The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy – Europe, from the eyes of Julije Domac

Mr Domac is also a member of the board of this EU Initiative for many years now, so we decided to ask him 3 key questions.

In 2021, The Covenant of Mayors – Europe (CoM – Europe) stepped up its climate ambition for 2050. What do these renewed ambitions entail exactly?

The Covenant of Mayors – Europe’s vision for 2050 entails all EU citizens living in decarbonised and resilient cities with access to affordable, secure and sustainable energy. In addition, all CoM – Europe signatories commit to reaching climate neutrality by setting mid and long-term targets which are consistent with the EU objectives and at least as ambitious as national targets. These ambitious objectives should be reached by including all citizens in order to ensure a just and fair energy transition for everyone. These are essential issues for our future and the future of our children which should be reaffirmed constantly, both in political debates and public discussions at all levels.

FEDARENE has been involved in the CoM – Europe since the start of the initiative, and has seen it grow into the significant movement it is today. What will be the main challenges ahead, for you as member of the political board, but also for the Covenant Community in general?

The energy transition with its decarbonization and climate resilience agenda is in itself very ambitious and challenging – the main challenge will be to actually implement it, as it became very obvious during the last COP in Glasgow. The CoM – Europe has succeeded in mobilizing a very large number of local authorities all around the EU which have all pledged to reduce their GHG emissions and decarbonize their territories. However, following their activities and results through the years, many of them are lagging behind the planned timeframe. We need to speed things up and we need new solutions – innovative ways to finance projects by blending private and public capital, The energy transition with its decarbonization and climate resilience agenda is in itself very ambitious and challenging – the main challenge will be to actually implement it, as it became very obvious during the last COP in Glasgow. The CoM – Europe has succeeded in mobilizing a very large number of local authorities all around the EU which have all pledged to reduce their GHG emissions and decarbonize their territories. However, following their activities and results through the years, many of them are lagging behind the planned timeframe. We need to speed things up and we need new solutions – innovative ways to finance projects by blending private and public capital, introducing smart technology in all aspects of our energy system, new ways to store and transport energy, etc. and we need to decarbonize not just the energy sector but also others like agriculture. It is also important to remember that the CoM Community is not just a network of local authorities but also a vibrant community of national and (sub-)regional authorities and non-profit organisations who are supporting local authorities on a daily basis in developing these new solutions and achieving their targets.

Do you think energy agencies and regions are aware of the opportunities offered by the initiative and do you see their involvement grow in the near future?

Looking from the perspective of an energy agency director who has been involved in the sector for almost 25 years now, I can say that most of our inspiration and innovation came from the exchange with other energy agencies and regions in the EU and beyond. So, initiatives like the CoM – Europe are definitely crucial to create more networking opportunities around sustainable energy. I am convinced that other energy agencies and regions think the same, as this is confirmed through our interaction – we tend to see each other as one big team playing for the energy transition. The CoM – Europe is a very important framework and its role will most likely keep evolving and growing in the future.