The European People's Party in the Committee of the Regions supporting the Covenant of Mayors

"The signatories of the Covenant of Mayors compiled large quantities of experience and results in energy efficiency. The international, European, national and sub-national institutions should take stock of this and support concrete mechanisms which will allow sharing the experience of the Covenant of Mayors with our global partners." Michel Lebrun, Rapporteur on Resource Efficient Europe and 1st Vice-President of the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions

The Covenant of Mayors is based on European cooperation and involves local and regional authorities voluntarily committing to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on their territories.

In January 2008, after the adoption of the EU Climate and Energy Package, nearly 100 mayors from across Europe signed up to the Commission-backed Covenant of Mayors; a commitment by city leaders to go beyond the EU's own stated aim of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020, as a result of a 20% increase in energy efficiency and a 20% share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix.

Thanks to its unique characteristics - it is the only movement mobilising local and regional actors around the fulfilment of EU objectives - the Covenant of Mayors has been portrayed by European institutions as an exceptional model of multi-level governance.

Within the Covenant of the Mayors, signatories commit themselves to:

· Go beyond the objectives set by the EU for 2020, reducing the CO2 emissions in their respective territories by at least 20%, through the implementation of a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) for those areas of activity relevant to their mandates;

Measures and projects:

· Develop adequate administrative structures, including allocation of sufficient human resources, in order to undertake the necessary actions;

· Prepare a Baseline Emission Inventory as a basis for the Sustainable Energy Action Plan;

· Submit a SEAP within the year following the official adhesion to the Covenant of Mayors initiative;

· Submit an implementation report at least every second year after submission of their SEAP for evaluation, monitoring and verification purposes;

Additional commitments:

· Share experience and know-how with other local authorities;

· Organise Local Energy Days to raise citizens awareness of sustainable development and energy efficiency;

· Attend or contribute to the Covenant of Mayors annual ceremony, thematic workshops and discussion group meetings;

· Spread the message of the Covenant in the appropriate fora and, in particular, encourage other mayors to join the Covenant.

"Specific ways of extending the Covenant of Mayors to include key areas of the "Resource-Efficient Europe" Flagship Initiative, such as biodiversity and land use, waste and water management or air pollution" have to be considered. (CoR opinion on a Resource Efficient Europe, rapporteur: Michel Lebrun)

Who can participate?

The Covenant of Mayors is open to all local authorities democratically constituted of elected representatives, whatever their size or the stage of implementation of their energy and climate policies.

Cities, towns and other urban areas have a crucial role to play in mitigating climate change as they consume three quarters of the energy produced in the European Union and are responsible for a similar share of CO2 emissions. Local authorities are also in a position to change citizens' behaviour and address climate and energy questions in a comprehensive manner, notably by conciliating public and private interests and by integrating sustainable energy issues into overall local development goals. Currently, the Covenant of Mayors has more than three thousand signatories involving more than 144,335,191 inhabitants.

Promotional, technical and administrative assistance is provided on a daily basis to Covenant signatories and stakeholders by the Covenant of Mayors Office (CoMO). Funded by the European Commission, the CoMO is responsible for the overall coordination of the initiative.

For more information, visit www.eumayors.eu

Vidéo de présentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afZKrnBwowI