Opportunities for international cooperation in the field of energy saving will be discussed at a conference in Polotsk
27/06/20120 views
On June 27, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Opportunities for cooperation between Belarusian cities and the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) region in the field of energy saving will be discussed on June 27-28 at the international conference "From Energy-Saving House to Energy-Efficient City!" in Polotsk, the Polotsk City Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent.
The conference will be held as part of the Energy Days and will be the final event of the European Union's SURE project in Belarus. During the international conference, there will be an exchange of experience and expansion of cooperation between Polotsk, Belarusian cities and the ENPI region in the field of sustainable energy planning and energy saving. Conference participants will be acquainted with the policies of the Republic of Belarus and the European Union in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency, the content and prospects of the European initiative Covenant of Mayors, and the opportunities for obtaining financing for energy-saving projects from international organizations and financial institutions. Representatives of Polotsk, which became the first Belarusian participant in the Covenant of Mayors, will talk about the results of the SURE project, officially present the pilot event of the project, which was the installation of LED lights on the central avenue of Francysk Skaryna, and also share their experience in participating in the Covenant of Mayors and developing a Sustainable Energy Development Plan with other cities of the Eastern ENPI region.
The conference will be attended by representatives of the Department for Energy Efficiency of the Republic of Belarus, local authorities from Belarus, Germany, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova, the EU Delegation to Belarus, the European Commission's "Covenant of Mayors – East" project, the Association of Energy Efficient Cities of Ukraine, and institutions and public organizations of Belarus.
The project "SURE: Sustainable energy development in cities of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument region – on the way to the Covenant of Mayors" was implemented within the EU CIUDAD programme. The project lasted 30 months, with a budget of approximately €790,000. The project aims to promote sustainable energy development in two cities of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) – Polotsk and Salé (Morocco) – by joining the Covenant of Mayors and undertaking commitments to implement the EU strategy known as "20-20-20". The strategy's goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%, increase the share of alternative energy sources to 20%, and decrease energy consumption by 20% by 2020. Project partners include the administration of the city of Friedrichshafen (Germany), the administration of the city of Murcia (Spain), the Polotsk City Executive Committee, the administration of the city of Salé (Morocco), and the Mediterranean Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (France).
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