Putting Energy Transition into Practice: Contributions from Territories for European Energy Policies

Energy communities in the European Union (EU) represent a transformative approach to energy production, consumption, and governance, rooted in principles of decentralization, sustainability, and community empowerment. These communities, typically consisting of citizens, local authorities, and businesses, collaborate to generate, consume, and manage energy collectively. 

The concept emerged as a response to the imperative to transition towards cleaner, more sustainable energy systems while fostering local economic development and social cohesion. In line with these principles, the event will be divided into two sessions: a policy roundtable that will highlight the main challenges for regional policymakers in fostering energy communities and bring forward policy initiatives inspired by good practices from regional experiences. 

Following the policy session, a workshop will be developed to bring together different stakeholders in order to: collate and classify the main barriers and challenges for Energy Communities from a practitioner’s perspective; evaluate their current and potential role in Regional Development; identify best practices, case studies, and avenues for dissemination and knowledge exchange; showcase the MAIA Tools and Services; underline the role of MAIA Tools and Services in the process.