21^st Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Congress warns of impending energy crisis and calls for a more localised energy paradigm

Strasbourg, 20.10.2011 – A new, more efficient energy paradigm in which local and regional authorities play a more important role is badly needed in order to deal with the major changes in the energy field of the 21st century, concludes a report of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, discussed on 20 October 2011.

The report, presented by Svetlana Orlova (Russian Federation, EPP/CD), stressed that high energy prices, limited availability of fossil fuels, climate change and an increase in energy consumption in emerging countries will lead to a crisis sooner or later.

To avoid such a crisis, the resolution adopted the same day underlines that consumers, citizens and local and regional authorities need to have a more decisive role in the energy field as distributors and consumers but also producers of energy in order to increase energy autonomy and reduce their dependency on a small number of energy suppliers or energy supply methods. Local and regional authorities are therefore urged to increase energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and encourage the use of renewable energy resources.

The report states that at the moment there is no link between the energy supply network and local areas, but that powerful energy companies are the main decision-makers, leading to the exclusion of consumers, citizens and local and regional authorities.