Climate Action Connecting Europe

We support the realisation of ideas to accelerate climate action in Europe. Funding will be awarded following a Europe-wide call for project ideas that we put out every year.

About us

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) launched the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) in 2017 to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and advance cooperation on climate action in Europe. Since then, we have funded 203 cross-border climate projects and created an active network with 438 organisations in 31 European countries.

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From the EUKI Projects

New Climate and Energy Management for 12 Municipalities

Municipalities often lack knowledge and support helping them with climate action although they can effectively reduce greenhouse emissions on a large scale. The project “Empower Climate” supported 12 Czech and Slovak municipalities in establishing aa Climate and Energy Management (CEM) to reduce local energy consumption. The CEM includes a Climate and Energy Capacity Training program, the certification of Climate and Energy Managers as "ambassadors" for climate action, and a Climate and Energy Management Network (CEMN). Through the network, Czech, German, and Slovak cities now share their experiences and help each other reducing greenhouse emissions.

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It All Starts in Their Forests

Natural carbon sinks as forests play a crucial role in reducing atmospheric CO2. The project “Forests for Future” developed forest management guidelines for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Slovenia and reached almost 112.000 people, including forest estate owners and forestry professionals. More than 360 of them have also been trained in optimising and managing carbon sinks in their own forests. Cause in the end, that’s where climate change mitigation starts.

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Rural Municipalities Become Role Models for Sustainability

The project "Green Rural Deal" enabled residents of rural Greece, Kosovo, and Serbia to take the sustainable development of their home regions into their own hands. The Serbian municipality of Priboj developed, among others, a sustainability plan which includes the decarbonisation of the local public heating system and the construction of a bicycle track with charging stations for e-bikes and e-scooters. To evaluate these policies and measures, the project also developed two online tools which are already used by 22 other chambers of entrepreneurs, municipalities, universities, and other drivers of sustainability in the region.

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Agenda Setting for Climate Action

While many scientists struggle to present their research in a simple way, journalists are often lacking access to scientific expertise. The project “Science & Journalism for Climate Action” paired the two groups and initiated partnerships between 152 journalists and scientists in Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Hungary. What a match! More than 90 media channels in South-eastern Europe picked up their joint research and published 370 TV reports, newspaper stories and online articles on climate action related topics. The project spurred the climate debate in the region and forged long-term cross-border collaboration between science and media.

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See, feel, change!

A rolling Climate Museum tours through 20 cities in Lithuania and Latvia, and encourages people to take climate action. More than 30.000 people have already visited the mobile exhibition and learned about their personal impact on climate change. The innovative EUKI project won the 2022 Baltic Sustainability Award 2022 in the changemaker category and the International Youth Karlspreis in 2023. Keep it rolling!

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Climate Action on Cargo Bikes

EUKI project Cyclurban+ set up three pilot cargo bike rentals in Brno (Czech Republic), Tartu (Estonia) and Bratislava (Slovakia). The City of Tartu decided to continue running the cargo bike rental scheme after the pilot period and digitalised the system. The rental enables Tartu to continuously reduce its CO2 emissions as many transport trips in and around the city are now done with cargo bikes instead of cars.

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Green Entrepreneurship

Just one year after the project started, the EUKI project "Panda Labs Junior for Just Transition" receives strategic support for its work from a Macedonian municipality and two Bulgarian cities. In Bitola, Macedonia, home to the largest coal-fired power plant in the country, a collaboration was signed with EUKI partner organisation JA Macedonia to promote a just transition to decarbonisation and green entrepreneurship. In the Bulgarian cities of Kyustendil and Pernik, WWF Bulgaria achieved that the cooperation will involve communities, schools and youth in decision-making processes in the future and support them in further climate action activities throughout the EUKI project.

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Escaping the Climate Crisis with Good Ideas

Visitors of Escape Games in Worms and Metz could time travel from the future into 2019 to stop the climate crisis. Film fans enjoyed the green and borderless "Eco 2 Rives" film festival in the French and German neighbouring cities Straßburg and Kehl. These and 16 other actions were implemented as part of the ideas competition of the Franco-German Energy Transition Week; most of them in a cross-border tandem.

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Signatures for a Just Transition

A "Forum of Mayors on Just Transition” was established with 72 mayors from European coal-mining regions signing to a Declaration on Just Transition. It took place in Kozani (Greece) in 2018, in Weisswasser (Germany) 2019, in Bytom and Konin (Poland) in 2020 and 2021. Continuity, Communality and Fairness are the drivers of change urged by EUKI project “Regions and Municipalities for a Just Transition”.

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Unlocking Low Cost Renewables

The study “Unlocking Low Cost Renewables in South East Europe” by EUKI financed project “South East Europe Energy Transition Dialogue” demonstrated how a few political and financial measures can help to strongly “de-risk” investment in renewables. Its cost could be lowered by stunning 20%. For example, the cost for onshore wind could fall to 46 EUR/MWh in Greece, well below the cost of fossil power plant projects. The de-risking measures with the highest impact include the EU budget guarantee mechanism, reliable, long-term renewables remuneration regimes and long-term renewables targets. The recommendations were discussed with decision makers both bilaterally as well as during a final project workshop in June 2021.

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