Europe provides us with concrete examples and success stories on the ground thanks to the work of Mayors and regional Presidents, Janez Janša, President of Slovenian Democratic Party, said today during a debate with Radovan Žerjav, President of Slovenian People's Party, and Ljudmila Novak, President of New Slovenia – Christian People's Party. Underlining that the three Slovenian parties share the same values in a European context during a seminar organised by the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions and hosted by Franc Kangler, Mayor of Maribor and Ivan Žagar, Mayor of Slovenska Bistrica, the three party leaders stressed the importance of boosting energy efficiency in Europe and beyond. At a time of financial and social insecurity in Europe, Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group, concluded that energy efficiency in public buildings and infrastructures is an important tool for creating jobs and reducing expenditure for households, businesses and public authorities. Enhancing the energy performance of buildings is key to achieving the EU’s climate and energy objectives within the Europe 2020 Strategy given that they are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. Within this context, local and regional authorities are important levers in promoting efficiency because they are often responsible for policies on public buildings, transport, waste management and the production of renewable energy. Romana Jordan Cizelj, Member of the European Parliament, said, “the EPP has a responsibility to promote a healthy environment and use this to create opportunities for new jobs. For this, we need a broad consensus across all parties and good cooperation with all institutions – including the Committee of the Regions. Policies agreed in Europe will be implemented on the ground and this is why this conference is so important.” She also explained that energy efficiency is an important element of sustainable development with important crosscutting implications for European strategies. This was echoed by Michel Lebrun, 1st Vice-President of the EPP Group and rapporteur on the CoR’s opinions on a resource efficient Europe and modernising energy infrastructures, who stressed that local and regional authorities should be involved in the debate on energy policies at an early stage. Fortunately, the political will to act on energy efficiency in Europe’s cities and regions is clearly there, according to Franc Kangler who highlighted Maribor’s commitment under the Covenant of the Mayors. “During this seminar we were exchanging important experiences and knowledge on energy efficiency. This is an issue, which the Municipality of Maribor - together with the Energy Agency of Podravje - is already giving utmost importance. The findings of today’s conference will help us to face the challenges of the modern society even more effective,” he said. Ivan Žagar, Mayor of Slovenska Bistrica and head of the Slovenian delegation in the Committee of the Regions, also spoke about concrete actions that are being implemented and pointed out that Slovenia is at a turning point in development. “Energy efficiency is not only an opportunity for development, but also something that we actually need. However, we will not succeed unless we connect with people on the ground” he underlined. In a session dedicated to exchanging best practice, Ugo Cappellacci, 1st Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions’ Commission for environmental policy and President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, underlined the importance of adapting energy policies to the local and regional conditions. In a globalising world, he believes that cities and regions need to develop in an environmentally friendly way. For example, in Sardinia they have replaced heavy chemical plants with bio-plastics and are now the world leaders in this sector. José Macario Correia, Mayor of Faro and President of the Association of Municipalities of the Algarve, drew on his experience as former Secretary of State for the Environment and explained the measures that have been taken in Faro to boost the efficiency of public lighting. Participation did not only come from the European Union; Koce Trajanowski, Mayor of Skopje, underlined that FYROM considers energy to be a precious resource beyond its relations with the EU, although it also wishes to meet the targets set within the Europe 2020 Strategy. Concluding the meeting, the EPP members in the Committee of the Regions, adopted a declaration entitled “Towards a resource-efficient Europe: cities and regions boosting energy efficiency in public buildings and infrastructure”, which calls on local and regional authorities to set an example and begin working towards a greener future for all. MARIBOR DECLARATION