REC4EU opens to EU candidate countries. Welcome Albania!
Since the beginning of the 3rd semester, the REC4EU consortium has now 2 new partners participating in the project as "discovery partners", who joined in the framework of Interreg Europe programme area enlargement to the 7 EU candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine).
Milieukontakt Albania is the first partner we are going to present, but soon the other one from Serbia will be welcomed as well.
The interregional exchange meeting held in Tampere (Finland) in June 2024 marked a special occasion for our project, because it was the first time that REC4EU partners gathered with the two new members, even if they participated online.
They then took part to the first Steering Committee online on July 3rd 2024 where they were explained in detail which was their roles, tasks and dealines.
Here is a short presentation of partner N. 10: Milieukontakt Albania
The Company has vast experience working with civil society on environment, nature, and sustainable development. In all programs, three are leading elements:
- building capacities,
- involving citizens, and
- solving environmental problems.
They provide training, coaching, support, and advice for organisations working for sustainability. It stimulates and supports the involvement and empowerment of citizens and develops processes of participative strategy development and decision-making. It connects these processes to concrete solutions for environmental problems.
Milieukontakt Albania has supported NGOs and local government units with tailor-made participatory processes. Throughout the years they have been supporting LGUs in partnership with local organizations drafting important strategic documents and research on environmental and sustainable development.
Stakeholders feel free to share their problems and barriers during such a participatory process, which enables the Agency to provide well-targeted concrete support as and when needed.
Since 2019, Milieukontakt has been actively working on energy transition by empowering women to fight against energy poverty.
100 household visits were implemented in Albania empowering citizens to reduce their energy and water use. During the visit, energy audits and analytics were performed by the energy advisors. Based on the identified potentials, the advisors implemented low-cost measures by installing free devices (LED lamps, power strips, shower heads, tap aerators, draught-proofing doors, and windows), helping the household reduce energy and water usage.
Also, Do-it-Yourself solutions (PV, balcony modules) have been trained and implemented. At the Regional Vocational School, a 6.5 kWp PV system was installed and it serves as a vivid laboratory for women and youth attending courses there.
As a partner in the EU project “European Citizen Energy Academy (EUCENA)”, they have supported a democratic, local, 100% renewable energy system where citizens own and control their local renewable energy plants in Albania. The EUCENA project has supported this process through education, networking, and information exchange. EUCENA aimed at creating a lighthouse initiative for the Citizens Energy Community in south-east Albania.
Energy communities are one successful model to push and reach a just transition in Albania but more TA and support is needed for it to flourish.
Looking forward to meeting you personally in next meeting early next year in Bratislava!