On Wednesday 7 May, an international conference entitled CEESEU-DIGIT: Pathways to Successful Energy and Climate Planning: Regional Leadership and Innovation in Central and Eastern Europe was held at the Academia Hotel in Zagreb, bringing together experts, representatives of local and regional authorities, policymakers and civil society from Central and Eastern European countries. The conference was organized by DOOR – Society for Sustainable Development Design, in cooperation with partners from the European consortium and with the support of ZGRADOnačelnik.hr, the event attracted more than a hundred participants who discussed the challenges and opportunities in planning a sustainable energy and climate future during panels and workshops.
Photos of the conference
Recording of the conference
Presentations
The conference was an opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices in the implementation of local and regional energy and climate plans, especially in the context of European guidelines and goals until 2030. Among the speakers were numerous international and domestic experts, including Elis Vollmer from the University of Tartu (Estonia), Katarzyna Brawiak from PNEC (Poland), Ewa Szulc from the Mazovia Energy Agency (Poland), Anna Wieczorek from the Think Tank City Foundation (Poland), Ana Juras from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and Roman Kekec from the Slovenian Local Energy Agency Spodnje Podravje (Ptuj). Croatian expert contributions were also provided by representatives from the Green Energy Cooperative (ZEZ), REGEA, Međimurje Energy Agency (MENEA) and DOOR.
The two main panels discussed the inclusion of vulnerable and energy-poor groups in climate policies and the challenges and opportunities of connecting national planning with local and regional levels.
The first panel, titled How to make the planning process efficient and effective on local and regional level through involvement of energy-poor and vulnerable people?, was attended by Danijela Vrtarić , MENEA, Slavica Robić , REGEA, Roman Kekec , Local Energy Agency of Spodnje Podravje (Slovenia), Kristīna Malčukova , SIA “Valmieras namsaimnieks” (Latvia), Hector Pagan , Central Eastern European Sustainable Energy Network (EU), and was moderated by Elis Vollmer.
The discussion highlighted that the inclusion of vulnerable groups in energy and climate planning is crucial, but also a major challenge. Many citizens experiencing energy poverty do not recognise their status or do not have the capacity to participate due to numerous existential problems. It was concluded that greater engagement of professional organisations, local and regional authorities, as well as better cooperation with social welfare institutions, is necessary to reach these groups effectively.
It was emphasized that it is important for energy experts to have a person in local and regional authorities with whom they can communicate and from whom they can obtain essential data in order to analyze the energy situation at the local or regional level. The trust of vulnerable groups is often fragile, which is why continuous work and a clear explanation of the benefits, without stigmatization, are important. Instead of telling them they are poor, it is more helpful to tell them how they can improve their situation.
As one of the solutions, the establishment of the so-called “one-stop-shops”, local centers where citizens can get all information about energy poverty, renovation and available co-financing.
The second panel, entitled Challenges and opportunities in linking national energy and climate planning with regional and local levels , was discussed by Vjekoslav Jukić , Ministry of Economy, Martin Kikas, TREA (Estonia) and Jiri Jerabek , Ministry of Environment (Czech Republic), while the moderator was Miljenka Kuhar , Executive Director of DOOR.
The panel focused on the connection between national strategic documents, such as the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), and local and regional initiatives. Although the NECP is a key document for achieving European climate goals, its implementation at the local level is often hampered by the limited capacities of smaller local government units. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure two-way communication between ministries and local authorities, as well as to develop financial support systems, in particular in the form of co-financing the development of local and regional plans (SECAP and ECAP). Participants also highlighted the importance of rapid and transparent transposition of EU directives into national legislation, which would enable more effective and faster implementation of policies on the ground.
The conference ended with a clear message: without the active role of local communities, without the empowerment of vulnerable groups and without cross-sectoral cooperation, it will not be possible to achieve a just energy transition and climate resilience at the level needed. Participants agreed that it is now crucial to continue building capacity and strengthening cooperation among all stakeholders, from citizens to governments, to make energy and climate plans a reality.