Energy Cities members took floor at the Covenant of Mayors Ceremony!

by Jana Cicmanova on 6 May 2010 / 372 visites

Four Energy Cities members - Dublin (IE), Genève (CH), Montreuil (FR) and Rome (IT) - took floor as speakers during the Covenant of Mayors ceremony on Tuesday 4th May in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels! They were the ones who had the opportunity to represent nearly 1700 European cities - Covenant signatories - and show the results achieved at local level they are the most proud of!

Along the prestigious speakers such as Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Prime Minister of Spain, Holder of the Spanish Presidency of the EU; José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission; Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy; and Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions, the Energy Cities members expressed their firm intention to support and reinforce this movement and encouraged other cities to join.

Ms Dominique Voynet, Mayor of Montreuil, believes that sustainable energy actions will bring solution to local social crisis. The city plans to create on one quarter of its territory a new sustainable neigborhood, comprising 3000 new low energy or passive houses out of which 40% will represent social housing! Dominique Voynet called on the European institutions and member states for new legislative, financial and fiscal framework that would help cities to implement their projects and meet the Covenant objectives.

Ms Emer Costello, Lord Mayor of Dublin showed the ambitious objectives of its Sustainable Energy Action Plan developed in cooperation with Dublin energy agency Codema. The SEAP shows how over the next twenty years, the introduction of carbon neutral and low-energy buildings, improvements in information technology and the development of a low-carbon transport system could lead to the city reducing its carbon emissions by 50%. 1 billion EUR in energy savings can be achieved by Dublin homes up to 2020. This includes savings of over €450 million by properly insulating walls and attics, more than €400 million on boiler upgrades, €70 million on replacing windows, €88 million on low-energy lighting and over €100 million on renewable energy.

Mr Rémy Pagani, Mayor of Genève, highlighted the project "REVE d’Avenir" implemented in the framework of the Interreg IV A programme and coordinated by Energy Cities. The project brings together 27 local authorities from France (Grenoble, Dijon, etc.) and Switzerland (Lausanne, Neuchâtel, etc.) with more than 3 million inhabitants that mobilise their forces with the aim to achieve together the Covenant objectives. Moreover, Genève encouraged the concept of solidarity and co-operation with less developed territories within the Covenant of Mayors.