In the course of last months of CEESEU project implementation, Croatian partner Medjimurje Energy Agency Ltd. organized the second workshop on development of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans which was attended by representatives of local and regional governments and other interested stakeholders in Medjimurje region. The workshop was organized on Monday, 12th of June in online form and was attended by over 20 participants.

During the webinar, experts from Medjimurje Energy Agency Ltd. provided a detailed overview of the main steps in SECAPs development, their integral components and reporting requirements. This webinar resulted in increased capacities of local and regional government representatives and other stakeholders to take an active role in addressing climate change and energy transition. The participants were also empowered with relevant knowledge, skills and resources necessary to create and implement effective SECAPs which will help them advance their local and regional sustainability goals, reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to the transition to more sustainable future. Moreover, participants of the webinar were enriched with best practices and success stories from the field, providing real-life examples of effective SECAP implementation. Learning from these experiences, participants gained valuable insights into overcoming challenges which they are facing in every day operation.

By empowering local and regional governments and other interested institutions in the field, the webinar will foster a sense of leadership in addressing climate change at the local level and encourage them to take proactive measures, mobilize resources and engage relevant stakeholders within their communities to sustainability initiatives. Furthermore, the webinar emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among different regions and countries. By highlighting networks such as CEESEN and Climate Alliance, participants were encouraged to join into existing platforms that facilitate the exchange of expertise, lessons learned and best practices. This kind of collaboration maximizes the impact of local and regional efforts in combating climate change.

To wrap up the whole story related to the creation and implementation of SECAP, Medjimurje Energy Agency Ltd. plans to organize the final educational workshop which will elaborate different financing mechanisms for implementing concrete climate change mitigation and adaptation measures defined in SECAPs. The workshop will include one panel discussion which will address the challenges in developing and implementing SECAPs and other local and regional planning documents in the field of energy and climate change. In this way, the participants will have the opportunity to talk with governments that are successfully implementing their SECAPs, which will inspire them to do the same in their local communities.