Ljutomer Living Lab kick off

The first living lab meeting in the  Municipality of Ljutomer in Slovenia was held on 29 July 2022.

The participants were initially introduced to the 2ISECAP project (financed under Horizon 2020), as well as the creation of a group of key actors Ljutomer Living Lab within the project. These actors are important in the creation of policies, action plans as well as in their implementation. However, since local authorities play a very important role in mitigating climate change and adapting to it, if we just consider that 80% of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions are related to urban activities, the quality of their cooperation is very important. The 2ISECAP project aims to promote the activation of local and regional stakeholders and communities to become active participants in the energy transition.

The municipality of Ljutomer was the fifth municipality in Slovenia and the first municipality in Pomurje to commit to the Convention of Mayors. In 2012, Sustainable Energy Action Plan of the Municipality of Ljutomer (SEAP) was prepared, which followed the final goals of reducing CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2020. In the interim period, the content of the SEAP was then expanded to include climate change.

In this Living Lab meeting, the Municipality of Ljutomer signed the Covenant of Mayors, which represents an upgrade of the previous one and thus a commitment to prepare the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) of the Municipality Ljutomer. By sining, the municipality voluntarily undertakes to increase energy efficiency and use renewable energy sources in its areas. The signatories of the Covenant of Mayors commit themselves in their vision that by 2050 everyone will live in decarbonized and flexible cities with access to affordable, safe and sustainable energ