The Covenant of Mayors

Multi-level Governance of Energy Transition in the European Union

By: Luigi Alberto Di Martino

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

This book deals with the historical background (1997 to 2009), the process of creation and the first six years of existence (2009 to 2015) of the Covenant of Mayors, a European Commission initiative that aims to implement energy policy as close as possible to people daily lives. In order to do so it works mainly at the local level, usually with the help of provincial and regional organizations. Its main objectives are the promotion of energy savings among citizens and the diffusion of renewable energy sources. The subject is particularly suitable for the concept of multi-level governance, as it imply relations among European, national, regional, provincial and local governments and other public and private institutions. The author did extensive field work on this subject. He began with an interview with its mentor from the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission at the Covenant Office in Brussels. His main case study comes from the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. There he studied through interviews the regional, provincial and local dimensions of Covenant performance and other related local initiatives. He continued with case studies in the Abruzzo region, mainly in the Province of Chieti y central Italy and the Catalonia and Andalusia regions in Spain. The book finishes with some comparative and theoretical considerations for future research.