On April 15, 2025, the 4th regional workshop of the #Regio1st project took place in Kozani, aiming at the implementation of the Regio1st Planning Framework, which supports Regions in Europe in applying the EE1st principle in their Energy and Climate Planning. The meeting was held in the conference room of the Regional Association of Municipalities of Western Macedonia, coordinated by the Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia.
The meeting began with the presentation of the Regio1st project, followed by presentations on the revised Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the new Greek National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), and the project's Planning Framework. Subsequently, there was a discussion on energy investments in Western Macedonia and the possibilities of implementing energy efficiency actions with a focus on social benefit.
During the meeting, the project's Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) tool was employed to identify the most prevailing alternative for the heating and cooling of the building sector in the regional context of Western Macedonia, considering not only economic results but also the wider impacts on the environment and the society, as well as the practical feasibility of each solution. The implementation of the tool followed a participatory approach, engaging participants to gather opinions not only from the Regional authority of Western Macedonia but also from other relevant stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with a roundtable discussion on the energy planning of Western Macedonia based on the "Energy Efficiency First" principle. Participants included the Deputy Governor of Western Macedonia, elected officials from municipalities of the Region of Western Macedonia, representatives from the Regional Association of Municipalities of Western Macedonia, the University of Western Macedonia, the Regional Development Fund, ANKO, and the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) of Western Macedonia, engineers, and other interested parties from the local community. NTUA-DSS lab was represented by George Konstantopoulos, who presented the planning framework and facilitated the implementation of the MCDA tool.
We warmly thank CluBE for the excellent organization of the meeting and the coordination of all parties, as well as all participants for their active involvement.