The final conference of the OwnYourSECAP project took place on June 13, 2025. The project, co-financed by the EU under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme, brought together participants from across Europe to discuss local energy and climate initiatives. The event, held under the theme "Act Local, Shape Tomorrow: Lessons from OwnYourSECAP," gathered representatives from local authorities, European institutions, and energy and climate experts in an online format. It provided an opportunity to reflect on three years of joint efforts towards local energy and climate transition and to share experiences among municipalities from different parts of Europe.
The event was opened by Michael Toma from MTP, who introduced participants to the conference’s theme and highlighted the crucial role of local authorities in achieving the European Union’s climate goals. In the following presentations, speakers emphasized that municipalities need not only well-prepared plans but also effective tools to put them into action. Marika Rošā from the Latvian organization Ekodoma pointed out that documents such as SECAP should not remain mere strategies on paper. They must actively engage local communities and lead to the implementation of concrete measures.
A significant part of the discussion focused on new EU regulations that will shape local climate policy in the coming years. Christof Amann from the Austrian organization e7 outlined the evolution of EU climate policy, highlighting the implications of the Fit for 55 package as well as the new EED III, RED III, and revised EPBD directives. As he emphasized, these measures present ambitious challenges for municipalities but also open up new opportunities for financing and supporting the energy transition.
One of the key topics of the conference was the integration of SECAP plans with energy management systems compliant with the ISO 50001 standard. Emanuele Cosenza from SOGESCA highlighted that this approach enables more systematic and measurable planning and monitoring of actions. As an example, the Italian city of Abano Terme was presented, which combined the implementation of SECAP with the ISO standard to create a coherent energy management system. Representatives of smaller municipalities also shared their experiences in developing joint plans. Václav Šebek from the Czech organization SEVEn and Michal Svoboda from the Tolštejn region demonstrated how several local authorities can collaborate on a single document, saving resources and enhancing their capacity to secure funding. Meanwhile, Edgars Augustiņš from the Latvian city of Saldus spoke about fostering local engagement and involving residents in climate policy processes.
The final presentation was delivered by Cristina Mestre Martinez from the CINEA agency. She discussed opportunities for financing actions through EU funds and emphasized that their effective use requires carefully prepared projects and a long-term planning approach.
The conference concluded with a Q&A session, giving participants another opportunity to engage with the speakers and summarize the key takeaways from the event. It was a chance to exchange insights, highlight challenges, and emphasize the potential for future collaboration.
The OwnYourSECAP final conference demonstrated that, although municipalities face significant challenges, effective local climate policy is achievable through experience sharing and cooperation. Such efforts can make a real contribution to achieving both European and global climate neutrality goals.
Video from the event:
The event was organised in the framework of the OwnYourSECAP project (Support to regional and local authorities in the development and implementation of the SECAP Plan), funded under the LIFE+ programme and grant agreement No. 101077109.
