New EU project will help Polotsk become an energy-efficient city

February 16, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Polotsk has joined the implementation of the new EU project "SURE - Sustainable energy development in cities of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument". The first working meeting of the project partners concluded in the German city of Friedrichshafen, the Polotsk City Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. The project will be implemented within the framework of the EU program "CIUDAD - Cooperation and dialogue in the field of urban development". Polotsk's partners are the administrations of the cities of Murcia (Spain), Salé (Morocco), and the Sardinia Regional Development Agency (Italy). Friedrichshafen, Polotsk's twin city, acts as the lead partner. All activities planned for Polotsk will also be carried out in the Moroccan city of Salé. For two and a half years, Friedrichshafen and Murcia will share their experience and best practices in implementing energy-saving technologies and using alternative energy sources with Polotsk and Salé. During the project implementation, partners will be supported by the energy efficiency department of the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus, the Renewable Energy Development Centre of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (France), and other regional and national structures involved in regional development and energy issues. The project will be financed by the European Union. "Sustainable energy development in cities of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument" is part of the so-called Covenant of Mayors, a European project that allows solving global environmental problems at the local level and, in particular, achieving a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. The instrument for implementing this plan is the exchange of best practices in energy saving. In addition, participation in the Covenant of Mayors provides access to resources that ensure the implementation of the EU's climate and environmental protection policies. The list of Covenant of Mayors participants includes about 500 European cities. It is planned that the first Belarusian city, Polotsk, will join it this year. A sustainable energy development action plan for the city until 2020 will be developed, and training sessions and conferences on energy efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources will be held. The project includes "energy days" and information campaigns, as well as pilot activities during which the latest European energy-saving technologies will be implemented in social infrastructure facilities. Based on the project results, an interregional conference for the entire European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument region will be organized, where Polotsk will share its experience in sustainable energy-efficient planning with other cities in the region. -0-