Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

On 1 November, the Greek capital revealed that it will soon implement the largest energy upgrade programme the country has ever planned. That is, the City of Athens will replace its current “traditional” lighting fixtures with a total of 43,679 new and modern lamps that will enhance the security of citizens, reduce costs, and benefit the environment.

The Local Leaders for Europe podcast is a series of interviews conducted at the European Committee of the Regions, the EU's assembly of regional and local authorities. In this episode 7, young elected politicians Emilia Wasielewska, city councillor in Konin, Poland, and Manolis Mavrommatis, deputy mayor in the municipality of Dorida, Greece, show how their generation strive to deliver the European Green Deal locally by leading youth groups that are committed to make their own territories greener, cleaner and more welcoming. They discuss how their cities are tackling climate change at the local level. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Municipality of Athens has been honored at the CDP Europe Awards 2021 for its set of actions aimed at achieving “green recovery” in the post-Covid-19 era. CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. In 2020, for a second …

The Regional Council of Western Macedonia may propose to suspend all licensing of renewable energy projects and their implementation until spatial and sustainable development planning rules are adopted for the area. It is the most important province for the energy transition plans pushed by Greece’s government.

Following controversy regarding a floating solar power plant project on one of Greece’s biggest lakes, the majority in the Regional Council of Western Macedonia decided to demand the suspension of all licensing for green energy applications and works until the completion of the regional framework for spatial planning and sustainable development as well as for renewables.

Regional and municipal councils must get a decisive role in the sector so that they can contribute to the creation of green jobs and environmental protection while ensuring the priority for local investors in the segment of renewable energy, the draft document adds. The proposal was launched immediately after the local authorities stood up against covering up to a quarter of one of the country’s biggest lakes with solar power plants.

Red tape, infrastructure woes and recent economic turmoil are holding Greece back from fully reaping the benefits of a much-needed energy transition

Such a move would allow not only for social distancing to be respected but could also lead to a complete makeover of the Athens city centre. By turning towards pedestrianization, the city will not only become healthier and more active but would also significantly reduce its environmental footprint.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Hellenic Distribution Network Operator, part of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) have signed an agreement for a 20-year loan amounting to 255 million euros.
The funding will be used to develop the capacities of the Greek electricity distribution network by modernizing and reinforcing the infrastructure supplying power both to the country’s islands and the mainland.

EUKI’s YESclima project held a workshop in mid-September on “Energy efficiency in buildings and natural techniques to cool/heat buildings”. One topic at this workshop was a presentation of the results ofenergy audits, conducted by students trained in the project.
The Greek organisation Wind of Renewal hosted this event. They invited the project partners – the University of Cadiz, the Energy Agency of Cadiz, the Free University of Berlin and the Secretariat for Future Studies – to the Welcommon Hostel in Athens. Representatives of other organisations such as the Center for Renewable Energy Sources & Saving (CRES), the Hellenic Passive House Institute and the Mayor of Agios Dimitrios also took part in the event.

Five EU countries including the UK, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Slovenia are looking to introduce new fossil fuel subsidies by 2030, an analysis of the 28 Member States’ draft energy and climate plans (NECPs) has revealed.

In a new report, “Fossil fuel subsidies in draft EU National Energy and Climate Plans: Shortcomings and final call for action,” experts from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Friends of the Earth (FoE) Netherlands, and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe have analyzed the EU Member States’ draft NECPs, which require governments to report on their fossil fuel subsidies and plans to phase them out, the CAN has said in a press release.

While other EU countries, such as Germany, announce plans for coal phase-out within the next 20 years in compliance with their Paris Agreement commitments, Greece’s future appears locked in carbon for decades to come, write Demetres Karavellas and Nikos Charalambides.

synAthina connects the services of the municipality of Athens with formal and informal civil society groups. It began during a moment of crisis and is still going strong. We spoke with the project’s initiator and former Vice Mayor of Athens, Amalia Zepou.

Baptisée “le papillon de la mer Égée” en raison de sa forme, cette île de 1 300 habitants est visitée chaque année par quelque 70 000 touristes pour ses plages immaculées, sa mer cristalline et ses maisons blanches.

A l’horizon 2026, le projet ambitionne de faire d’Astypaléa “la première île durable de Méditerranée”, où “la mobilité sera électrique, alimentée par une électricité verte produite localement”, promet le gouvernement grec, qui a déployé mercredi plusieurs ministres dont le Premier ministre Kyriakos Mitsotakis sur l’île de l’archipel du Dodécanèse.

We asked our followers where they wanted to see be pedestrianised. Is your hometown on the list?

The Beacon is a quarterly newsletter with stories, news and developments on financial instruments in the context of Cohesion Policy. The winter edition, published last week, features among other things a significant study on residential energy efficiency financial instruments in Lithuania, two new videos on the combination of grants and financial instruments, as well as a new podcast episode on how ESIF Financial instruments support the development of the Venture Capital/Private Equity ecosystem in Greece.

Greece intends to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption from 29.2% to 61% and the share in transport from 6.6% to 19%, according to its final National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period 2021-2030. The overall target for renewables is set at 35%, compared to 18% in 2018.

After years of stagnation, the new government wants to speed up the energy transition in Greece. Can the vast potential of wind and solar energy finally be exploited following the slow-down of recent…

Speaking at recent EURACTIV event, Marc Lemaître, director-general for regional and urban policy at the European Commission, said new the Just Transition Mechanism would focus “on the communities and people who will face the biggest challenge in terms of job losses because of the necessary energy transition.”

The EU official cited western Macedonia as “an extreme case” to illustrate his point. The Northern Greek region directly depends on coal – mining and power plants – for one-third of its GDP, he pointed out. And the Greek government has decided to close down all the plants “before 2030” as part of its climate commitments, he said.

“We will make western Macedonia a role model region in the transition from lignite to clean energy and a different economic activity,” Mitsotakis emphasised.

Athens is entering into four innovative climate adaptation projects with €5 million financing from the Natural Capital Finance Facility, a programme run by the European Investment Bank in cooperation with the European Commission that focuses on nature conservation, biodiversity and adaptation to climate change through nature-based-solutions.