Towards climate neutrality and better quality of life in Polish cities – multi-level dialogue
On 7-8 October, representatives from nine Polish municipalities, the Ministry of Climate, the national funding authority and selected experts convened for a multi-level dialogue to exchange on good practices, challenges and changes needed for moving towards climate neutrality in local communities.
Led by the partners PNEC, Guidehouse and adelphi, the ‘vertical workshop’ was organised as part of the BEACON project with a view to connect local and national decision-makers. 25 participants joined the hybrid event both online and in-person in Warsaw. After a coordinated exchange among local representatives, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment kicked-off the second session of the workshop with an overview on the current European initiatives with the German EU council presidency as context to the discussions. For the Polish Ministry of Climate, Mr. Wojciech Augustowski presented the national policy and funding framework to support the carbon neutral transformation in local communities and highlighted the value of such multi-level formats:
“Bringing together key actors from all levels of government, the vertical workshop was a great opportunity to stimulate dialogue with municipalities, voivodships and experts. Exchanging on good practices and challenges to develop joint approaches is key for the transformation towards carbon-neutral cities with a high quality of life.”
Further Information
The presentations from the participating municipalities on their achievements and ambitions for emission reductions, sustainable energy and clean air are available for download:
In dedicated working sessions, participants then turned to discuss their experiences, medium-term ambitions and remaining barriers in the areas of renewable energy production, energy efficiency and clean air. Joint avenues and recommendations for moving forward with regards to the policy framework, support programmes and collaboration were developed for each of the sector areas and subsequently consolidated and prioritised.
Amongst other points, these comprised demands for a clear long-term perspective to enhance certainty for investments in renewables and energy efficiency, strengthening support and incentives for renewable heating sources, better enabling prosumers and expanding consultations across governance levels. The consolidated outcomes will be fed back to local and national administrations to be considered in the next steps.
