Nearly 70 representatives of cities and municipalities met on 11 and 12 May in Jadwisin during a seminar on 'Sustainable development of cities and municipalities on the road to climate neutrality', organised by the Association of Municipalities Polish Network 'Energie Cités'. Participants had the opportunity to listen to experts from, among others, from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, the National Centre for Climate Change IOŚ or the Renewable Energy Development Forum, as well as participants of the debate on the successes and barriers in the energy transition of cities and municipalities, and to take part in good practice sessions held in small groups.

During the official opening of the event, Artur Borkowski - Mayor of the Town and  Municipality of Serock, and Leszek Drogosz - President of the Management Board of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network 'Energie Cités' and Director of the Infrastructure Office of the Warsaw City Council, stressed the importance and urgency of actions to protect the climate despite the difficult circumstances, as well as the importance of cooperation between cities and the exchange of experience in this area. Anna Jaskuła - Director of the Association's office - opened the first part of the seminar, related to the new energy, economic and social challenges currently faced by local authorities and citizens.

The first speaker, Dr Paweł Machalski, President of the Board of the Renewable Energy Development Forum, outlined the conditions necessary to ensure energy security at national and local level in the context of the current geopolitical conditions, the situation on the energy market and the EU REPowerEU plan. Next, Marcin Jamiołkowski of the Institutional Cooperation Department of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management briefly presented the available sources of funding for the measures included in the updated version of PEP2040, discussing the scope of the NRP and emphasising that in the current 'decade for the climate', the greatest challenge is apparently the effective absorption of available funds for the successful implementation of climate projects. The various support for local governments offered by the European institutions, especially within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which was presented by Iwona Korohoda, a representative of the Association, may also prove helpful in this process.

After the the speakers, it was time for a debate, attended by Dr Paweł Machalski from the Renewable Energy Development Forum, Barbara Rajkowska from the National Centre for Climate Change (IOŚ), Zuzanna Sasiak from the Polish Green Network, Przemysław Major - mayor of Cieszyn and Sebastian Górka, municipal energy officer from Włocławek. The discussion on barriers and measures implemented by cities and municipalities in the energy transition process was moderated by Leszek Drogosz, Director of the Infrastructure Office of the City of Warsaw. The need to build public understanding of the strategies and actions of local authorities, helping to make the city's vision more coherent and to realise the principles of multi-level governance in the implementation of climate action, clearly resonated in the panelists' statements. It is also important that the voice of local government officials reaches the regional and national authorities, helping to align decisions taken at a higher level with the real needs and capacities of the actors and individuals who then implement them.

City representatives stressed that in the face of soaring energy prices, the transition is even more challenging, as despite the willingness, ideas and mobilization of staff resources to implement projects and investments, the financial barrier could prove to be crucial due to the lack of funds in local budgets, needed for own contributions. Furthermore, local governments are found to be uncompetitive in the labor and investment market. Therefore, it is necessary to build substantive capital in the offices and create interdisciplinary teams, as well as to use the support of experience-sharing and competence-building networks such as the Association (PNEC).

The afternoon block was opened by Tomasz Bońdos from Bydgoszcz City Hall, who spoke about the problems and challenges of energy management in the city and about the robotization of invoices as his city answer to some of these problems. His presentation aroused great interest among the audience, especially the specific organisational and financial benefits gained as a consequence of applying such a solution in Bydgoszcz. Barbara Rajkowska from the National Centre for Climate Change (IOŚ) presented the current requirements for the development and monitoring of  Municipal Adaptation Plans by cities of 20,000 inhabitants or more, as formulated in the law currently being drafted, as well as sources of funding for these activities.

Anna Fijas from the Association then invited the participants to a table session, during which they were able to benefit from the experiences of the guest speakers in smaller groups.

Piotr Hayder and Daniel Walczak from the National Centre for Climate Change (IOŚ), in reference to the topic of the last presentation, took up the challenging issue of creating clean transport zones in cities. With Romuald Meyer of the Pomeranian Consulting Group S.A., participants had the opportunity to talk about the economic and organizational aspects of using hydrogen in public transport. At the the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency (KAPE) table, it was possible to learn about the energy certificate system, which makes it possible to refinance a modernisation carried out on the basis of the savings achieved. Interested city representatives learned how to obtain support for financing investments improving energy efficiency using White Certificates. Meanwhile, Anna Fijas, project manager at the Association, invited local government officials to exchange their experiences in implementing the measures included in SECAP.

At the end of the first day of the seminar, a General Meeting of the Association's members was held, attended by representatives of the member municipalities and cities and other interested parties in joining.

The second day of the seminar was dedicated to the issue of energy poverty alleviation and building awareness among residents.

Aleksandra Prusak from the Institute for Structural Research discussed methods for diagnosing the problem of energy poverty at local level, stressing that conducting a survey, which is very costly in terms of time and money, will not provide a true picture of the situation. Therefore when researching this problem, it is better to use nationwide surveys or administrative data available in the municipality. Anna Fijas from the Association, moving from diagnosis to action, presented examples of local actions taken to protect vulnerable consumers in Poland and Europe. Assistance offered to local authorities within the framework of the EPAH - Energy Poverty Advisory Hub was presented by Izabela Kuśnierz from the Association, and details of the Technical Support Programme which provides the assistance to municipalities participating in pan-European competitions organised by the EPAH were showcased by Dimitra Drakaki from the European Energy Poverty Advisory Centre.

One of the tools useful in the fight against energy poverty is energy counselling, which enables residents to reduce their energy consumption without compromising their living comfort. More about such individual counselling for households, currently carried out in Bielsko-Biała as part of the Energy Measures programme, could have been learned from a presentation by Justyna Janosz from the Association.

After a short coffee break, participants again chose one of the topics they were interested in and discussed it in smaller groups.

Maria Belina-Brzozowska from the Stocznia Foundation shared her experience of involving residents in developing solutions to reduce energy poverty, as co-organiser of a nationwide process within which 45 local civic meetings on energy costs were held, and - with the participation of a wide range of partners from different fields - the first nationwide civic panel was organized entitled "How to counteract the problem of energy poverty?". Przemysław Major, Mayor of Cieszyn, talked about the public consultations, concerning the development of the city, conducted under the motto "Let's talk about Cieszyn", part of which were, for example, diagnostic walks.

At a table hosted by Marcin Jamrozik of Polowiec and Partners law company, participants discussed the legislative barriers to the development of cooperatives in Poland and their first experiences of creating energy communities.

Justyna Janosz from the Association presented various methods of engaging schools in emission reduction and climate protection activities, drawing on experiences from the EURONET 50/50 MAX, Każdy WAT na wagę złota, CLIKIS and Vision2045 projects.

The seminar "Sustainable development of cities and municipalities on the way to climate neutrality" was an excellent opportunity to broaden knowledge in the field of energy transition, mitigating energy poverty and activating citizens. New information, examples of successful measures and effective solutions, inspiration and new contacts will certainly help the participants to face energy and social challenges. We would like to thank all representatives of local authorities, NGOs, experts and speakers for their presence and involvement in the event and invite you to read the materials below.

Agenda

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Presentations

Day 1

1. Wyzwania stojące przed samorządami w kontekście klimatyczno-energetycznej polityki europejskiej i sytuacji geopolitycznej , Paweł MACHALSKI, Forum Rozwoju Energetyki Odnawialnej
2. Krajowe środki finansowania działań klimatu , Marcin JAMIOŁKOWSKI, NFOŚiGW
3. Porozumienie Burmistrzów i wsparcie instytucji europejskich dla samorządów - liderów transformacji energetycznej w Polsce , Iwona KOROHODA, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
4. Robotyzacja i automatyzacja zarządzania fakturami za media , Tomasz BOŃDOS, Urząd Miasta Bydgoszczy
5. Planowanie działań adaptacyjnych na poziomie krajowym i lokalnym , Barbara RAJKOWSKA, Krajowy Ośrodek Zmian Klimatu, Instytut Ochrony Środowiska - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy
6. Strefa czystego transportu - dialog, który Ci się przyda , Daniel WALCZAK, Piotr HAYDER, Krajowy Ośrodek Zmian Klimatu, Instytut Ochrony Środowiska - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy
7. Wykorzystanie wodoru jako nośnika energii w transporcie publicznym - aspekty organizacyjne i ekonomiczne , Romuald MEYER, Pomorska Grupa Konsultingowa S.A.
8. Realizacja działań w ramach SECAP w Bydgoszczy i Sztumie , Anna FIJAS, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
9. Przedsięwzięcia służące poprawie efektywności energetycznej i wsparcie w finansowaniu inwestycji z wykorzystaniem Białych Certyfikatów , David KUPCZYŃSKI, Jan BEDNARZ, KAPE

Day 2

1. Diagnoza problemu ubóstwa energetycznego w Polsce , Aleksandra PRUSAK, Instytut Badań Strukturalnych
2. Polskie i europejskie przykłady lokalnych działań w celu ochrony konsumenta wrażliwego , Anna FIJAS, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
3. Centrum Doradcze ds. Ubóstwa Energetycznego – oferta dla samorządów , Izabela KUŚNIERZ, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
4. Program Wsparcia Technicznego EPAH , Dimitra DRAKAKI, Europejskie Centrum Doradcze ds. Ubóstwa Energetycznego
5. Indywidualne doradztwo energetyczne dla gospodarstw domowych – program ENERGIA NA MIARĘ , Justyna JANOSZ, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
6. Włączanie mieszkańców w wypracowanie rozwiązań ograniczających ubóstwo energetyczne – panele obywatelskie , Maria BELINA-BRZOZOWSKA, Fundacja Stocznia
7. Angażowanie szkół w redukcję emisji i ochronę klimatu w mieście , Justyna JANOSZ, Stowarzyszenie Gmin Polska Sieć „Energie Cités”
8. Spółdzielnie energetyczne – teoria i praktyczne przykłady , Marcin JAMROZIK, Kancelaria Polowiec i Wspólnicy sp. j.

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