Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union Joint Briefing: The Case for a Multi-level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms

The document advocates for a shift in the EU Energy Union's governance from a top-down administrative process to a participatory model. It specifically proposes 'Multi-Level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms' to integrate the expertise and actions of cities and regions into National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The authors argue that current Commission proposals treat local actors as mere side stakeholders and suggest that permanent national structures, aligned with the Aarhus Convention, are necessary to achieve the EU's 2050 decarbonization goal. The briefing provides examples of successful local-national coordination in Ireland, Luxembourg, Croatia, France, and the Netherlands.

• The authors argue that the future European energy system will be "decentralized, flexible and locally grounded" due to the rise of local energy communities, new technologies like blockchain, and an increasing share of renewables.
• The current European Commission proposal for the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union is criticized for failing to give local and regional players any special status, treating them only as "side stakeholders via public consultations".
• The briefing supports the European Parliament's proposal for "Multi-Level Energy Dialogue Platforms" but recommends they be renamed "Multi-Level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms" to reflect the climate dimension of NECPs.
• To be effective, the proposed platforms should be permanent national structures with dedicated budgets and staff, rather than a single pan-European platform, to ensure they are not merely a "light and loose consultation process without big impact".
• The document recommends that local action plans, specifically the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) from the Covenant of Mayors, should directly inform national targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy shares.
• The briefing highlights several Member State models of local-national cooperation: Ireland uses spatial planning instruments and resource atlases; Luxembourg utilizes a voluntary "Climate Pact" involving 104 out of 105 municipalities; and Croatia mandates energy efficiency planning for 20 counties and 17 cities.
• France and the Netherlands are cited as examples of "bottom up" influence, where large-scale participatory processes—such as France's three-year debate leading to the 2015 Energy Transition Law for Green Growth—allowed local authorities to influence national roadmaps.

APA

ClientEarth (2017). Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union Joint Briefing: The Case for a Multi-level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms. https://www.clientearth.org/media/hq4o5hfr/energy-cities-and-clientearth-briefing-on-multi-level-dialogue-platforms-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union Joint Briefing: The Case for a Multi-level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms. 2017. https://www.clientearth.org/media/hq4o5hfr/energy-cities-and-clientearth-briefing-on-multi-level-dialogue-platforms-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union Joint Briefing: The Case for a Multi-level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/hq4o5hfr/energy-cities-and-clientearth-briefing-on-multi-level-dialogue-platforms-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2017proposal, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Proposal for a Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union Joint Briefing: The Case for a Multi-level Climate and Energy Dialogue Platforms}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/hq4o5hfr/energy-cities-and-clientearth-briefing-on-multi-level-dialogue-platforms-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }