Brussels, 30/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 30 August, the European Commission announced a new programme - scheduled for early 2014 - to help citizens in the EU's eastern and southern neighbourhood address sustainable development challenges such as energy efficiency, security of energy supply and sustainable economic growth. Funding for the EU programme for sustainable urban demonstration projects, amounting to €35.5 million, will come from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). Some €25 million is due to be allocated to the countries of the Eastern Partnership for implementing sustainable energy action plans under the Covenant of Mayors, and €10.5 million will be for the Mediterranean neighbourhood, in order to support local sustainable development plans in a broader sense.
The programme is part of the EU's efforts to encourage municipalities to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors, a voluntary initiative to reduce CO2 emissions, and to stimulate local economies in a sustainable manner. Among other things, it includes co-financing sustainable urban development demonstration projects, setting up a supporting mechanism (helpdesk) to help the municipalities design and implement demonstration projects and ensure the visibility and dissemination of results, and putting in place a municipal finance facility (only in the East), to improve access to loans for sustainable investment. Finally, the programme will provide scientific and technical support from the Joint Research Centre for the monitoring of the implementation and results of the sustainable energy action plans under the Covenant of Mayors. (CG/transl.jl)