EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/157

(2004/C 78 E/0161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2708/03

by Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: City-Res Network project

The aims of the City-Res Network project included the exchange of information and good practices and raising awareness with regard to the use of alternative energies in the major cities of the European Union. It received Community funding of EUR 200 000 and ended in 2000. Could the Commission indicate what the results of this project were, which European cities were involved, what events were organised and how the funds were spent?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(23 October 2003)

The City-Res project referred to by the Honourable Member and co-financed under the Altener II programme for an amount of EUR 200 000 (1997 budget) as he mentions, started in 1998 and ended in 2000. It aimed at setting up a Union-wide network for promotion of renewable energy applications in urban areas, and bringing both existing members of the association ‘Energie-Cités’, and further cities, on board (1).

The tasks proposed and subsequently fulfilled were:

— in particular monitoring of Altener I (1993-1997) and II (1998-2002) municipal projects in general,

— setting up a monitoring centre for existing initiatives,

— providing a dissemination service on the Altener programme targeted principally at municipal officials,

— creation and ongoing co-ordination of an experience exchange network,

— the organisation of a relevant event (seminar in the spring of 2000 in Verona).

As provided in the work programme, 50 case studies within the theme of the project on cities had been completed by March 2000, and the CD-ROM containing them distributed at the Verona meeting, and also made available on the internet. A successor project, a brief description of which follows, resulted in an updated and greatly expanded version of this CD-ROM, containing 105 Best-Practice case studies in Union cities. The Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

This follow-up project, also co-ordinated by Energie-Cités (www.energie-cites.org) took the form of a larger ‘cluster’ of three distinct projects, with a total cost of EUR 1,13 million, with 50 % co-financing again from the Altener programme (Ref. B4.1030/C/00-006). The eighteen-month project ended in September 2002.

The general aims were:

— to continue stimulating the exchange of experience concerning renewable energies between municipalities;

— to invite them into, and further reinforce, partnerships between the different cities, and encourage them to join an overall RES Partnership of European cities and regions.

The three different projects were:

— ‘City-RES 2001’ (co-ordinated by Energie-Cités);

— A plan for a climate-friendly 100 % regenerative energy-supply in the N. German district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, including heat and power production (CHP) from renewable energies at selected sites (co-ordinated by the Landkreis (local authority));

— A Regional Energy Plan for Hartberg (Austria) (co-ordinated by Joanneum Research, Austria).

Whereas the second and the third project were Pilot Actions, in the form of Regional and Local Energy Plans, including a Targeted Action on Combined Heat and Power Production (CHP), City-RES 2001 was again mainly a Promotion and Dissemination Activity, with special emphasis on support to the Campaign for Take-Off for Renewables managed by the Commission. In addition to relevant events, and further networking, the major deliverable of the project was the CD-ROM of 105 city best-practice cases referred to above.

(1) Reference B4.1030/Z/1998-07.