Central and Eastern European Sustainable Energy Union

ended

The main goal of the CEESEU project is to build the capacity of public administrators in Central and Eastern Europe to develop Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) that promote increased energy efficiency, sustainable energy, reduced carbon emissions and improved climate change adaptability, helping the region to contribute towards meeting the EU's climate goals. CEE municipalities have lagged behind their Western European counterparts in developing SECAPs due to a number of reasons such as a lack of awareness and interest in the planning process, lack of expertise, capacity and access to resources as well as the need for outreach strategies or procedural changes by EU level actors, such as the Covenant of Mayors (CoM), that will better address the unique circumstances of the CEE. To address these concerns, the CEESEU project will: - Create training materials and train local public administrators in the CEE on developing and implementing SECAPs, taking into account the specific contexts of CEE communities; - Guide CEE municipalities in engaging with stakeholders and carrying out multi-level governance to develop SECAPs; - Guide CEE municipalities in financing and implementing SECAP actions; - Improve engagement between public administrators in the CEE and with the EU; - Offer guidance to the CoM and other EU actors on how to better reach and serve the needs of CEE municipalities in the development and implementation of SECAPs. As a result of the CEESEU project, several important longer-term impacts will be achieved: - 650 GWh of energy savings by the end of the project; - Improved capacity and skills of at least 645 public administrators in CEE municipalities; - Better alignment of national and regional development plans with SECAPs in the CEESEU countries and improved national and regional sustainable energy and energy efficiency policies; - At least 25 mln Euros of sustainable energy and climate change adaptation investments.