On 26th October 2016, the subject of the 5th “coffee of the regions” of the European Academy of the Regions was the involvement of regions and cities in the future energy debate. Indeed the switch from fossil energy to renewable energy will also switch the level playing field from large global energy suppliers and brokers to local apartment buildings, houses and enterprises using their own energy and exchanging energy with the public grid.
These local players will require the involvement of local and regional authorities in the future in order to organize an efficient energy supply, without black outs.
EAR-AER is aware of this development and calls out to the various regional and local authorities to start considering this development and to look for best practices. It has been decided to deepen out the subject on the level of the Academy with the organization of new debate panels in the following working year of EAR-AER.
The board of EAR also decided to follow up this matter with representations of European regions in Brussels in view of their concepts for regional energy.
