EU's electricity came from renewables.
The Commission is set to present an Electrification Action Plan next month, with new measures to electrify heating and cooling systems across the bloc. But Itkonen stressed that decisions on whether to promote or restrict AC ultimately lie with member states. "These are issues where the Commission is not micromanaging how people should be going about this," she said.
The heatwave has exposed deep inequalities in access to cooling, as highlighted in Europe's Heatwave Exposes Class Divide Over Air Conditioning. Meanwhile, the Copernicus Climate Change Service has warned of "extremely unusual" heatwaves with no relief in sight, as reported in Copernicus Warns of 'Extremely Unusual' Heatwaves Across Europe With No Relief in Sight. The heatwave has also moved east, putting additional strain on Ukraine's energy grid, as detailed in Ukraine's Energy Grid Faces New Strain as Heatwave Moves East.
Itkonen left the door open to a potential shift in the Commission's neutral stance if the political context changes. "This last week's inferno was probably just a parting shot for the rest of the summer," she said, "so it is not excluded that this also becomes a topic that will be discussed at the political level, and then obviously we will be taking steps as our member states signal."
