As part of the “EU4Energy Transition: Covenant of Mayors in the Western Balkans and Turkey” project, a delegation from Turkish municipalities, their associations, and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Lithuania on July 21-22. This was the second study visit organised in Lithuania under the project. The goal was to share Lithuania’s best practices in fighting climate change and promoting clean energy.
On the first day of the visit, the Turkish delegation went to the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA). They were greeted by CPVA Deputy Director Rasa Suraučienė and the Lithuanian Ambassador to Türkiye, Ričardas Degutis. The meeting included an in-depth overview of CPVA’s activities, an update on the progress of the EU4Energy project, and discussions about future collaboration opportunities. The delegation also visited the Ministry of Environment and the Lithuanian Energy Agency.
On the second day, during the CPVA-organised conference titled “Green-Diplomacy: Türkiye-Lithuania Collaboration on Sustainable Policies,” representatives from municipalities in both countries shared their best practices for combating climate change and supporting local energy transitions. The conference highlighted the crucial role of municipalities in achieving climate goals: the more actions taken at the local level, the higher the likelihood of success. For many years, Lithuanian municipalities have been actively involved in developing sustainable transport, improving energy efficiency, reducing air pollution, and managing waste sustainably.
During the presentation of cases from the Švenčionys and Birštonas municipalities, the advanced block renovation practices of Lithuanian municipalities were particularly highlighted. Birštonas municipality has already renovated over 60% of all apartment buildings, making it the leader in Lithuania for this metric. It is estimated that renovation in Lithuania reduces the energy consumption of apartment buildings by an average of 63%.
The conference emphasized the importance of initiatives like the Covenant of Mayors in advancing the international climate change agenda, which requires municipalities to implement innovative climate change measures. The Covenant of Mayors now includes 12,500 municipalities worldwide. Since the initiative started in 2008, 16 Lithuanian municipalities have joined. During the EU4Energy project, from 2021 to now, the number of Turkish municipalities in the Covenant of Mayors has more than doubled from 31 to 75.
The EU4Energy project, in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), is valued at €9,335,000. CPVA is responsible for the Turkish component, which is worth €3 million. The project is expected to be completed by February 2025.
This project is implemented under indirect management. CPVA earned the right to implement European Union programmes and projects under indirect management in 2009 by meeting European Commission standards. It was the first agency in the Baltic States to receive the necessary accreditation (Pillar Assessment) for such projects. Currently, CPVA is managing 22 indirect management programs and projects in Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Moldova, Angola, the Caribbean, and other countries.
