How can local Franco-German cooperation accelerate the energy transition?
About
Through dialogues, exchanges, meetings, mobilisation of territories as in the TANDEM project or during the conference on the pioneering territories of the energy transition held in Montreuil in early September.
Implementation of the German ‘Energiewende’ and the French ‘transition énergétique’ is making slow progress. Some years ago, France and Germany adopted ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction programmes. Although both countries would like to take the lead in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, they will both fail to achieve most of the targets they set themselves for 2020.
Mobilising territorial stakeholders
Almost 140 representatives of local authorities, the French environment and energy conservation agency (ADEME) and its German counterpart, DENA, the German ministry for the environment as well as research organisations and private businesses stressed how the energy and climate transition challenges in both countries require greater cooperation at all levels (national, regional, inter-municipal and with the private sector).
Possible cooperation avenues evoked and discussed:
- defining a joint strategic vision of the energy transition to improving coordination of renewable energy development,
- transforming the energy system in the transport sector,
- jointly developing sections of the national integrated energy and climate plans
- increasing State aid to local authorities
“The advantage of this conference is that you can share ideas with French and German municipalities with very similar issues. As municipalities, we depend on dialogue with the national level to adapt directives and laws to our realities.”
Dinah Epperlein – Head of the Energy and Climate Protection department, city of Göttingen
TANDEM Project
The TANDEM project and the creative, easily replicable measures proposed for the Franco-German Energy Transition Week in January 2019 show that the local authorities of both countries are fully engaged in this kind of cooperation and are ready to take on more responsibilities and a pioneering role. For all that, these local cooperation initiatives need increased financial support.
“This meeting is important because today we no longer take the time to work on this type of cooperation between municipalities”
Alain Jund – Deputy mayor, city of Strasbourg
Next step : the franco-german energy transition week!
Watch the TANDEM youtube channel and find:
- video made during this FR-DE conference (available in French and in German)
- interviews of 8 French and German local authorities attending the conference : Ettlingen, Göttingen, Herten, Nürenberg, Epernay, Metz, Nice et Strasbourg
- interviews of Claire Roumet, Energy Cities and Thomas Brose, Klima Bündnis, conference organisers and coordinators of the TANDEM project and of the Franco-German Energy Transition Week
©: Alex Vergés/ Vision Communication
