ABOUT BELIEF

  What is BELIEF?

BELIEF - Building in Europe Local Intelligent Energy Forums - is a European project co-financed by the European Commission under the Intelligent Energy - Europe programme. BELIEF promotes the Sustainable Energy Communities concept at European scale and focus more closely at 20 communities from 11 European countries.

All BELIEF communities:

 Involve relevant local stakeholders & citizens in the creation of their Local Intelligent Energy Forum.

 Together with local actors they prepare or adapt a sustainable energy action plan in line with a financial plan containing sufficient economic resources to implement their local initiatives and activities.

 Identify and exchange good practice methodologies and tools.

 Disseminate information, shining examples, results, methodologies and tools to European local authorities focusing on New Member States.

Currently the communities are implementing concrete actions on their territory together with their local partners.

  Why BELIEF?

The 20 BELIEF Communities are proving that:

 Working together with local partners is a “visionary” way to act… producing optimised and sustainable results…

 The BELIEF approach is one of the best participative processes to help reach the 3x20% EU energy & climate objectives by 2020 at local level

 Local authorities are at the most relevant level for the implementation of sustainable energy policies. Forming Sustainable Energy Communities improves local policy making, promotes local energy citizenship and stimulates local sustainable energy markets.

  What are the concrete results?

• Creation of a group of local EU pioneers showing new ways for the future.
• Improved capacity of the 20 BELIEF communities involved.
• An EU replicable concept in line with the EU priorities on energy, sustainability, competitiveness and innovation.
• More advanced experiences to provide knowledge and know-how to the less advanced communities via the exchange of good practice.
• Information and methodologies widely disseminated throughout Europe, demonstrating that new ways can be generalised everywhere.
• Significant improvement of the existing levels of energy efficiency and use of RES in the 20 BELIEF communities thus bringing together local stakeholders and facilitating the way forward for larger scale investments.

  How do we spread the BELIEF concept around Europe?

BELIEF disseminates the Sustainable Energy Communities concept in European local authorities mainly through the:

• Organisation of 8 workshops and 2 large international conferences.
• Preparation and dissemination of 20 shining examples, methodologies, tools and publications (incl. a recommendation guide, e-Newsletters).

  Get inspired!!!

Do you want to replicate the BELIEF concept in your community?

Open this Guide and learn:
 Why Forum proved to be a "visionary" and successful way to act at local level.
 How to organise a Forum and develop an action Plan.
 What do elected representatives and local stakeholders of 20 communities think about this approach.