The beginning of this week brought good news for Alba Iulia, the Other Capital: the confirmation that the continuous efforts made for the development of a smart city and sustainable community were not in vain. His Excellency Mr. Arthur Mattli, the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Romania, was present in Alba Iulia to confirm the good path the Other Capital is following in terms of becoming a sustainable community. The city, represented by Mr. Mayor Gabriel Pleșa, Deputy Mayors and other representatives of Alba Iulia Municipality, was awarded by HE Mr. Arthur Mattli with the prestigious "Sustainable Community - European Energy Award".
The focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and local involvement in reducing carbon emissions have been key elements in writing and implementing community development projects. For Alba Iulia, this is not a punctual effort, but a strategy that the city successfully applies, and which is the basis of the entire effort to attract non-reimbursable financing. The decisive step in this regard was the signing of the Covenant of Mayors in 2010.
"We are on a one-way road and oriented towards a sustainable future. We remain committed to implementing the technologies of the future, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing energy efficiency. This is a commitment to develop Alba Iulia on the principles of sustainable communities", says Gabriel Pleșa, mayor of Alba Iulia.
Alba Iulia is the only municipality in Transylvania that receives the title Sustainable Community - European Energy Award. The performance evaluation was made on the basis of 79 indicators and 6 areas of energy efficiency. The Sustainable Communities in Romania so far are Vama Buzăului city and Iași Municipality.
"Sustainability is one of the benchmarks for Europe. Attention to reducing carbon emissions is a priority for all nations and is an extremely important issue for Switzerland. In the partnership relations we want a strong Romania and we put our experience in the field of sustainability at your disposal. Through the certificate I hand to you, we state at European level that the city of Alba Iulia is dedicated to taking decisive steps towards the future. This certificate is the instrument of collective intelligence that gives the chance to quantify the efforts and results of the stages already completed and oriented towards the future", said - HE Arthur Mattli - Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Romania.
Within the event, held in the city Local Council meetings room, a beautiful video was presented to the delegation and the local representatives, produces within our "Find Your Greatness" project. The video
Obtaining this European certification is the result of an interdisciplinary process in a pan-European network of expertise and teamwork with Romania Green Building Council, the Local Agency for Energy in Alba Iulia and SERVELECT.
The Sustainable Communities project started in 1991 in Switzerland under the name Energiestadt (Energy City) and quickly became a certification framework recognized by the European Union to support the implementation of the "Sustainable Energy Action Plans" requested by the signatories of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and energy. The program is a very useful tool to help Romanian cities to plan and take measures to improve their sustainable performance.
As a quality management and certification system for cities involved in sustainable energy, climate and transport policies, the European Energy Award is divided into six areas that address: communal development and geographical planning, town hall buildings and infrastructure, the provision of energy and water, waste management, mobility, internal organization, and external communication. These six areas comprise the sub-sections listed here and represent a total of 79 criteria that can be systematically evaluated, continuously reviewed, planned actions and progress pursued.
The Swiss Confederation financed the European Energy Award project (2010-2019) within the Swiss Contribution allocated for Romania. The total value of Switzerland's contribution to Romania was CHF 181 million, for the entire package of projects implemented during 2010-2019.
