Rural regions play a crucial role in achieving European and national greenhouse gas emission targets by 2030 and 2050. They are also central to reducing Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels, as most renewable energy is produced in rural areas. In many of these smaller communities, municipal authorities are key drivers of change. At the same time, these communities often face challenges related to limited capacity and access to expertise.
What’s the role of local authorities in the green transition? Are rural administrations and stakeholders ready to take an active role in this crucial process? How do we engage effectively with local authorities to accelerate the transition? Join the webinar and discuss these topics with experts brought together by the RECET project, funded by the EU LIFE programme.
Much of the renewable energy infrastructure needed for the clean energy transition, including wind, solar, biomass and related energy systems, will be developed in rural areas. This places rural municipalities and regional authorities at the heart of decisions on land use, planning, permitting and local development.
However, compared with larger urban administrations, they often have fewer staff, more limited access to specialist expertise and less administrative capacity to move quickly from planning to implementation. This can make it harder to respond to top-down demands, assess trade-offs and ensure that local communities are involved in decisions that affect them.
This webinar is the final event of the RECET project, which works to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the clean energy transition in five European regions and their municipalities. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of rural administrations and stakeholders to take an active role in the green transition, while supporting local acceptance and place-based solutions.
Join the webinar to discuss the role of local authorities in the green transition and how the RECET project has been used to support local authorities in Iceland, Sweden, Spain and Slovenia to plan for the clean energy transition and climate action. The RECET project partners, experts and practitioners will discuss engagement approaches, action-based policy making and the role of trust and simplicity as key ingredients for success.
Who should attend?
This webinar is relevant for regional and local policymakers, municipal planners, energy and climate officers, rural development practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders working with renewable energy, land use, regional development and the green transition.
Programme
| 13.00 – Welcome remarks Annika Östman, Head of Communications, Nordregio |
| 13.05 – Supporting rural municipalities for climate and energy planning Dr. Ottó Elíasson, General Manager, Eimur |
| 13.20 – From planning to implementation Marika Rošā, Project manager, EKODOMA |
| 13.35 – Borrow the Framework, Build Your Own: Three brief stories from the RECET project – Hjörleifur Finnsson, Vestfjarðastofa – Anna Månsson, Energikontor Syd AB – Eduard Escolá, Consell Insular de Menorca |
| 13.50 – Panel discussion How local government turns shifting EU priorities into local action A practical look at how EU climate targets and LIFE programme funding actually translate into projects small municipalities can run. While EU climate priorities are shifting to resilience, local governments are left to translate them into action and deliver results on the ground. This panel looks at how resilience and flexibility get built in practice, and what it takes to reconcile top-down direction with bottom-up realities. Panelists: – Carina Sammeli, Mayor of Luleå Municipality – Sigurborg Ósk Haraldsdóttir, Project Manager, SSNE – Morten M. Westergaard, CEO, Samsø Energy Academy |
| 14.25 – Closing remarks Final reflections: Dr. Ottó Elíasson, General Manager, Eimur Closing remarks: Annika Östman, Head of Communications, Nordregio |
