EVENTS

BELIEF is preparing the ground for a larger dissemination of the Sustainable Energy Communities concept in European local authorities. This is being done through different activities including the organisation of the following events:

International conferences

As part of the dissemination plan, two prominent BELIEF conferences were organised during the project:

BELIEF launch conference

The project was officially launched on 23-24 March 2006 in the presence of Pedro Ballesteros from the European Commission – DG TREN. The conference took place in the cities of Zoetermeer & Delft (NL) that are well known to be active in sustainable energy policy making. A large audience of more than 250 European representatives attended the conference that was open to all European local authorities and interested bodies.

Conference presentations
Photo Gallery (see at the end)

BELIEF final conference

The event took place between 9-11 April 2008 in Cork (Ireland).

Recent experiences and ideas exchanged, friendly discussions about local energy Forums and proud presentations of the results achieved... that was the last common meeting of the BELIEF partners.

This conference provided the occasion to present two main outcomes from the BELIEF project:
a 10 minute video produced by the EACI featuring Heidelberg and Dunkirk as good examples of local communities promoting sustainable energy at local level,
the BELIEF recommendation guide titled “Involve stakeholders and citizens in your local energy policy – Turn over a new LIEF!” (see below).

Participants from the New Member States, Ukraine and Croatia discussed how to replicate the energy Forum concept in their countries and integrate the participative approach idea to future initiatives and projects. a The BELIEF Forum concept was applied during Energie-Cités’ Annual Rendezvous workshops where the cities of Modena, Heidelberg, Almada, Frankfurt am Main, Rennes and others presented their experiences in dynamic and interactive forums. They definitely attracted attention with their pretty bow-ties!

In the evening, everybody enjoyed the gala dinner accompanied by typical Irish music and dances and discussed ideas for their next local Forum over a pint of Irish Guinness.

More information and conference presentations

Workshops for BELIEF Communities

The main objective of these workshops was the exchange of know-how and the valorisation of experience gained by the 20 BELIEF communities in order to reinforce their capacity on the following topics:

How to create, run and measure the efficiency of Local Intelligent Energy Forums and how to evaluate local energy policy making.
How to define an energy strategy for the whole area: definition of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan, involvement of the stakeholders in the process, financial support to mobilise, etc.
How to involve and stimulate the market sector in Local Intelligent Energy Forums and mobilise funds to reach a critical mass - industry, transport companies, financial institutions, etc.
The energy citizenship: a real challenge for Local Intelligent Energy Forums: how to get NGOs on board, how to develop awareness raising and communication campaigns, educate children, etc.

List of workshops:

1. Rimini (IT), 08-09 November 2007

Programme, participant list, minutes

Presentations

2. Sevilla (ES), 21-22 June 2007

Programme, participant list, minutes

Presentations

3. Bratislava (SK), 13-14 February 2007

Programme, participant list, minutes

Presentations

4. Rennes (FR), 14-15 June 2006

Programme, participant list, minutes

Presentations

Workshops for New Member States and Candidate Countries

Remarkable initiatives have been developed over recent years creating energy efficient communities, local renewable energy production, car-free or even “zero fossil fuel” towns. This is often the result of the strong partnership between public, private and community stakeholders who support a long-term community strategy.

These workshops were dedicated to all municipal representatives, energy agencies, citizens, businesses, industries, community organisations and public authorities who wanted to learn about how to create, organise and run a local energy Forum in their communities. At these workshops, local actors met, discussed and prepared together a draft Sustainable Energy Action Plan. Each partner then helped to implement this Plan.

Experienced European municipalities proved that local energy Forums are very effective ways to implement sustainable energy initiatives and projects and to define common long-term strategies. They brought many benefits not only for the cities present but also for the partners involved in the process.

Workshop outcomes: The participants in the workshops were the local stakeholders from different backgrounds (municipalities, private companies, NGOs, etc.). During the working group sessions they produced a List of demands/offers which is summarizing what projects the municipalities intend to do in the field of energy and what kind of help they need from potential partners (demands). Other participants offered their services to help municipalities to implement their projects (offers). Should you wish to contribute to the lists, do not hesitate to contact us.

Should you wish to meet potential partners for your future activities, please select the workshop you are interested in and contact the workshop organiser.

List of the workshops:

1. Warsaw (PL), 26-27 November 2007 - for participants from Poland

Programme (en)

Program (pl)

List of participants

List of offers/demands (English version)

2. Brasov (RO), 25 April 2007 - for participants from Romania and Bulgaria.

List of offers/demands (English version)

List of offers/demands (Romanian version)