Help Cities lower emissions, increase competitiveness and protect energy security

Brussels, September 11th, 2024 

Congratulations on your appointment as Europe’s Commissioner for Energy at this pivotal moment. 

I am writing to you today as the mayor of Leuven, Belgium and the President of Energy Cities, a network of 1000 European cities and towns engaged in the energy transition. 

The next five years present significant challenges such as enhancing Europe’s industrial competitiveness, lowering energy costs for households and businesses, further driving down carbon emissions, increasing electrification and ensuring the security of Europe’s energy supply. For these objectives, the contribution of cities will be critical. We can transform urban spaces to ensure that energy needs are reduced to the maximum, thus increasing cities’ resiliency. Furthermore, we can build on an inclusive future for all, as we are doing within the Mission Climate neutral cities 2030 with more than 100 cities. 

EU support for cities’ energy transition will be crucial. The Covenant of Mayors’ movement has proven to be a successful partnership between cities and the EU institutions. We can do more to mobilise municipalities across the EU and bring every community into the transition.  Massively increasing local renewable energy production is an important first step, but it is pivotal to increase local capacities to decarbonise Heating and Cooling if we are to meet all of our challenges. 

To give one clear example of why – expanding renewably powered district heating from 13% to 18.25% of Europe’s homes would cut gas demand by 18bcm of gas – which is how much Russian LNG the EU imported last year. 

Cities will be at the heart of the heating and cooling transition. And to do it well they need three things: 

• Reduce the barriers to implementing district heating and cooling as well as geothermal projects by rolling out a Heating and Cooling Infrastructure Action Plan. These projects typically have high upfront costs, greater risk and demand a significant level of administrative and planning resources from cities. Factors that are well rewarded through greater resilience, dependability, low emissions and good jobs. Developing risk mitigation measures at national or EU level 

• Ensure a high-quality transposition of the local heating and cooling planning article in the Energy Efficiency Directive – this is the single most important tool for cities to decarbonise buildings.  Currently transposition is slow as shown in the Energy Cities transposition tracker, and very worryingly, no EU country has a legal framework for cooling. Cooling will have a massive impact on our energy system and the quality of life for millions of Europeans. 

• -Help to develop local heating and cooling plans as bankable, implementable projects at local level by Introducing an EU Heating and Cooling Facility based on the existing EU City Facility. 

• Tackle Europe's single largest fossil fuel sector  as requested by 15 Member States in the Spring. Buildings represent an astonishing 40 to 60% of the CO2 emissions in a city like Heidelberg, DE or Leuven, BE 

• Enhance Industrial Competitiveness by drastically reducing the energy consumption in buildings. This will drive down prices and liberate the energy needed for Europe’s industry to thrive and protect important jobs in Europe’s cities 

• Protect households from the wild price swings of international energy markets 

But there is much more which needs to be done and so before I conclude I would also like to draw your attention to a letter sent yesterday by the Local Alliance, representing all of the major city networks, to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the broader changes which cities need to improve the livelihoods of all citizens, while guaranteeing that all Europeans have a "right to stay".  

Wishing you all the best in your new role, 

Mohamed Ridouani, 

Mayor of Leuven and President of Energy Cities 

The letter is downloadable here.