14:00-14:15 CET / 09:00-09:15 EDT / 08:00-08:15 CDT: Opening remarks
Moderator: Maria Varinia Michalun, Head of Governance and Strategic Planning Unit, Regional Development and Multi-level Governance Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE)
Speakers:
- Peter Berkowitz, Director, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), European Commission (online)
- Nadim Ahmad, Deputy Director, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) (online)
- Fritz Jaeckel, CEO of the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Germany
- David Senjem, Chair of the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners, Minnesota, United States
14:15-14:45 CET / 09:15-09:45 EDT / 08:15-08:45 CDT: Keynote presentation
This session will present key academic and practitioner insights on managing the climate and energy transition in regions, featuring a dedicated issue paper. A Q&A follows the presentation.
Speaker:
Suyash Jolly, Senior researcher, Department of Human Geography and Regional Development, University of Ostrava, Czechia (online)
14:45-15:45 CET / 09:45-10:45 EDT / 08:45-09:45 CDT: Roundtable A: From national to community-level – vertical coordination for local climate action
This session focuses on driving the climate and energy transition at the local level, with regions sharing how they translate national and regional climate and energy objectives into concrete community actions – from aligning funding and mandates to delivering projects on the ground. The session will begin with a brief presentation, followed by a period of questions and discussion among all online and in-person participants.
Presentation:
- Christof Wetter, Professor, Faculty of Energy, Building Services, and Environmental Engineering, University of Applied Sciences, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Questions for discussion:
- How did your region anticipate future energy and climate needs (e.g. skills, infrastructure, financing)? Can you share one concrete decision or tool that helped you prepare early? What roles did local and national actors play in shaping the transition trajectory for your region?
- What were the most difficult trade-offs your region had to navigate (for example, cost vs. speed, environmental goals vs. social acceptance)? How were local communities involved in these decisions, and what worked – or did not work – in engaging local communities?
- What are the good practices and tips to mobilise support from higher-level (e.g., provincial, state, national) actors to advance your region’s energy and climate transition initiatives?
- If another region were starting its energy and climate transition today, what are the first two or three recommendations would you give it to start the transition process and orient their actions? ?
Each region is invited to prepare one question to ask the other regions related to vertical coordination for energy and climate transition.
Discussant:
- Colleen Dougherty, Director - Regional Collaboration and Economic Development at Infinite Erie and Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, United States (online)
15:45-16:00 CET / 10:45-11:00 EDT / 09:45-10:00 CDT: Coffee break
16:00-17:00 CET / 11:00-12:00 EDT / 10:00-11:00 CDT: Roundtable B: Transatlantic partnerships for energy and climate transition
This interactive session puts a spotlight on strategic partnerships between European and North American regions, emphasising how peers learn from each other - despite geographic differences - to accelerate energy and climate transition. Participants will share examples of concrete partnerships (e.g. projects, platforms, policy tools) and examine their transferability. The session will start with a brief presentation, followed by an interactive discussion.
Presentation:
- Dale Medearis, Senior Regional Planner, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, United States (online)
Questions for discussion:
- What is your region most eager to learn from counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic when it comes to accelerating energy and climate transition? Are there specific policies, financing models, technologies, or governance approaches you are looking to understand better?
- For those with experience in transatlantic energy and climate transition partnerships, what were the key factors behind successful collaboration, and what pitfalls should be avoided? How did you decide which practices could be transferred, and how did you adapt them to local contexts? What kind of support, information, or first steps were most helpful in developing effective collaboration for energy and climate transition learning
- For those without prior transatlantic partnership experience, what are the biggest questions or uncertainties that you have about launching such collaborations?
Discussant:
- Charles Pacini, Manager, Transforming Industrial Ecosystems, Centre for Energy and Materials, World Economic Forum (online)
17:00-17:15 CET / 12:00-12:15 EDT / 11:00-11:15 CDT: Takeaways from participating regions and closing
In this session, all participating regions will share one insight they have gained from this seminar.
17:15 - 17:30 CET
Transfer to hotel
18:15 - 19:00 CET
Walk through the historic city centre to dinner.
19:00 - 22:00 CET
Dinner and networking with guests of honour: Minister Mona Neubaur and Lord Mayor Tilmann Fuchs
