ec.europa.eu/citizens-dialogues

REPORT ON THE PARTICIPATORY CITIZENS DIALOGUE

HELD IN OTTIGNIES-LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE ON 29 APRIL 2019

#EUdialogues

#FutureOfEurope

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The opinions stated in this report reflect the opinions of the participants to the citizens dialogue as collected by the authors and not the opinion of the European Commission. The European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained in this document.

This report was supported by the Smart Cities Information Systems

PREFACE

PREFACE HAITZE SIEMERS

European energy policy puts citizens as active consumers at the centre of the energy transition, which contributes to climate protection. The Citizens’ Dialogue evening was a unique moment during which citizens, municipal representatives and Commission colleagues met and shared ideas around highly animated discussion tables.

Our colleagues have had an extraordinary experience. They refer to a clearer perception of citizens’ concerns, new ideas or the confirmation that concepts in development have the support from citizens’, which is very inspiring and motivating for them. What has hit us above all is the energy and enthusiasm of citizens who feel integral to the management of energy, climate and environmental challenges.

Citizens’ ideas will be analysed by the relevant services of the Eu-ropean Commission and citizens will be informed of the outcome of their proposals.

PREFACE JULIE CHANTRY

The ecological transition and climate change are global challeng-es that each person at his or her level has to face. The City of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, as a local authority, is taking on its responsibilities in this regard. In 2017, it drew up an ambitious Sustainable Energy Action Plan, which it is implementing, and which must ensure that the Commune achieves carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest.

Public participation is also at the heart of the municipal authori-ties’ attention.

It is essential for involving the public in strategic decisions that will affect the future of our city on a sustainable basis; it is equally essential to ensure the widest possible mobilisation in the face of the challenges of the transition.

That is why I warmly welcomed the proposal of the European Com-mission’s Energy DG to organise a “Citizens’ Dialogue” on energy and climate in our city.

The synthesis of the outcome of this event demonstrates, if needed, that energy is not only a matter of carbon dioxide, but it can also take the form of reflections and enthusiasm that can be mobilised to open up promising, creative horizons.

I would therefore like to thank the organisers and all the participants in this event.

Haitze Siemers, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG Energy

Julie Chantry, Mayor of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve

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GENERAL PRESENTATION

PARTICIPANTS BY AGE GROUP

Younger than 18 years

18-24 years

25-39 years

40-64 years

65 years and older

PARTICIPANTS BY GENDER

Female

Male

Other

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General presentation 5

Description of the evening 6

Results of the Citizens’ Dialogue 10

The ideas selected by the 12 discussion tables 10

The 5 ideas adopted 15

Next stages 16

Annex: 46 ideas selected in the second round 17

On Monday 29 April 2019, the European Com-mission, in collaboration with the City of Ot-tignies-Louvain-la-Neuve and the “Maison du Développement Durable”, organised a partic-ipatory dialogue on the topic of climate/energy in the “Lycée Martin V” in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve.

What are our concerns about climate change?

What specific energy measures can we propose to protect the planet?

The aim of this dialogue between citizens, representatives of the town of Ottignies-LLN, and representatives of the European Com-mission, was to come up with ideas for actions to help preserve the climate at three levels:

- Individual — what can I do, my family...?

- Local — what actions, projects could be developed in or around the city?

- European (national/regional) — what would we like to propose in terms of legis-lation, grants, research and innovation ac-tions...?

The dialogue was attended by more than 90 participants, mainly citizens, but also May-or Julie Chantry, six municipal represen-tatives representing the 5 political groups present in the Communal Council and a dozen representatives of the European Com-mission.

All age groups were represented, from young people aged under 18 to older people, with a relatively good gender balance.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENING

Ideas were developed at three levels, individual, local and European, in 3 stages of about half an hour:

1. Firstly, by analysing with the table partners what is currently not going well in terms of energy / climate, or what is positive but needs to be changed or improved. Second-ly, by setting out concrete ideas to address these shortcomings, to improve the situation and to contribute to an energy transition to the benefit of the planet and its climate.

2. The ideas developed remained on the table and the participants in each group moved to other tables to analyse the ideas put forward by their neighbours. From the ideas they discovered at the new table, participants pre-selected the 3-5 best ideas due to their innovative nature and their potential for impact on climate change.

3. In the end, participants went to yet another table to select the best idea from the top 3 to 5 selected by the previous group. They then developed the proposal and prepared a presentation for the plenary session.

After a light meal, the evening began with a welcome note and a brief explanation of the EU’s climate and energy policies, as well as the presentation of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan of the city of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve by Julie Chantry.

On the basis of the European framework and the local action plan, participants had the in-formation needed to develop their ideas. The participants were split into 12 reflection tables in groups of 5 to 8 people, with the presence of a moderator of the European Commission or the “Maison du Développement Durable” at each table, and at half the tables also a munic-ipal representative.

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At the end of the three table rounds, everyone gathered in plenary session and one representative from each table presented the selected idea to the rest of the participants. Once all ideas were put forward, the participants voted to determine the best ideas:

each participant had 3 tokens he or she could distribute among the final ideas. This lead to the selection of the 3 best ideas at individual, local or European level.

The evening ended with a brief feedback on the results of the dialogue and the next steps, by the representatives of the City and of the Commission.

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RESULTS OF THE CITIZENS’ DIALOGUE

Ideas selected by the 12 discussion tables

At the end of the second round, each of the 12 tables had selected 3 to 5 ideas, in total 46 ideas listed in the annex to this document.In the third round, each table had to retain one. As a result, there emerged a selection of 12 proposals for climate initiatives, named below by the name of the table which generated it (12 towns and cities from A to L: Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen... to Lisbon).

Amsterdam — Trace the environmental and social footprint of goods to make producers and distributors responsible — Level: European

Establish a system for tracing the carbon, environmental and social footprint throughout the value chain of goods (extraction, manufacturing, processing, transport, distribution, recycling and waste treatment) and make producers and distributors aware of their responsibilities throughout the life cycle. This means set-ting standards, checks, penalties and incentives.

Brussels — Develop the means of storage of renewable energy — Level: European

The development of renewable energy depends to a large ex-tent on the means of energy storage, since the production of renewable energies (photovoltaic, solar thermal and wind) is not constant over time and does not always correspond to times of energy need. It is therefore essential to develop storage systems and to integrate them at scale into the existing networks. Stor-age options to be considered include:

- Solar cells (developed at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven);

- Pumping water into storage tanks (potential energy, hydro);

- Energy storage in the form of electric current in superconduc-tors;

- Geothermal storage, i.e. storage of heat in more or less deep layers of the subsoil;

- Heat storage in molten salt reservoirs;

- Storage of electrical energy in increasingly efficient batteries;

- Storage of mechanical energy in the kinetic flywheels;

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Secondly, funding could support R&D (Research and Development) and eco-innovations:

• Production of insulation materials based on local raw materials;

• stablishment of micro-networks and self-consumption of renew-able energy (with the possibility of sharing at the neighbourhood level);

• Local food production and short circuit distribution;

• Public education at permaculture.

Genoa — Enhance the renovation and insulation of buildings at local level (Ottignies-LLN) — Level: local

Combining mechanisms that could help accelerate the energy ren-ovation of buildings:

• The combination of information on buildings’ energy perfor-mance certificates (EPC), rents and taxes paid;

• The application of a tax, the level of which would be calculated on the basis of the rent-EPC ration, controlling the possible im-pact on rents;

• The organisation of group purchases (at municipal and other levels);

• The calculation of subsidies for renovation depending on the in-come of the applicants.

Helsinki — Focus on organic (local) organic farming — Level: European

Agriculture and the choice of products we consume play an im-portant part in our ecological footprint. In order to make produc-tion and food distribution more sustainable, major changes will have to be implemented, such as:

• Developing local ‘organic’ farming and short distribution circuits;

• Exiting the current agro-industrial model;

• Produce and consume seasonal products;

• Redefine the criteria for the bio label by avoiding the influence of agro-industrial lobbies (e.g. sterile seed market);

• Moving towards an agro-ecological model, restoring and main-taining the equilibrium of ecosystems (e.g. permaculture).

Florence — More EU green funding (building renovation; R & D, Innovation) — Level: European

European funds (e.g. the EIB — European Investment Bank) would need to be mobilised further more to boost sustainable development.

The top priority should be the energy renovation of buildings, in particular insulation. Ideally, the granting of financial support from these funds would be managed by the local authorities.

Copenhagen — Review the concept of comfort — Level: individual

In order to achieve carbon neutrality, technological solutions will not be sufficient. It is clear that we need to rethink our dependence on a level of comfort that is unsustainable for our planet through its impact on natural resources. Two priorities were identified:

• To raise awareness of the urgency of the climate problem;

• On the other hand, changing the way we consume: essentially redefining the term ‘needs’ in all sectors: food, mobility, housing ...

Dublin — Create a local car-sharing platform — Level: local

Creation of a local IT platform (local “Blabla car”) which brings together applications for car sharing for the benefit of local com-munities (businesses, schools, organisations, sports clubs, etc.) with a system of participant evaluation. This would have a positive impact on:

• Reduction of fuel consumption (and thus less greenhouse gases)

• Time savings for families;

• Reduce traffic and congestion;

• Creating social links between participants;

Essen — Equal fares between train and plane for small journeys (intra-EU) — Level: European

A system should be put in place to re-balance the price levels of the different modes of transport for intra-European travel.

For example, on the Brussels-London route, air travel is now often cheaper than train, which nevertheless emits less greenhouse gas. Participants propose among other means to levy an ‘ecological solidarity’ charge on air transport to support sustainable mobility and R & D (research and development).

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Karlsruhe — The CV of the product (environmental, social and health impacts, based on life cycle) — Level: European

Bring the products with a CV clearly showing environmental, social and health impacts, based on the full life cycle of the product

By way of example, the following elements could be included in the CV: recycling potential, the number of km travelled during the production and distribution of the product, the origin of the product, the impact on local employment, the implications for the health of the consumer, etc.

The aim is to give consumers a comprehensive view of the product so that they can make an informed choice; indirectly, the CV of the product could support local craft and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Istanbul — Increase citizens’ awareness through education — Levels: local, European

Lobbies [(agro-) polluting industries, for example] often operate in a non-transparent manner and sometimes use biased arguments. Authorities at all levels have a responsibility to make these influ-ence mechanisms more transparent, by ensuring that:

• Popularising the true science and analyses of neutral and objec-tive experts;

• Making visible the lobbying hidden in certain research projects ;

• Excluding lobbies from political decision-making;

• Developing the critical thinking of people (including politicians) through initial and ongoing education.

Jyväskylä — Fight premature obsolescence (European Standards, Repair Cafés, Education) — Levels: European, local, individual

It is proposed to provide a better framework for the design and re-use of consumer products (household and other) by imposing stan-dards aimed at combating increasingly premature obsolescence. This framework would include:

• A new system of European standards:

- To require the demonstration of the possibility to repair the products and the publication of repair manuals.

- To promote economic sharing and leasing

- To foster zero waste and reusable packaging

• Local projects against obsolescence:

- repair cafés and public workshops for mutual help to repair;

- Development of a sharing platform, of “tool libraries”;

- Organisation of sustainability education programmes;

- Reduction in the distribution of all kinds of advertising.

This would make it possible to change individual consumption patterns.

Lisbon — Just taxation of kerosene (aircraft) and heavy fuel oil (sea freight) — Level: European

This proposal suggests a rebalancing of transport taxes on the ‘polluter pays’ principle with the following objectives:

• Reducing the attractiveness of air transport and encouraging al-ternatives;

• Promoting short supply chains for consumption;

• Boosting public transport by investing in the development of in-frastructure;

1-E Jyväskylä E/L/I — 50 Fight premature obsolescence (European stan-dards, ‘Repair cafés’, education)

2-I Copenhagen I — 29 Review the concept of comfort

3-L Helsinki L — 15 Promote organic family farming at local level

By voting, the participants selected the best idea for each of the three levels:

1. Fight premature obsolescence (European)

2. Favouring organic family farming (local)

3. Review the concept of comfort (individual)

As some of the proposals are similar, it was decided to group them together and to keep them as well:

4. Proposals related to the price and taxation of means of transport (4a and 4b) (European)

5. Proposals related to the traceability of the carbon footprint and to the CV of products (5a and 5b) (European)

These are therefore the five proposals that will be followed up by the European Commission and the City of Ottignies-LLN.

Table title Level: Individual/Local/European number of votes

Titre de l’idée sélectionnée par la table de discussion

THE 5 IDEAS ADOPTED

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A AmsterdamA 1 E To educate the citizen without the blame: creating a desire for

action, labelling of products with environmental impact on the product’s life cycle

A 2 I/L/E Enhancing civic awareness: desire to pollute less; penalise big polluters; rewarding good examples

A 3 I/L Responsible consumption: zero-waste grocery stores with local and seasonal products

A 4 E Setting standards for producers, stopping the productivist model

B BrusselsB 1 I/L Reduced lighting consumption: (local) Smart lighting in cit-

ies/motorways (switch off during the night, economic lamps); (individual) change behaviour to extinguish lights, computer, screen...

B 2 L Promoting geothermal energy in Belgium

B 3 E Developing renewable energy storage: Research and develop-ment; cost-effective deployment in partnership with industry

C CopenhagenC 1 E Compatibility between the systems: in energy, agronomy, social

and economic, education

C 2 E Labelling manufactured products with the impact (CO2) of their life cycle

C 3 I Reviewing the concept of comfort

C 4 L Circular economy

D DublinD 1 L Family car sharing, at corporate, school, organisation and club

levels: organisation of a communication platform, benefits for families

D 2 R/W Developing hydropower to reduce fossil and nuclear pow-er: encouraging research: where and how; extension

D 3 L Free deterrence parking (free of charge: indispensable incentive)

E EssenE) 1 E End of planned obsolescence: changing production tech-

niques; extension of warranty periods; development of re-pair cafés, etc.; no more incentive for overconsumption

E) 2 E Taxing kerosene and reinvesting money into sustainable mobil-ity

E) 3 E Changing societal values; over-enrichment and the myth of unlimited growth

E) 4 L Raising awareness: learning to consume less and local, differ-ently

NEXT STAGES

ANNEX: 46 IDEAS SELECTED IN THE SECOND ROUND

The French version of this report was sent to all the participants. This English version is published on the website of the ‘Smart Cit-ies Information System’, which collects the results of all the ‘smart cities’ projects fi-nanced by the European Commission and en-joys a wide audience from European cities. https: //smartcities-infosystem.eu/.

The five ideas selected will be presented at the European Sustainable Energy Week con-ference on 18-21 June 2019 with over 2.500 participants. The Mayor Julie Chantry was invit-ed to the opening session on 18 June at 9hrs, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Climate and Energy, Miguel Arias-Cañete. https: //eusew.eu/.

An article on the event will be published in the Bulletin Communal de la Ville d’Ottignies-LLN.

A follow up of the five selected proposals is organised by the Directorate-General for Ener-gy at the competent services of the European Commission.

A feedback meeting will be held in Ottignies-LLN in autumn 2019 to inform citizens of the fol-low-up given to their proposals.

The concept of participatory citizen dialogue, as applied to Ottignies LLN in this pilot project of the Directorate-General for Energy, will be pre-sented internally to the Commission for possi-ble repetition in other cities and Member States of the European Union.

Table (A, B,...) Idea No. Level (I/L/E) Table name / Title of idea, description4a. Essen E — 8 Equal fares between train and plane for small journeys (intra-EU)

4b. Lisbon E -27 Fair taxation of kerosene (aircraft) and heavy fuel oil (maritime freight)

5a. Amsterdam E — 13 Trace the environmental and social footprint of goods to make producers responsible

5b. Karlsruhe E — 16 The CV of the product (environmental, social and health impacts, based on life cycle)

Brussels E — 13 Develop renewable energy storage facilities

Dublin L — 7 Create a local car-sharing platform

Florence E — 2 More EU green funding (building renovation; R & D, Innovation)

Genoa L — 7 Stimulate renovation — insulation of buildings at local level

Istanbul L — 13 Increase citizens’ awareness through education

Table title Level: Individual/Local/European number of votes

Titre de l’idée sélectionnée par la table de discussion

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F FlorenceF 1 E More competences at European level: going beyond borders;

inter-state solidarity; integration of networks; shared invest-ments

F 2 L Complementarity of technologies (PV, heat-pump, storage): local grid (micro-grid); storage in different forms and time peri-ods (with collaboration of regional operators)

F 3 L Awareness raising through education: cross cutting; history/Geo/techno; contact pupils and parents; integration into the programme (transdisciplinary projects)

F 4 E More funding: Research & Innovation; energy renovation (ze-ro-rate loan by local authorities)

G GenoaG 1 E Taxation of flights and cars, subsidised development of the

European rail network

G 2 L Reconvert the Mont-Saint-Guibert landfill into a solar farm

G 3 L Local insulation renovation: land register of leases/PEB/rent; tax related to rent and bad EPB; stimulation of the renovation by group purchasing and subsidies in terms of income

G 4 L Stimulating/promoting communities: “neighbours, together let’s decide for zero carbon solutions, constraining solutions but decided together”.

H HelsinkiH 1 L Shared soft mobility: “Villos” (city-bikes) + citizens’ bikes ware-

houses; developing the network of cycle paths

H 2 E Promoting organic family farming through European subsidies, rather than industrial agriculture; better support for small farmers and their conversion to organic

H 3 E Taxing kerosene and subsidising trains to make them more affordable

H 4 E More durable and reparable low-cost equipment: 8-year guar-antee min.; repair manual provided at purchase; low-cost spare parts

I IstanbulI 1 L Mobility to the workplace: investing in multimodal public trans-

port; teleworking/business clusters; reducing/sharing company cars

I 2 E Reducing air traffic by taxation of kerosene at world level; mak-ing the train cheaper

I 3 L Citizen awareness/education: popularisation of true science, of clean policy

J JyväskyläJ 1 E Taxing freight fuels (ship, plane): integrating the transport

price into the price of goods

J 2 E Obsolescence: developing European standards for: (1) Repair; (2) Shared Economy; (3) Zero waste

J 3 L Joint green purchases and public funds backed by the coopera-tives; ‘Citizens’ Fund’ for reinvestment of savings

J 4 E European multi-modal mobility platform: digital mobility infra-structure

K KarlsruheK 1 E Taxing airplane kerosene and ship fuel

K 2 E Establishment of a Climate and Environmental Court: criminal-ising climate and environmental crimes and offences, including ecocide

K 3 E Create a system for labelling the environmental impact of the production of goods and services. Identified sectors: construc-tion, clothing, household appliances and food.

K 4 I/L Take your bike or walk and develop soft mobility infrastructure

L LisbonL 1 L Habitat densification: the housings are under-occupied; in-

crease density of housing

L 2 L Encouraging local trade: allocate a percentage of commercial areas to local initiatives

L 3 L Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve Energy/Climate plan: role model and spill-over effect; joint purchases...

L 4 R/W Intelligent car-sharing: generalising at European level for reaching critical size

L 5 E Juste taxation du transport : taxer le kérosène, le fioul lourd ; rendre l’avion moins attractif ; privilégier le transport en com-mun

Table (A, B,...) Idea No. Level (I/L/E) Table name / Title of idea, descriptionTable (A, B,...) Idea No. Level (I/L/E) Table name / Title of idea, description

PHOTO CREDITS

Page 3, mayor’s picture: Marie-Claire Dufrêne

All other photos: Stéphane Rault