In recent years we have exploited the opportunities available to a municipality for influencing energy policy to the full – but we have also had to learn that, from a local authority point of view, better and more binding national and international framework conditions are crucial if we’re to take all the necessary steps to effective climate protection.
Local people expect practical measures to improve their urban environment and quality of life. The EU ‘CONCERTO’ programme supports local authorities in striving to meet these expectations in the crucial energy sector. Municipalities welcome CONCERTO’s integrative approach involving both energy suppliers and consumers, and the keys to the project’s success also include involving politicians, city administrations and other stakeholders such as municipal energy utilities and the large housing construction companies, and engaging professional, highly competent project managers along with qualified city administration personnel to implement measures.
136 apartments have been retrofitted for energy efficiency since 2006, Hannover’s largest open-air swimming pool has been fitted with a solar thermal water heating system, and campaigns and training schemes have been carried out on building sites. We are looking at the results of these and upcoming measures to identify success factors and obstacles and help us design solutions for the future; the experience from Concerto will be fed into the City of Hannover’s new climate protection action programme for the years 2008-2020, such as setting modernisation standards for older buildings. |
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This newsletter presents highlights and results from all Concerto consortia in the last six months. They offer excellent examples of how municipalities can work together successfully with project partners and the European Commission to create cities fit for the future. I am delighted that Hannover is part of this project, and that we can share our experiences with our international partner cities in the act2 programme and all the other consortia. With many years of experience in applying sustainable urban development, especially at the Kronsberg city district, the City of Hannover can make a strong contribution to supporting local authorities throughout Europe.
I also hope that cooperation between European cities will be further strengthened, to extend sharing of experience with intelligent and sustainable energy policies. For this we need the support of the European Commission, which in its turn has an excellent opportunity to involve European cities as partners in a continental energy strategy.
Yours sincerely,
 Hans Mönninghoff
Director of Environmental and Economic Affairs
City of Hannover |
