Franco-German Energy Transition Week
The project is completed. It has brought together municipalities from Germany and France to work together at local level to advance the energy transition. This included the organisation of a conference and the cross-border Energy Transition Week 2019.
Buildings Energy Efficiency Energy Transition and Climate-Neutral Buildings Renewable Energy
Project info
France, Germany
10/17 - 06/19
-
390,000.00 €
Contact info
Peter Schilken
- Energy Cities
- Climate Alliance (CA)
- KEA Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Background
With the Paris Climate Agreement, the 197 countries that signed it committed to changing the global economy in a climate-friendly way. Germany and France fundamentally support international efforts to achieve this goal and both countries have launched national climate protection programmes. The first concrete Franco-German climate partnerships emerged in 2014 with the TANDEM project, which is funded by both governments and coordinated by the European city networks Energy Cities and Climate Alliance.
Project
The EUKI project was responsible for the organisation and implementation of a cross-border climate conference and the “Franco-German Energy Week”.
The Energy Week was organised for the first time in January 2019. The aim and content was to develop awareness-raising measures that were as creative as they were easy to implement. As part of an idea’s competition, several cities and associations were awarded for planning measures together with a partner in the respective other country to advance the energy transition. The actions were financially supported by the project. In addition, other cities and associations were motivated to organise an energy transition week. All actions and measures are presented on the project website.
Participants of the conference “Pioneer Regions of the Energy Transition in Germany and France” exchanged views on topics related to the local energy transition and drew comparisons on different approaches and methods for saving energy or protecting the climate in municipalities in both countries. At the end, there was a call for closer cooperation at national, regional and local level with the involvement of the private sector.
Results
- Visible commitment and public interest: More than 5,000 people took part in 83 events during the Franco-German Energy Transition Week in 70 cities, demonstrating their keen interest in working together locally on the energy transition. A broad alliance of 100 institutions from Germany and France – including local authorities, energy agencies and associations – was involved in organising the week.
- ‘In the Ettlingen–Épernay city tandem, an energy advice bus toured between the two cities, offering citizens practical tips on energy-efficient renovation – a tangible contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions in the building sector.’
- High-profile formats: The climate festival ‘Eco2Rives – green and borderless’ in Strasbourg and Kehl, as well as film screenings in Besançon and Freiburg, were further high-profile formats that raised awareness of the energy transition and encouraged local engagement.
- Long-term cooperation: The conference ‘Pioneering Regions of the Energy Transition’ in Montreuil (Paris) brought together 120 municipal experts and managers. The intensive exchange led to the deepening of existing partnerships. The conference provided impetus for the transfer of know-how from the neighbouring country in line with local conditions – a step towards the long-term institutionalisation of cooperation.
More about the project
YouTube videos about the conference can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o52A3d8BSk
Last update: February 2026