With the Covenant of Mayors: cities co-operate with neighbours, national and European counterparts
Energie-Cités bakes fortune cookies for the Copenhagen negotiators:
10 inspiring local policies for 10 days of the Summit.
Proven and successful local experiences in climate and energy matters are the best support the EU negotiators can get in Copenhagen. That is why Energie-Cités, with 20 years of experience in sustainable energy policy, has prepared 10 electronic fortune cookies to inspire the decision-makers during the Climate Summit COP 15.
Energie-Cités and its member cities are aware that their fields of action would be limited without an efficient international agreement. On the other side, the transition towards “low energy cities with high quality of life” is largely dependent on the commitment from the local level.
The commitments under the Covenant of Mayors to exceed the EU objectives as well as the actions taken to translate said objectives into facts, are already spurring momentum and enthusiasm and accelerating change.
The Covenant of Mayors is the most ambitious initiative engaging signatory cities to go beyond the EU’s energy and climate goals and curb their CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020 via energy efficiency and renewable energy actions. Within the year following adhesion to the Covenant, the signatories submit their Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) describing how they intend to reach the objectives. Since the Covenant commitments concern the whole geographical area of the city/town/region, the SEAP should include actions concerning both the public and private sectors in the city.
Bo Frank, deputy mayor of Växjö (SE)
Like Växjö(SE), 70 of Energie-Cités’ member cities have already signed up the Covenant of Mayors. All signatories - more than 1000 cities up to now! - can be consulted on www.eumayors.eu.
Local and regional authorities, Member States and the European Union need each other – in Copenhagen and even more in the future– to face the upcoming challenges.
Cohesion policy and cities The European Commission DG REGIO published on 23rd November 2005 a Commission staff working document entitled “Cohesion Policy (...)
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