Climate policies are an opportunity to invest in improved urban environments and the development of local communities

For the third year in a row, the "Mayors Speak" discussion forum dedicated to the participation of local authorities in the implementation of projects in the field of sustainable energy was held online in the city of Gabrovo. The event, organized by the Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect, the Municipal Network EcoEnergy and the Municipality of Gabrovo, is part of the accompanying program of the 61st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which will gather in Sofia at the end of July representatives of more than 150 countries for the preparation of a special report on Climate and Cities.

"We need to understand that without the participation of cities, the successful implementation of climate policies is impossible," stressed Dragomir Tsanev, executive director of EnEfect. "Over 60% of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as over 75% of adaptation measures, are implemented in cities. No one knows better than local authorities what is effective and what is not, but they still lack the autonomy to implement their own policies."

The main theme of the conference was the relationship of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (INPEC) with local development models, emphasizing the fact that to be successful this plan must direct investors' interest to local business models and to encourage local communities to actively participate in the energy system.

"It is obvious that, especially with the new, more ambitious goals, we cannot rely only on public funds," said Deputy Minister of Energy Krasimir Nenov. "Private investment needs to be attracted, and local governments have a major role to play in that."

He added that the Energy and Climate Plan is ambitious but realistic, aiming for over 30% share of energy from renewable sources in final consumption and nearly 44% for heating and cooling. "The establishment of energy service centers is planned to facilitate all interested parties in terms of obtaining information and facilitate the processes of issuing the relevant permits," added the deputy minister.

"We are extremely proud that the Municipality of Gabrovo is home to the first public-private energy community in Bulgaria," Gabrovo Mayor Tanya Hristova said in a comment. "However, our goals are much higher - in the mission for the 100 zero-emission and smart cities, we are already working towards zero-energy urban areas. This is precisely the meaning of the integrated approach," she added.

The second day of the conference opened with the topic of energy cooperatives, and in addition to the already implemented project in Gabrovo, the new, even more ambitious project in Burgas was presented, in which every Bulgarian citizen can participate through the website of the Energy Office - Burgas. The program continued with a round table on "Approaches and ways to fight energy poverty", which discussed the importance of the renovation of multi-family residential buildings as a leading tool to fight energy poverty. The forum also covered key topics such as new financial instruments for municipalities, technological solutions for energy management and building automation, assessment of the smart readiness of buildings and modern training methods for energy efficiency, and more information can be found on the EnEffect website.

Within the framework of the conference, the beginning of a discussion on a joint declaration of the Bulgarian municipalities on the need to ensure the necessary resources and powers of the local authorities to implement their own policies and attract investments in solutions for sustainable urban development was set. The declaration will be completed during the international conference "Climate policies as an opportunity for investments in the development of the urban environment", organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture on July 30, 2024 in Sofia, with the aim of being presented to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.