Each September, the President of the European Commission delivers the State of the Union address, setting out the Union’s priorities for the year ahead. As in previous years, FEDARENE has followed the address closely and shares its reaction to what it means for Europe’s regions and their Energy and Climate Agencies. Ahead of this year’s speech, we hoped to see three priorities take centre stage: the decarbonisation of Europe, climate adaptation and resilience, and a next EU budget that finances the transition in the territories.
President von der Leyen’s address gave real weight to these priorities, and we welcome the direction set out. The task now is implementation. The energy and climate transitions are delivered in the territories, by the regions, cities and their Energy and Climate Agencies. We call for every priority set out today to be designed to support that delivery effort. In parallel, we welcome the President’s focus on Europe as a beacon of democracy in the world. We stress that local and regional levels are particularly conducive to direct democratic participation, bringing citizens closer to elected representatives and decisions.
Decarbonisation is delivered in the territories. The President pointed to renewable capacity equivalent to 6 times the currently installed capacity that is still waiting to be connected. Grids are planned and built regionally, permits are granted regionally, and storage and electrification are deployed site by site. Regional and Local Energy and Climate Agencies move these projects to connections, and the faster permitting and lead markets promised by the Grids Package will also depend on their capacity. They also need to be able to operate in a constant, coherent framework of objectives so to ensure a swift implementation of existing measures. As such, the 2027 deadline for the Renewable Energy Directive implementation, set forth in the Electrification Action Plan, will be an opportunity to strengthen support for energy communities. Looking forward, ambitions such as the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency targets for 2040 are key pillars that must remain the lighthouse guiding our energy transition efforts.
We agree with President Ursula von der Leyen: we need both climate adaptation and mitigation. Risk management should be addressed through an integrated approach that considers context-specific vulnerabilities and must be a priority of the forthcoming European Climate Resilience and Risk Management Framework. As correctly said by President von der Leyen, it is the “local level where adaptation matters most”. This must be reflected in the new Framework through the recognition of Regional and Local Authorities and their Energy and Climate Agencies as key actors in strengthening resilience on the ground. Thus, it should be imperative to provide them with the adequate resources to fulfil this role. As set out in FEDARENE’s position paper on the Framework, building resilience depends on proper funding: dedicated and earmarked budget for climate adaptation, reinforced direct EU support to Regional and Local Authorities and their agencies in the next long-term European budget. Any reduction in EU support to these authorities weakens climate preparedness and citizens’ safety.
The next EU budget should empower the actors who deliver. The next Multiannual Financial Framework has been described as the financial arm of Europe’s independence, anchored in the Competitiveness Fund and Horizon Europe. That independence is produced in the regions where clean energy is generated, consumed and made resilient. To support implementation, the budget should keep regional and local authorities and their Energy and Climate Agencies at the centre of delivery. Coordination and Support Actions are essential tools to enable them to deliver on European ambitions. The National and Regional Partnership Plans should carry a genuine territorial dimension, more systematically involve regions from the drafting stage, and provide dedicated support for both decarbonisation and adaptation.
Across every priority the President set out, implementation in the territories turns commitment into result. FEDARENE is looking forward to continuing working with the European Commission to keep this reality at the heart of European action.
Europe’s independence, competitiveness and climate resilience will be built region by region, community by community. Europe’s next priorities must therefore empower and invest in the actors that turn ambition into action: Regions and their Energy and Climate Agencies.
— Julije Domac, FEDARENE President
