The "Climate Neutral Territories" event, organised by ESPON and moderated by Pouyan Maleki of Ecorys and Francisco Rodriguez of TECNALIA, delved into the territorial aspects of Europe's journey towards climate neutrality. As the third in a series of events showcasing ESPON thematic action plans (TAPs), this dynamic talk show aimed to foster engagement among experts, policymakers, and practitioners to share insights and outcomes from the projects within the TAP on climate neutral territories. The overarching goal of this TAP, aligning with the European Green Deal, is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, achieving no net greenhouse gas emissions. ESPON's role in this ambitious objective is to provide crucial territorial evidence to assist cities and regions in their progress. The discussions spanned key areas including energy, (maritime) spatial planning, territorial cooperation, and circularity. As Pouyan Maleki emphasised, "climate neutral territories are not just an end goal, they are a process requiring continuous innovation, cooperation and policy alignment".

Session 1: Current Status and Trends of the Energy Transition

Moderated by Pouyan Maleki (Ecorys), this session explored the current state and future trends of the energy transition. Jaroslav Klusák (SEMMO), from the CleanEnergy4CE project, discussed the varied progress in Central Europe, where the existence of strategic documents doesn't always translate to concrete implementation, and satisfaction with energy transition results is often low among local authorities. He observed that countries with a post-Soviet background, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland, showed fewer strategic documents. Interestingly, only about 40% of local authorities were satisfied with their energy transition results, despite having strategic plans. Klusák's project used four key indicators: CO2 emissions, renewable energy share, energy efficiency, and green patents.

Josh Roberts (REScoop.eu), representing the TANDEM project, focused on energy communities, defining them as local projects where citizens, local authorities, and SMEs co-own renewable energy generation or other energy services for local benefit. He highlighted that these communities empower local actors, allowing them "to actually take back agency in that decision-making process" and retain financial benefits within the local economy, fostering "local pride".

Sander des Tombe (DMEC), from the CoBren project, asserted that offshore renewable energy is a vital driver for the energy transition. He explained that the CoBren project examines the spatial claims of offshore renewable energy and its integration with other sea uses. Des Tombe advocated for a holistic approach to identify synergies and solutions to conflicts, suggesting multi-use areas as a means to reconcile interests between offshore wind and other maritime activities such as aquaculture and shipping.

Session 2: Sub-national Activities Towards Climate Neutrality

Also moderated by Pouyan Maleki (Ecorys), this session deep-dived into activities at the sub-national level. Gabriel Galassi (Ecorys), representing the TANDEM project and replacing Josh Roberts, outlined EU policies like the Renewable Energy Directive II and Electricity Market Directive directives that mandate member states to establish frameworks supporting energy communities. He emphasised social inclusiveness as a core objective, with survey results indicating that most energy communities incorporate this into their missions. Galassi underscored that the commitment of public authorities is essential for promoting inclusion and combating energy poverty.

Anneloes van Noordt (Government of Flanders), an ESPON MC member, detailed Flanders' approach to integrating spatial developments with energy transition, stressing the critical link between spatial planning and climate/energy goals. She noted that Belgium’s recent tender for offshore wind development mandates citizen participation, which is seen as an interesting innovation.

Tereza McLaughlin Váňová (SEMMO), from the CleanEnergy4CE project, identified key barriers to energy transition policies in Central European regions: limited human and financial capacity, and regulatory/institutional hurdles like outdated planning permissions and unclear responsibilities across governance levels. She proposed solutions such as financial support for project preparation, establishing shared expert groups or energy managers, and encouraging participation in international networks, as these "connects you to peers they can motivate and inspire each other".

Frank Holstein (Deloitte), from the CoBren project, reiterated the challenge of resolving sea use conflicts for offshore renewable energy, listing aquaculture, nature conservation, and military activities as common points of contention. He highlighted Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) as a vital tool for bringing stakeholders together and making different sea functions visible, thereby evaluating the implications of offshore renewable energy for other uses.

Session 3: Transnational and Cross-border Cooperation to Support the Energy Transition

This session, also moderated by Pouyan Maleki (Ecorys), focused on the role of cross-border and transnational cooperation. Tereza McLaughlin Váňová (SEMMO) explained that "transnational cooperation helps to close the governance and capacity gaps" by fostering shared learning, policy harmonisation, and joint planning across fragmented governance systems. She acknowledged challenges such as complex tools, fragmentation, and varying legislative frameworks, suggesting that making tools more accessible and harmonising data can improve effectiveness.

Frank Holstein (Deloitte) discussed cooperation in offshore renewables, noting that various political documents and committees facilitate development across sea basins. He explained that these political frameworks enable policy coordination and address legal, administrative, and financial barriers, particularly for multi-country grid interconnectors. Cooperation, often supported by Interreg programs, is crucial for technological solutions and resource pooling.

Gabriel Galassi (Ecorys) defined cross-border energy communities as neighbouring territories that collectively decide to share or manage renewable energy plants for mutual benefit. He mentioned the "Handbook on cross-border energy communities" as a significant resource. Galassi pointed out that while cross-border energy communities are in a nascent stage, examples exist, such as the EGTC Duero-Douro (Spain/Portugal) managing PV installations and a German/Danish wind project with cross-border shareholders. He underscored that these initiatives "make citizens not only aware but active actors” and the “transition is possible only if we are able not to leave anyone behind".

Session 4: The Role of a Circular Economy in Climate Neutrality

Moderated by Francisco Rodriguez (TECNALIA), this afternoon session explored the circular economy. Marco Bianchi (TECNALIA), from the CIRCTER Update project, stated that "the circular economy is definitely reducing the primary material consumption and consequently also the greenhouse gas emissions," making it a crucial pillar for climate neutrality. He explained that the CIRCTER project uses indicators like resource productivity and circular material use rates to track regional progress, acknowledging the difficulty of measurement due to varying regional goals and data limitations. Bianchi also highlighted that the circular economy reduces reliance on critical raw materials and generates jobs.

Ander Eizaguirre (OECD) emphasised the pivotal role of cities in the circular economy due to their governance structures and responsibilities, particularly in waste management. Cities can wield powerful tools like public procurement to influence consumption patterns and promote "product as a service" models. Eizaguirre also highlighted the social benefits, including job creation, especially for vulnerable groups. He identified governance issues as primary barriers: a limited understanding of the circular economy at the sub-national level, unclear objectives, and a lack of policy coherence. To overcome this, he stressed the need for multi-stakeholder engagement involving the private sector, academia, and civil society. Eizaguirre reinforced the OECD's commitment to supporting sub-national governments through policy dialogues and studies, as "there is no transition if subnational governments and the subnational level are not on board on this transition".

Session 5: Spatial Planning Towards Climate Neutrality

The final session, moderated by Francisco Rodriguez (TECNALIA), concentrated on spatial planning. Tim Devos (Ghent University), involved in the NNLT (No Net Land Take) project, discussed the objective of halting land consumption by 2050 to foster healthy soils and broader sustainability. He noted that the definition and monitoring of "no net land take" vary across Europe, with regions often interpreting and implementing the concept differently. Challenges include data availability and complexities in political, legal, and planning regulations. Despite these hurdles, Devos sees significant potential for NNLT to become a strong policy tool and foster a common discourse across Europe, particularly when linked with other societal goals like housing.

Nora Sanchez Gassen (Nordregio), speaking on the Green Industrialisation policy brief, underlined that "green industrialization processes are very territorial. It happens in our municipalities, it happens in our regions". She identified opportunities, especially for remote regions rich in renewable energy and raw materials. However, challenges include inadequate spatial planning frameworks, infrastructure demands (energy, transport), social and environmental impacts (e.g., land-use conflicts, public acceptance), and skills gaps. Sanchez Gassen advocated for clear spatial planning, broad stakeholder involvement, and re-skilling/upskilling programmes. She strongly advised early and open communication with local populations to prevent resistance and leverage local knowledge, stating, "Communicate, engage and listen early on in the process".

Frank Holstein (Deloitte), again representing the CoBren project, reiterated that while offshore renewable energy is a significant driver, it often leads to conflicts with other sea uses such as fisheries, shipping, tourism, nature conservation, and military activities. He stressed the indispensable role of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in managing these competing interests. Good practices for conflict resolution involve extensive stakeholder engagement, transparent communication about project benefits, and, where necessary, compensation for affected parties, such as fishermen. Holstein concluded by highlighting the importance of multi-use concepts and regional dialogues at the sea basin level as key for successful cooperation.