CONURBANT - An inclusive peer-to-peer approach to involve EU CONURBations and wide areas in participating to the CovenANT of Mayors
CONURBANT - An inclusive peer-to-peer approach to involve EU CONURBations and wide areas in participating to the CovenANT of Mayors
Lead Partner: Municipality of Vicenza, Italy
Number of Partners: 15
Project duration: 36 months
Project objectives:
The CONURBANT project has four specific objectives that are inter-related and have been identified as critical elements that need to be addressed to support sustainable energy communities (SEC) in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors:
1. To introduce a peer-to-peer approach between medium and large EU cities and involving their smaller, surrounding conurbation towns and to sustain the role of local governments as political and administrative bodies guiding their communities in the development of sustainable energy strategies
2. To develop, implement and monitor SEAPs in all Trainee Cities and Conurbation towns during the project's lifetime addressing the use of local resources, stakeholder involvement and public awareness-raising in order to embrace sustainable energy planning in a holistic way
3. To guarantee the institutionalisation of sustainable energy policies and to ensure the coherent implementation and political continuity of SEAPs during and after the project’s lifetime
4. To make the results widely available and enlarge the network of energy twin-cities and energy-twin conurbations at EU level
Target groups:
The main target group of the CONURBANT project are Municipalities, and in particular medium and large Municipalities (over 50.000 inhabitants) and their surrounding, smaller conurbation towns (usually with less than 20.000 inhabitants).
More specifically, medium and large Municipalities and conurbations with little or no experience in the Covenant of Mayors and, in general, in GHG emission inventories and sustainable energy action planning.
These Municipalities are called ‘Trainee Municipalities’. They are project partners and there is 8 of them in 7 project countries (Vicenza - IT, Osijek - HR, Palma de Mallorca - ES, Limassol - CY, Arad - RO, Timisoara - RO, Salaspils - LV, Vratsa - BG). Altogether they include a population of over 2 million people.
The smaller Municipalities are called ‘Conurbation Towns’ and are located in the surrounding territory of the 8 Trainee Municipalities and of the 2 more experienced ‘Tutoring cities’ (Padova – IT and Alba Iulia – RO). During the project implementation there will be ca. 40 of them. They are not project partners.
Trainee Municipalities and Conurbation towns together include a population of almost 2.5 millions.
Project activities – CCI Vratsa:
Preparation of Dissemination and Communication plan
Preparation of Operation plan
Design and print of project leaflets
Design of annual brochures with project news
Inputs for the project website
Design of dissemination materials
Preparation of Report on Signatories of the CoM
Preparation of Report on Dissemination activities
Technical support for organization of 2 international workshops in Brussels during EUSEW
Technical support to Municipality of Vratsa in their activities
Project Results:
2 centralised training seminars in Vicenza and Alba Iulia (80 technicians and policy-makers trained);
2 study tours in Padova and Alba Iulia and at least one study tour organized outside the consortium;
8 Trainee Municipalities and at least 40 Conurbation towns trained at local level (120 technicians and policy makers);
2 open training sessions organized in Brussels for EU Municipalities (20 participants each, including policy makers);
Training material made available in national languages and English;
8 participatory SEAPs in Trainee cities covering a population of ca. 2 million;
40 participatory SEAPs in Conurbation towns covering a population of ca. 350.000;
1 local forum set up in each municipality (4 local meetings, 3 thematic sessions, 15 stakeholders per meeting);
Selection of 2 actions per SEAPs and implementation within first year after SEAP (96 actions implemented);
Monitoring procedures implemented in each conurbation;
Each Trainee conurbation is audited by another trainee city;
1 Strategy shared by all Municipal departments and approved with the involvement of political opposition;
90% of SEAPs are approved by Local councils;
5 proposals to the ELENA facility to develop investment plans (at least a total of 375 million euros);
1 Energy day in 10 project areas every year;
10 twin conurbations sign the covenant (50 new signatories);
Integration of communication actions with existing events and/or organized by other IEE projects.
For further information: Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vratsa tel. 660271, 660273
е-mail: cci-vr@online.bg Iliana Philipova, Miglena Asenova
