EUKI Success Stories
Every day, many exciting things happen in all the 179 EUKI projects that advance climate action in Europe. While many completed projects continue to have an impact, ongoing projects spark new progress. Some stories stand out from the multitude of activities because they are particularly successful, others stand out because they have made a small but significant difference. We have put together a selection of success stories from the EUKI community, which will continue to grow over time.
Making Energy Efficiency Accessible!
Through pilot trainings and workshops, EUKI project "EDINA" has educated more than 500 civil servants and representatives of housing associations on energy-efficient housing renovations. In over 100 Polish cities and municipalities, efficiency measures in private buildings have been initiated thereafter. A great support is also provided by their self-developed energy efficiency calculator, which is already being used by over 2000 users.
Mandatory Overtaking Distance 1.5m Approved!
EUKI project "Cyclurban+" advocated on the national level for improvements of cycling conditions in Czechia. A project’s policy brief presented how a mandatory safe passing distance of 1.5 meter can improve safety of cycling across the country and undecided members of parliament had been approached. There was a fierce discussion in the media about the law amendment with no definitive support in Czech Senate. However, the law amendment passed by a margin of one single vote!
Peatland Farming to Mitigate Climate Change
The Project “Carbon Capturing by Baltic Peatland Farmers” successfully staged more than 20 paludiculture product exhibitions in the Baltics. These exhibitions inform on the possibilities to use renewable biomass from paludicultures for construction, insulation or packaging materials. Products such as raw fibres, construction boards, insulation materials, paper or moulded form bodies, have been compiled and shown to the public.
More than 1900 people visited the exhibitions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at fairs, national parks, festivals, universities and along the road.
More than 1900 people visited the exhibitions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at fairs, national parks, festivals, universities and along the road.
A Database Bears Fruit
EUKI project ‘Directing EU funds towards climate neutrality’ gave recommendations to about 100 representatives of national and local governments, business groups and academics in 8 countries on the climate-friendly spending of 240 billion EUR in total. Through analysing 58 best practices from these countries, the team also formulated policy recommendations on public infrastructure investments that reached over 75 mio. people.
The Alpe-Adria Clean Transport Alliance Allied
Within 2 years, EUKI project ‘Alpe-Adria Clean Transport Alliance’ created a network of almost 300 organisations. Together they designed a toolbox enabling local governments in the 4 regions Styria, Croatian Adriatic, Slovenia and Montenegro to optimize the future locations of EV chargers. The databases of the toolbox will be expanded to 3 more regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia. Their best practice booklet features 22 examples of good practices in fostering the decarbonization of the road transport in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.
Where Do EU Funds Go?
The EUKI project "Directing EU Funds Towards Climate Neutrality" operates an interactive database listing only project examples from CEE that practice efficient climate protection. Already, more than 25 entries show where money is being invested that is advancing the energy transition. Already in the first ten months, the project has reached 56 million interested parties as well as acting politicians in 8 target countries. Through the growing transparency, EU funds can be distributed more efficiently and directed to climate-effective projects.
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.
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.
In 2021, 10 energy transition actions, including a participatory construction site on ecological renovation, were funded with support from the Franco-German Citizens' Fund.
Pedalling against Climate Change
15 organisations from Croatia, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia each developed 5-11 national and municipal policy recommendations for climate-friendly cycling policies as part of the Cyclurban project. All recommendations were accepted by the national authorities in the partner countries. The project has shown that despite common elements in the respective strategies, cities need to adapt existing methods and measures at the local level to make cycling a main pillar of climate-friendly mobility.
Taking Just Transition to the Next Level
More than 500 representatives from EU institutions, coal regions, companies, trade unions and NGOs gathered at the “EU Coal Regions in Transition Platform”. During the event, the EUKI project “Regions and Municipalities for a Just Transition” lifted the curtain for the findings of three reports on coal regions in Poland, Bulgaria and Greece. Project implementer WWF presented figures on jobs at risk and showed EU decision-makers the great potential for creating new jobs.
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.
A Breath of Fresh Air
"Clean Heat" developed a strategy to reduce air pollution in Poland. In the process, the Forum Energii team achieved sustainable results not only at the national, but also at the local level: The analyses conducted were published by the Polish Ministry of Climate in 2020 and contributed significantly to the decision to end coal in cities by 2030 and in villages by 2040.