RePowerEU cities and regions

As part of the Green Deal Going Local campaign and in cooperation with the Covenant of Mayors and the Climate Pact secretariat, the European Committee of the Regions is organising one full-day programme to discuss the consequences and opportunities of the European Commission’s new RePowerEU plan, starting with the possibilities that the Covenant of Mayors and the Climate Pact already offer cities and regions.

Note that accreditation for physical attendance will be granted under the evolution of Covid rules regarding maximal capacity of the room. A confirmation message will be sent to registered participants ahead of the meeting.

CoR Climate Pact ambassadors and national ambassadors of the Covenant of Mayors will come together to discuss why both platforms are key tools for boosting the transition needed in order to RePower the EU. Participants will share best practices for going further and faster in the transition towards secure, affordable and sustainable energy, and will debate what is needed to replicate them.

The programme will include representatives from the European Commission, representatives from the European Parliament and Covenant of Mayors Political Board, local and regional authorities, financial experts and climate organisations.

Kata Tüttő, Deputy Mayor of Budapest and Chair of the ENVE commission and of the Green Deal Going Local Working Group, will present the Green Deal Call for Action: 10 actions to show climate ambition and achievements and contribute to the Green Deal Going Local campaign; and Bart Somers, Vice-Minister-President of the Government of Flanders, will present the Local Energy and Climate Pact (LEKP). Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, is expected to join the session in his capacity as member of the political board of the Covenant of Mayors and rapporteur for the opinion on the European Climate Pact and on the Energy Efficiency Directive. Andris Piebalgs, former Commissioner for Energy, will also join the event.

The two events are scheduled to take place from 10:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 17:00 on 2 May 2022, in hybrid mode, in the CoR’s JDE 52 and via the Interactio platform. Interpreting will be available in the following languages: English, French, Italian, Polish, German and Dutch (in the afternoon only).

Programme

10:00h – 12:30h | Covenant of Mayors boosting the green transition

1.  Opening session – with DG ENER, Kata Tüttő, Deputy-Mayor of Budapest and ENVE Chair and Andris Piebalgs, former Commissioner for Energy
2. Debate on RePowerEU – European Commission, European Parliament Covenant Ambassadors,  Covenant of Mayors Political Board and CoR Covenant and Climate Pact Ambassadors
3. Final session – What can be done in the medium-term to accelerate the RePowerEU? Presentations of best practices by CoM Ambassadors as example for a successful implementation of RePowerEU

14:00h – 17:00 h | Climate Pact Ambassadors boosting the green transition,

1. Opening session – with Clara de la Torre, Deputy-Director General, DG CLIMA, and Petr Blížkovský,  Secretary General of the European Committee of the Regions
2. Session 1: Sharing best practices – with Kata Tüttő, Deputy-Mayor of Budapest and ENVE Chair, and Bart Somers, Vice-Minister-President of the Government of Flanders
3. Session 2: Tools to accelerate the transition – with DG CLIMA and CINEA
4. Session 3: Citizens engagement for the green transition
5. Final roundtable with CoR Covenant and Climate Pact Ambassadors

Please note that the final agenda of both events and the link to connect will be communicated one week before the meeting. More details and the provisional agenda are available here. 

Background

On 8 March 2022, the European Commission proposed a plan to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, starting with gas.

This new energy market reality requires a major effort from local and regional authorities, who are the ones facing the consequences of increased energy prices, which are now being exacerbated due to the uncertainty surrounding energy supply.

In this context, the Climate Pact and the Covenant of Mayors are the right platforms to boost local action and enable the cooperation that is needed between local and regional authorities and the EU institutions. However, often the initiatives planned cannot be fully exploited due to a lack of the right technical and financial assistance.

The European Committee of the Regions launched the Chamber of National Ambassadors of the Covenant of Mayors and the network of CoR Climate Pact ambassadors, to strengthen and support the rollout of both initiatives in every Member State.

These two connected events will bring together representatives from both networks to reinforce links, develop cooperation and find synergies. Participants will exchange information on how to go further and faster in the transition towards secure, affordable and sustainable energy.