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

Sieger im Ideenwettbewerb für die Deutsch-Französische Energiewendewoche 2019

Project info

Countries:

France, Germany

Project duration:

10/17 - 06/19

Target groups:

-

Funding:

390,000.00 €

Contact info

Contact:

Peter Schilken

Implementing organisation
Partner:
  • Climate Alliance (CA)
  • KEA Klimaschutz- und Energieagentur Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Context

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.

State of Results

  • A total of 100 organizations – cities, municipalities, associations and energy agencies – from France and Germany took part in the Franco-German energy transition week. 83 events with more than 5000 participants were held in 70 French and German cities.
  • Cross-border lighthouse projects were presented to the participating cities: The cities of Metz and Worms jointly developed an escape game in which climate change must be averted, with a great response. The city tandem Ettlingen and Epernay presented their energy advice bus as part of the energy transition week. The bus will be on the move alternately in both cities to advise citizens on ways to improve energy efficiency in their houses. The local television broadcaster Baden-TV published a report on this action with French subtitles. In addition, the cross-border climate festival “Eco 2 Rives – Green and Boundless” took place in Strasbourg and Kehl. Film screenings were organized in Besançon and Freiburg.
  • The conference “Pioneer Regions of the Energy Transition in Germany and France”, which took place in Montreuil (Paris) in September 2018, had around 120 participants, mostly representatives of the local authorities. The opportunities to exchange experiences and the mutual suggestions for future projects were particularly valued. Both existing partnerships were consolidated through successful project implementation and new ones were established.

Last update: December 2024

Success Stories

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.

Local Energy Transition in a City Tandem

In 2019, the first "Franco-German Energy Transition Week" took place in 70 cities in France and Germany. A second virtual edition was organized in 2021 by Energy Cities. The project launched the "Tandem" initiative, in which 15 French-German climate action partnerships are now leading local energy transition projects in their cities and communities. The cities of Metz and Worms were elected ‘champion partnership’ in 2019. They developed an Escape Game on climate change and conducted a joint study on heat islands and climate oases. In 2021, 10 energy transition actions, including a participatory construction site on ecological renovation, were funded with support from the Franco-German Citizens' Fund.

Climate Change Mitigation Concerns Us All

Over 5,000 local people took part in a wide range of activities organized as part of the Franco-German Energy Transition week. 100 organizations conducted a total of 83 events in 70 French and German cities. People are enthusiastic about borderless climate action – and the topic is very much in line with the European ideal of cooperation.

More about this project

Publications