To implement the Green Deal and other key elements of the EU legislation, the EU and Member States must work hand in hand with local and regional partners, that was the basis for the LIFE-funded NECPlatform project. The Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action mandates Member States to set up multilevel energy and climate dialogues, especially in the preparation of National Energy and Climate Plans – meaning that all levels of governance should have a role in the document preparation. But this is on paper: the sad truth is that many Member States struggle to put the regulation into practice and set up to inclusive multilevel dialogues. The NECPlatform LIFE-funded project gathered representatives from 14 different Member States (of which 8 representatives of national ministries in charge of the NECPs), and the European Commission in a brainstorm session in Brussels who stressed the importance of strengthening multilevel governance when revising the Governance Regulation, and to ensure support is provided for its implementation.
The project also organised a peer-to-peer training from January to March 2025, which involved representatives from 14 different Member States, among which eight of them were representatives of national ministries in charge of the elaboration of the NECPs. The aim was to support them in gaining a better understanding of the legislative framework and of the possible structures that the Climate and Energy Dialogue Platform could have. It included all steps necessary to map and engage relevant stakeholders, ensure continuity, find appropriate governance forms, build and keep a trusting relationship with the national government, and more.The online and the in-person sessions helped participants to share their needs and the challenges they face and get inspired by the dialogues and mechanisms used in the six project partner’s countries. They discussed the importance of enhancing the composition of the CEDs and the role of stakeholders. All sectors, private and public, civil society, academia and associations should be considered to ensure a real multilevel engagement. They also highlighted the need to have a strong collaboration between the government and non-governmental parties to facilitate the dialogues and ensure they keep working despite governmental changes.
The consultation methodology is also important to guarantee the participation of all relevant stakeholders. Establishing clear timelines and a structured framework as well as creating online repositories to store relevant documents and collect feedback will also help to the success of the dialogues. Apart from that, the implementation mechanisms should also be adapted to include the right policy and strengthen vertical and horizontal integration, so all levels contribute equally to the design of climate and energy policies.
Enhancing transparency in reporting was another point discussed as participants stated that the reports should have a standardised form to include comprehensive information of the aspects discussed and the possible impact of their implementation. They also highlighted the role of the European Commission as it should provide Member States clear guidelines for reporting preparation as well as establishing reasonable deadlines.
What did they conclude? Read more into a short document presenting the recommendations, and in the last project policy brief:
On March 18, over a hundred participants met in the Committee of the Regions In Brussels, gathered by the NECPlatform project to discuss multilevel governance and hear from good practices at various levels. Urszula Zielinska, the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment Secretary of State opened the ceremony, highlighting that to be well-coordinated across all level of governance take patience and willingness, needed to address needs and uphold EU values and goals: everyone should feel include and every voice heard. “Cooperation between the various levels is what allows to find solutions”. That was the opportunity for many policymakers and stakeholders working on the ground to discuss and tell us why multigovernance is key.
Find out what they say in a short video:
