How European cities are turning the energy crisis into an opportunity to drive Europe towards a climate-neutral and just future?

 On March 30, the 2023 Covenant of Mayors Conference in Brussels brought together high-level representatives of EU institutions and Mayors from cities across Europe.

Nine mayors showcased what their cities are doing faced with the two big crises of today: the energy and climate crises. The exchange highlighted how cities’ response to the energy crisis is setting an example for Europe’s long-term efforts in matters of energy and climate. Panelists shared long-term solutions that will accelerate a profound social and energy transformation and the support that European institutions and national governments can provide to local governments in this process to reach common objectives.

Commissioner for energy Kadri Simson started the conversation by emphasising the essential contribution of cities and towns. Beyond this year’s efforts, she discussed more broad and long-term efforts in building a clean, affordable, and secure energy system, once again giving cities a key role, especially with in reaching targets in building renovation and energy efficiency. “With emergency measures and the REPowerEU, we reacted quickly and decisively to cushion the impact of the energy crisis. However, we also owe these results to each and every European, and to our towns and cities. For example, the Covenant of Mayors Cities Energy Saving Sprint implemented in over 50 cities” – Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy.

Mayors and Deputy Mayors of Milan (Italy), Freiburg (Germany), Pedreguer (Spain), Łódź (Poland) and Grenoble (France) presented the diversity of emergency measures that they put into place to face the crisis: from green taxation, to building renovation, promotion of energy communities, education and awareness, transport and mobility You can hear more about the measures cities have been taking here.

To persist in their efforts to reduce energy consumption on the long-term – making the Sprint into a Marathon – cities need support from their national governments and the European Union. Vice President of the Committee of the Regions, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, highlighted the importance of ensuring multilevel governance in an era of instability and crisis such as now.

“In this context, we need to secure the support to local and regional authorities with funding and innovative investment mobilisation strategies. And I call for a further linkage between the initiatives of the Covenant and the cohesion funds, which are the only instruments available to all the EU's regions, bringing a long-term vision and investment plans for sustainable development, and which are shaped from the bottom-up” - Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Vice President of the Committee of the Regions.

Besides involvement of local governments at national level, Mayors also called on the EU to consider more direct funding. In the situation that many cities find themselves in blocked by national legislations and lack of funds, one of the best ways the EU can accelerate implementation is by helping cities directly.

Besides support from national and EU governments, for cities to embed REPowerEU efforts into long-term climate strategy, they also need to ensure the essential support of their citizens. Popular support is indispensable to make these measures long-term. Thus, the EU’s efforts will only be successful if local governments are themselves successful engaging their citizens.

Mayors and Deputy Mayors from Clermont-Ferrand (France), Stockholm (Sweden), Križevci (Croatia) and Warsaw (Poland) presented the diverse programmes and initiatives that they put in place locally to directly involve citizens in their transitions, which took on entirely new importance with the energy crisis. From energy communities to citizen conventions, youth forums, and energy offices offering advice on energy savings, Mayors made it clear that the only way to tackle the energy and climate crisis, was to do it in a holistic way – a way that is democratic and fair.

"Locally owned resources should be used for local energy communities, to strengthen local communities” – concluded Mario Rajn, Mayor of Križevci (Croatia).

By directly implementing the EU Green Deal on the ground and engaging citizens in the process, local government are the ones putting citizens at the heart of the European energy transition.

“We need to start speaking the language that people understand. We talk about benchmarking, Fitfor55… but no one understands that! Let’s translate it to what people understand. We will construct new social housing for people more touched by energy poverty, we will have hundreds more electric buses to take diesel buses off the streets... If you give us some direct funding to do it, we implement it, and people see directly what the EU is doing” – emphasised Rafal Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw (Poland).

The Vice-Minister-President of Flanders, Bart Somers, closed the conference by encouraging municipalities from across Europe to form an alliance, to unleash this potential of mobilising all local actors and said: “It is my deepest conviction that the global challenge we are facing, will be solved at the local level.”

A total of 293 of the 300 Flemish municipalities have already signed the Covenant of Mayors. The Minister announced that in the occasion of next year’s EU Belgian Presidency, the Flemish Government will put cities in the spotlight. He has also already invited for a joint conference of the Belgian Presidency and the Covenant of Mayors on 12 March 2024, stressing: "It’s time to let the mayors speak".