2. Our objectives
• To share experience
• To increase understanding between rural
energy stakeholders
• To highlight innovative solutions to some of
the barriers faced in implementing
sustainable energy projects in rural and
mountain communities

3. Three themes
• Agriculture and energy
– the role of agriculture in renewable energy production and
energy efficiency
• Multi-level governance in rural areas
– from political commitment to bottom-up policy, from the
community to the Covenant of Mayors, from policy to action
• Technical and technological solutions
– for energy saving in rural and mountain buildings and for
decentralised energy systems; innovation and know-how

4. Agenda
2:00 pm Introduction
2:20 pm Introductory presentations
2:55 pm Small groups activity 1
3:20 pm Small groups activity 2
3:40 pm Small groups activity 3
4:00 pm Sharing results
4:30 pm Conclusions
4:45 pm Cocktail and networking

5. • Agriculture
– Sophie Merle, Association for Local Energy & Environment
Initiatives (AILE), France
– Guillaume Defays, Centre Wallon de Recherches
Agronomiques (CRA-W), Belgium
– Edita Vagonyte, European Agency for Biomas (AEBIOM)
• Governance
– Jens Zvirgzdgrauds, Environment, Climate Change and
Energy (ENVE) commission – part of the Committee of the
Regions.
• Technology
– Bart Vercoutere, Commercial Director of Royal Haskoning,
an Anglo-Dutch engineering consultancy

6. Discussion
Groups
• You have been placed into a small group to discuss each
workshop theme
• Keep in the same group for all activities
• At your allocated table, groups discuss questions on one of
the themes and record ideas and recommendations on flip-
chart paper.
• After 25 minutes, groups move to another table to consider a
different theme, leaving their flip-chart paper behind.
• At the next table, each group spends 15 minutes reviewing
the ideas and recommendations made by the earlier group,
refining or adding to these.
• At the final table, each group spends 15 minutes reviewing
the ideas made by the earlier group, and prioritising their
recommendations.
• Each group visits 3 tables in total.

7. 1st 2nd 3rd
Group Table Theme Table Theme Table Theme
1 A Agriculture I Technology F Multi-level Governance
2 E Multi-level Governance B Agriculture J Technology
3 I Technology F Multi-level Governance C Agriculture
4 B Agriculture J Technology G Multi-level Governance
5 F Multi-level Governance C Agriculture K Technology
6 J Technology G Multi-level Governance A Agriculture
7 C Agriculture K Technology E Multi-level Governance
8 G Multi-level Governance A Agriculture I Technology
9 K Technology E Multi-level Governance B Agriculture
So Group 4 begins at table B, then moves to table J and finishes at table G.

8. Concluding Remarks
• Lambert Van Niljsterooij, MEP and
member of the European Parliament's
Committee on Regional Development.