Central and Eastern Europe Sustainable Energy Union’s Design and Implementation of regional Government Initiatives for a just energy Transition

Introduction

Our primary objective is to build capacity in 6 carbon-intensive regions in 6 countries in the CEE for holistic regional Energy and Climate Action Plans (ECAPs) aligned with NCEP national targets supporting the Green Deal. This will involve marginalized and vulnerable groups, especially energy-poor households.

Objectives

A second objective is to assist municipalities in formulating, funding, and implementing their ECAPs aligned with regional ones. At both levels, extensive capacity building will be extended to assist with building ECAPs.

Municipal Engagement

Drawing municipalities into energy regions will help:

• Cross-pollinate ideas
• Share knowledge and tasks
• Apply for financing

Public Sector Capacity Building

Public sector capacity building (WP2, WP3) will help:

1. Formulate a holistic ECAP with energy provisions and carbon footprint reduction while improving climate-sensitive social goods such as mobility, parks, playgrounds, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation.
2. Address energy poverty, including heating/cooling, adequate ventilation/lighting, domestic hot water, and cooking.
3. Attend to constituents and act on behalf of their needs.
4. Understand financing options and how to apply for these.
5. Work with the private sector to mute opposition to the CET and to encourage and incorporate funding of ECAP initiatives by businesses (WP5).

Social Engagement

A just CET needs to maximize support, minimize opposition, and overcome apathy. This requires the application of social science/social psychology theory (WP3). Non-public sector stakeholders (key players, context setters, the crowd, and subjects) will each be targeted by specific social and conventional media outreach (WP6).

Dissemination

Dissemination will be:

• Upward to national levels, the CoM, and the EU for use in energy transition planning (WP5, WP6).
• Across a broader CEE geography via CEESEN, a recently established NGO, to have by the end of the project 2500 members using its online platform to share best practices, lessons learned, and ideas that can advance the EU's climate goals (WP6).