The Office of the Northern Ireland Executive Brussels was delighted to host a panel discussion ‘Advancing Efficiency and Ending Energy Poverty’ during the 23rd edition of European Week of Regions and Cities
The annual European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) took place in Brussels from 13-15 October 2025. This is a week-long event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement European Union cohesion policy, and demonstrate the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. This year there were over 6,500 participants, 300 speakers and 200 sessions.
The Office collaborated with partners from regions across Europe, with contributions from the Suceava Municipality (Romania), Velenje Municipality (Slovenia), Leeuwarden Municipality and the European Regions Network of the Appliance of Communications Technology (ERNACT).
At the event, local policy experts from the partner regions shared practices, exchanged ideas and collected feedback on their respective strategies for advancing efficiency and ending energy poverty. Participants presented their regions’ tailored solutions to encourage stakeholder behavioral change and propel the energy transition. Northern Ireland was represented by Caitriona Strain, Director of ERNACT, who spoke of how PEACE-funded projects are driving digital transformation in the North West region of Ireland, boosting digital skills in the rural population, and strengthening cross-border collaboration to share knowledge, pool resources, and effectively tackle complex issues that span geographic and socioeconomic boundaries.
The presentations were followed by a Q&A session with the panel, where the audience were given the opportunity to ask questions about each of the innovative initiatives presented by the speakers. Over 50 people attended and were able to discuss and network after the event.
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