EU local and regional authorities contributing to the
Mid-term review of Europe 2020
Assessment of the Resource Efficient Europe flagship initiative
Three years after its launch, the Committee of the Regions will take stock of the Resource Efficient Europe flagship initiative at a conference to be held on 2-3 September 2013 in Vilnius. This conference will be the sixth in a series of 7 CoR events and monitoring initiatives on the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014. More news on this conference may be found on the CoR's website[1].
By participating in this survey, you will:
- ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference;
- contribute to the 4th CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013;
- contribute to the CoR's consultative activity in this area over the coming months;
- contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.
If you wish to participate in this survey, Please complete this questionnaire in any eu language, using the spaces provided, and return it in text format to:
by 28 June 2013
For more information on this survey and for details of how to join the
Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to:
http://portal.cor.europa.eu/europe2020/
The questionnaire is available on this website in all official languages of the EU
You can find more information on Resource Efficient Europe, as seen from the local and regional authorities' viewpoint, in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities[2]. General information on Europe 2020 may be found on the strategy's official website[3].
Contributor information[4]
Name of sender: / José Luis Pascual CriadoContact details:
(address, telephone, email) / Email:
Tel.: 0034 630 027 097
On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / EGTC DUERO DOURO
Type of organisation / City/Town/Municipality Region
County/Province Association of local and/or regional authorities
Other (please specify) European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation
Country: / Spain and Portugal
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform: / Yes No
Covenant of Mayors signatory: / Yes No
Covenant of Mayors Territorial Coordinator / Yes No
Policy challenges and responses at regional and local level
BOX 1 – Resource Efficient Europe: basic informationResource efficiency means using the Earth's limited resources — metals, minerals, fuels, water, land, timber, fertile soil, clean air and biodiversity — in a sustainable manner. Increasing resource efficiency can secure growth and jobs by stimulating technological innovation, boosting employment in the fast developing 'green technology' sector and opening up new export markets. It can also benefit consumers through more sustainable products.
The Resource Efficient Europe Flagship Initiative was adopted in 2010, as an integral part of the Europe 2020 strategy under the sustainable growth pillar, to "help decouple economic growth from the use of resources, support the shift towards a low carbon economy, increase the use of renewable energy sources, modernise our transport sector and promote energy efficiency"[5]. It sets out a framework to help ensure that long-term strategies in areas such as climate change, energy, transport, industry, raw materials, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity, water and waste management, land use and regional development all deliver results in the area of resource efficiency[6] in order to:
- boost economic performance while reducing resource use;
- identify and create new opportunities for economic growth and greater innovation and boost the EU's competitiveness;
- ensure the security of supply of essential resources;
- fight against climate change and limit the environmental impact of resource use.
The Flagship Initiative was outlined in four long-term roadmaps with a 2050 horizon, respectively on climate[7], energy[8], transport[9] and resource-efficiency[10], issued in 2011, and a number of other policy initiatives with a 2020 perspective[11], covering the following aspects:
· Promoting sustainable consumption and production by setting “appropriate” price signals, providing consumers with relevant environmental information, establishing minimum environmental performance standards and putting in place incentives to reward efficient businesses;
· Turning waste into resources through more targeted recycling and re-use, separate collection and energy recovery, with landfilling to be virtually eliminated;
· Supporting more research and innovation focusing on resource efficiency goals;
· Phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies, getting prices right and shifting from taxation of labour to environmental taxation;
· Better valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services by public authorities and businesses;
· Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services;
· Promoting better management of water resources;
· Improving air quality standards;
· Better management of land-use, soils and marine waters.
The Committee of the Regions adopted its opinion on "A resource-efficient Europe – flagship initiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy"[12] in October 2011.
A European Resource Efficiency Platform (EREP)[13] has been set by the European Commission in order to provide high-level guidance to the European Commission, Member States, local and regional authorities, and private actors on the transition process towards a more resource-efficient economy.
In December 2012, the EREP issued its "Manifesto for A Resource-Efficient Europe"[14], identifying the following actions:
1. Encouraging innovation and accelerating public and private investment in resource-efficient technologies, systems and skills, as well as SMEs;
2. Implementing, applying and adopting smart regulation, standards and codes of conduct that a) create a level playing-field, b) reward front-runners and c) accelerate the transition, and d) take into account the social and international implications of our actions.
3. Abolishing environmentally harmful subsidies and shifting the tax burden away from jobs to encourage resource-efficiency;
4. Creating better market conditions for products and services that have lower impacts across their life-cycles, and that are durable, repairable and recyclable, inspiring sustainable life-styles by informing and incentivising consumers;
5. Integrating wider policy areas, such as in the fields of transport, food, water and construction.
6. Adopting policy goals to achieve a resource-efficient economy and society by 2020, setting targets that give a clear direction and indicators to measure progress relating to the use of land, materials, water and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as biodiversity.
1) What are the main challenges currently facing your region/city in terms of (i) the more efficient use of resources, (ii) the shift towards a low carbon economy, (iii) energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources, (iv) the modernisation of the transport sector, (v) the change in producers' and consumers' behaviour (see Box 1)?
Multiple answers possible.
X more efficient use of resources
☐ shift towards a low carbon economy
☐ energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources
☐ modernisation of the transport sector
X change in producers' and consumers' behaviour
Please explain.
Our EGTC is located on the border between Spain and Portugal in a mainly rural area that contains nine protected natural sites. The region has a significant development lag and suffers from a severe lack of services, complicated by the fact that although consumers understand that an effort is needed in the short-term to ensure sustainability, they always think it is others who should be taking action. In this rural area we also face problems of efficiency at the border, since the cost of resources is different on the Spanish and Portuguese sides and there are no systems in place allowing supply to be organised jointly.
2) Which of the aims of the Resource Efficient Europe flagship initiative (listed in Box 1) are most relevant in view of the challenges currently facing your city/region?
Multiple answers possible.
X Boost economic performance while reducing resource use
X Identify and create new opportunities at local level for economic growth and greater innovation and boost the EU's competitiveness
☐ Ensure the security of supply of essential resources
☐ Fight against climate change and limit the environmental impacts of resource use
Please explain.
For instance, we are implementing a public-private cooperation agreement between some 100 town halls and energy service companies, with the authorities all having set up a single energy consumption centre with the aim of making themselves competitive and attractive to suppliers. This will enable them to install state-of-the-art, hyper-efficient technology which will allow savings of over 75% compared with current electricity consumption. This substantial economy will eventually make them sustainable, as well as obviously generating new opportunities for economic growth based on improved competitiveness.
3) The CoR opinion[15] on Resource Efficient Europe focuses on i) low-carbon, resource-efficient transport and energy systems; ii) sustainable consumption and production; iii) zero-waste economy; iv) efficient use of raw materials (minerals, forests and biomass); v) biodiversity, ecosystem services and land use.
Has your city/region adopted policies in the following fields of resource efficiency? Which actions has it applied (innovation/investments, regulations, modifying subsidies, others as identified by EREP in box 1)?
Multiple answers possible.
☐ low-carbon, resource-efficient transport
☐ low-carbon, resource efficient energy systems
X sustainable consumption and production
☐ zero-waste economy
☐ efficient use of raw materials (minerals, forests and biomass)
X biodiversity, ecosystem services and land use
Please explain.
Sustainable consumption and production, as indicated, in relation to street lighting for almost one hundred towns. As regards biodiversity, 103 small-scale projects are under way to improve the ecosystem, based on specific measures for run-down areas that will be an example for the general public.
4) The Resource Efficient Europe flagship initiative recognises and promotes the interdependency of environmental, economic and social policies.
Have the policies adopted by your city/region (as stated in your answer to question 3), been interlinked as part of an integrated framework? If yes, please describe in brief, highlighting their mutual interlinks and potential synergies.
Measures initiated by the local population dovetail with the strategic plan drawn up by the EGTC. The regional and national governments are actively involved in initiatives to achieve energy efficiency.
5) The Resource Efficient Europe Flagship Initiative contributes to the process of reaching the headline targets set under the sustainable growth pillar of the Europe 2020 Strategy for energy and climate change:
· Greenhouse gas emissions 20% lower than 1990 (or even 30% if the conditions are right)
· 20% of energy from renewables
· 20% increase in energy efficiency
To what extent are these targets feasible based on your local situation?
20% GHG X Highly feasible ☐ Fairly feasible ☐ Not feasible
20% RES ☐ Highly feasible X Fairly feasible ☐ Not feasible
20% EE X Highly feasible ☐ Fairly feasible ☐ Not feasible
Please explain.
......
6) The Covenant of Mayors[16]. – currently counting over 4,500 signatories - is a voluntary commitment by local and regional authorities to meet and exceed the EU 20% CO2 reduction objective through increased energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy sources.
Beyond energy and climate change, regions and cities have an important role to play in fostering resource efficiency. They can invest in green buildings, sustainable water and waste management, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting cleaner modes of transport and oversee the protection of ecosystems.
Do you consider this type of dissemination and networking platform to be a useful initiative? If yes, would your city/region be in favour of expanding the approach of the Covenant of Mayors framework to other key areas of the Resource Efficient Europe flagship initiative, such as biodiversity and land use, waste and water management or air pollution, provided that relevant EU targets are identified?
☐ Biodiversity and land use
☐ Waste management
☐ Water management
☐ Air pollution
☐ Others
Please explain.
......
7) The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (see Box 1) sets out the following milestones to be reached by 2020 for the three key sectors which are responsible for 70-80% of all environmental impact:
· Food - 20% reduction in the food chain’s resource inputs,
· Buildings – all new buildings to be nearly practically zero-energy and highly material efficient; 2% renovation rate per year for existing building stock; 70% of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste to be recycled.
· Mobility - an average 1% annual reduction in transport GHG emissions starting from 2012.
To what extent are these milestones appropriate to your local situation?
Food ☐ Highly appropriate X Fairly appropriate ☐ Not appropriate
Buildings ☐ Highly appropriate X Fairly appropriate ☐ Not appropriate
Mobility ☐ Highly appropriate X Fairly appropriate ☐ Not appropriate
Please explain.
Since our region is rural, these issues are not very relevant to us. Obviously we can take part, but we cannot evaluate them.
How is the Resource Efficient Europe relevant to your city or region?
8) Which of the policies of the Roadmap to Resource Efficient Europe (presented in Box 1) are most relevant to your specific local/regional situation?.Multiple answers possible.
☐ Promoting sustainable consumption and production
☐ Turning waste into resources
☐ Supporting more research and innovation in the area of resource efficiency
☐ Phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies, getting prices right
X Better valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services
X Halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services
X Promoting better management of water resources
☐ Improving air quality standards
☐ Better management of land-use, soils and marine waters
Please explain.
Our answer shows that we are safeguarding the value of rural areas and our continuing existence as a global resource, given the wealth of natural assets, biodiversity and water resources in our regions. If these are protected with the involvement of the local population, we will be well on the way to achieving the major strategic objectives.
9) Which of the actions under the European Resource Efficiency flagship initiative, as identified in the EREP's manifesto (set out in Box 1), are the most difficult to achieve in your city/region?
Multiple answers possible.
☐ Innovation and investment
☐ Regulation
☐ Subsidies
☐ Products and services
☐ Policy integration
X Targets for policy goals
Please explain.
Policy targets never take rural needs into consideration, as we are insignificant in voting terms.
10) Overall, what are the strong and weak points of the Resource Efficient Europe Flagship Initiative, as seen from your regional/local standpoint?
Strong points: the detail with which needs have been established. Weak points: absolute lack of any obligation to implement strategic decisions.
11) Would you recommend any specific changes to the Resource Efficient Europe Flagship Initiative, in the context of the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2014?
Please explain
Any initiative should be accompanied by more specific targets that should not be spread over many years; although it makes sense for major objectives to cover long periods, smaller goals should be maintained with shorter time frames that are easier to evaluate, making more people interested in and committed to the initiative. We should remember that we are living in a high-speed age and it must be made easy for people to get involved.
Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?