LIFE OCTOPUS project

Driven by the partnership between six European regions, and including the Basque Country, the LIFE OCTOPUS project will foster the energy and climate transition by empowering regional and local authorities and environmental and energy agencies to develop and roll out innovative solutions in this field and adapted to their regions. Extremadura, the Republic of Cyprus, the Mazovian Voivodeship region in Poland, the Usti Region in Czechia, and the French regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Isère are taking part along with the Basque Country, where Ihobe and the Basque Energy Board (EVE) are the partners.

To achieve its objective, OCTOPUS will create and strengthen seven Enabling Organisational Networks (EONs), designed to connect local actors with regional governance. These EONs will play a key role in accelerating the implementation of Local Climate and Energy Plans. Specifically, the EONs will act as hubs for knowledge sharing and capacity building and strategy development to facilitate the achievement of the European Union's climate and energy objectives. Stakeholders will be provided with tools, guidance and best practices to overcome barriers such as limited resources, outdated strategies and insufficient collaboration between different levels of governance, through pilot activities and targeted support.

The Basque Country is one of the regions that already has its network. In its case, OCTOPUS will be rolled out through Udalsarea 2030, the network of sustainable municipalities with a proven track record of over 20 years that position the Basque Country as one of the most advanced regions in Europe.

In this context, Udalsarea 2030 will seek to strengthen the support, tools, services and information it offers to municipalities through the project. Thus, solutions will be sought that are not only innovative, but also scalable, equitable and responsive to local needs, in line with European priorities and initiatives. Part of this support will focus on providing assistance to municipalities in the Basque Country to join the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, as well as working together with this global initiative to standardise methodologies and tools available for both planning and monitoring Local Climate and Energy Plans.

OCTOPUS will last for 36 months, during which the EON's role will be to accelerate the implementation of the local climate and energy plans and actions, by facilitating compliance of the climate and energy goals of the regions involved and those taking part in the replication activities.