In cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and with the EIHP's support, REGEA organized a workshop for the local and regional government as part of the NECPlatform project on May 18, 2023. This workshop aimed to include local and regional self-government units in creating National Energy and Climate Plans, presenting them with the background and importance of the NECP and the most important measures for them. The active role of local and regional government is crucial for the successful implementation of the NECP; therefore, the participants were able to comment on the presented measures both during the event itself and after it. In this way, the goal is to ensure maximally ambitious and applicable measures, considering the real needs of local and regional government.
In the first part of the workshop, the emphasis was on understanding the importance and purpose of the NECP, how local and regional governments can contribute to achieving the goals, and possible sources of financing for the measures were also presented. Local governments, including counties, the City of Zagreb and large cities, already have certain obligations in the existing NECP that contribute to reducing greenhouse gases. First, they should adopt umbrella documents such as the Climate Change Mitigation Program, Adaptation to Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection, and Environmental Protection Program. Also, local self-government should adopt sectoral documents, such as the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, which identify specific measures and projects to improve energy efficiency in the local context, which leads to a reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the second part of the workshop, the focus was on the key measures proposed in the NECP related to the local and regional government, precisely measures related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy sources, transport and energy efficiency. The participants were provided with information about the draft measures and the activities they envisage. The presentations were followed by an open discussion in which the participants had the opportunity to ask questions, present their proposals and share their opinions. This interactive session enabled the exchange of ideas and the creation of space for cooperation and synergy among local and regional self-governments in achieving the goals of the NECP.
It is planned to hold a minimum of six dialogues within the NECPlatform project until the end of the creation of the final updated version of the NECP in June 2024. The virtual workshop for local and regional government units was organized as part of the project's sectoral workshops, aiming to analyze the challenges faced by local and regional governments and adopt measures according to their needs.
You can download the presentations of the first sectoral workshop for local and regional units on the MINGOR website.
