Integrated planning for regional and local climate action session REG+ Policy Talks series

There are several references for local climate transition plans and strategies at the European level, covering both mitigation and adaptation/resilience. However, Local and Regional  Authorities (LRAs) lack resources and capacities to implement all of them. Having separate planning processes can also lead to the creation of silos, making it more difficult to implement systemic approaches. 

The objective of this policy talk is to contribute to the reflections of the “What policy framework for climate resilient LRAs” series. More specifically, this session will focus on LRAs struggles in navigating the different planning frameworks available at the EU level. In particular, the SECAPs, the Climate City Contracts and the Pathways 2 Resilience methodology.  

At the end of the session, we aim to have at least one policy recommendation on how the EU policy framework can support LRAs navigating all these planning processes. It’s also an opportunity to provide a space for exchange between RLAs, experts and EU policy makers. 

One representative of each initiative will present its approach and highlight synergies and overlaps with other initiatives. To complement these presentations, we will have the perspective of cities/regions having experience with the three approaches. They will reflect on the challenges they faced, but also on the benefits and barriers of each initiative. We will also invite a representative from IN-PLAN project to share their experience and discuss their policy recommendations. The session will be moderated by REGEA, an energy and climate agency which supports local authorities in all three planning frameworks.  

Attendees welcomed: LRAs staff and their advisors, such as energy and climate agencies working on climate resilience/adaptation planning, planning experts working on climate adaptation/resilience, EU decision makers, members of the Committee of the Regions.