This document discusses supporting structures for municipalities that have signed the Covenant of Mayors (COM) in Flanders. It describes the Flemish Network COM, which aims to facilitate knowledge sharing between municipalities and lobby the Flemish and Belgian governments on their behalf. The Network has helped coordinate COM signatories, provide emissions data and guidance on sustainability plans. It also discusses how supporting organizations can further help municipalities by informing them, initiating projects, providing advice, and detecting needs and opportunities to relieve their technical and administrative burdens. Maintaining a long-term, multilevel approach that leverages synergies between initiatives is advised.

1. COM-supporters and -coordinators in Flanders: experiences and ideas
Alex Verhoeven, Senior staff Sustainability

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This presentation is about …
•COM-signatories in Flanders
•Flemish Network COM
•How can supporting structures help?
•To keep in mind
•Instruments that help municipalities
•Partners with extra potential
•Topical examples
•Monitoring?
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Flemish Network: what? why?
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•What? Why?
•NET-COM project: 12 EU member states
•exchange of knowledge, experiences, requests
•aim at support everywhere for municipalities
•lobbying towards Flemish and national-Belgian and European government
•Importance of Association of Municipalities
•credibility, continuity, impact, broad media-mix, representation all municipalities, integrated vision covering all topics, ‘neutral’

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Flemish Network: strategy and vision
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•long term impact, whole territory
•multilevel, multi-actor
•sound competition; complementarity, synergy
•relieve municipalities from technical COM-stuff

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Flemish Network: results
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•exchange multi-lateral and bi-lateral, also newcomers
•provinces and intermunicipal cooperations active partners
•Coordinators ± cover territory
•help of Flemish administration
•data CO2-emissions + first help seap
•COM in Flemish Climate Plan
•big event Energyday, EPC-day
•still lacking: national (Flemish) political support

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Flemish Network: future
•continuing role of global view and exchange + lobbying towards central governments
•complementarity with and overview on other fora or initiatives
•from data and plans to concrete action
•knowledge sharing from frontrunners to broader group
•broader sustainability and transition
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How can supporting structures help?
•inform
•partners & network: prospect, cooperate, facilitate cooperation and exchange
•help with or initiate concrete actions and projects, especially intermunicipal
•research (not scientific but) quality of solutions (f.i. car battery chargers, social target groups, building regulations, older house owners)
•relieve municipalities from technical, administrative stuff
•individual advice (f.i. green procurement, sustainable building)
•detect needs
•lobby
•search funding or smart financial ideas
•translate into understandable language
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To keep in mind … ‘the why’
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To keep in mind … (1)
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•the ‘why’ and the European spirit, don’t get (externally) stuck in technical stuff
•join current initiatives that had nothing to do with the COM or even energy policy (f.i. bike plan for home-to-work transport, funding for city development)
•look for synergy in people, in instruments, in actions (f.i. ‘coordinate’; ‘smart cities’; financial study consultancy + Fl.dept.; Flemish biking platform; transition arena)
•peer to peer often works best, together with expert (f.i. green procurement learning networks)
•keep your eyes open for opportunities (f.i. heating net & city development Roeselare, Antwerp, Eeklo; legal framework crowdfunding)

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To keep in mind … (2)
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•align with regular municipal processes
•quick wins + long term projects
•take into account different speed (frontrunners <-> newcomers; big cities <-> small municipalities)
•step by step, trial and error
•central authorities have their job too (f.i. fiscal regime e-vehicles)
•time is our partner (growing concerns climate and energy)

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Instruments that help municipalities
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•preferably central level
•CO2-data: ongoing engagement till 2020
•the tool, general infosession, specific training sessions, helpdesk- forum, workshops in every municipality to dialogue with different departments and politicians together
•probably also monitoring
•energy management systems for buildings
•quickscan renewable energy potential
•green procurement guidelines and product specifications
•thermografic map
•sustainability measuring systems for buildings and boroughs (cf. breeam) (long preparation, broader sustainability)

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Partners with extra big potential
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•energy network management companies  technical, financial, administrative aspects of renovation = esco But check whether service is cost-effective.

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Topical examples: financial aspects
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•project running (Antwerp a.o.), outcome not clear yet
•sessions on EU-funding
•EPC-day (but …) (esco?)
•pre-financing for social target groups (extra to Flemish policy)
•specific policy towards landlords, via the syndic
•new business models
•lease instead of buy, f.i. new heating oil tank, ± guaranteed yield
•car battery chargers: subsidies & procurement? or permit-model?
•climate fund, if opportunities
•cooperative for natural gaz charger, for windmill …
•lobby to add energy aspects to non-energy-specific funds

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Other topical examples
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•Companies
•provide energy audit for small & medium companies
•‘smart cities’
•Participation
•several LAs: public consultation on future vision
•thematic groups with open agenda, with or without expert, and start up budget
•Individual advice
•Help-& contact-point sustainable procurement
•Provincial help-& contact-points sustainable building
•Waste = energy
•transport via train or ship; heating net; green waste for biogaz
•sewage water
•Specific groups
•world of culture and art (‘green track’)

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How to monitor implementation?
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•is being studied
•‘keep it simple’? work with Excel-file bei?
•also task central authorities and knowledge centers
•different levels? (1) general data bei, (2) concrete actions and their calculated reduction to motivate

18. For further info and contact: Alex Verhoeven,
alex.verhoeven(AT)vvsg.be

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Remind Why!
•duurzamer, leefbaarder leefomgeving
•gezondheid: lucht (fijn stof …), lawaai
•betaalbaar wonen
•comfortabeler wonen
•nieuwe of vernieuwde en robuustere (lokale) economie
•energie-factuur verminderen en binnen regio houden + terugverdien-effecten
•energie-onafhankelijkheid
•klimaatverandering temperen, toekomst voor latere generaties
•Dus: veel win-win

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