Belgium/Advice to candidates, the city of Arlon forms a citizen panel for energy and climate

The City of Arlon is committed to the "New Covenant of Mayors" for energy and climate. What is the objective? To reduce by at least 40% the emission of greenhouse gases by 2030, on its territory.

The Arlon City Council has adopted an action plan. The efforts are focused on mobility and buildings. If the municipality commits itself to its own buildings, it will not be possible to reach the objectives without a strong adhesion of the population, hence the idea of constituting a citizen panel...

But how to make this panel the most representative of the population? By a "random but rectified drawing of lots", i.e. we took into account age criteria (the 16/30 year olds, the youngest, the oldest and the oldest women).Half of them are inhabitants of Arlon-centre and half of the villages, and as many women as men.

In all, 2004 citizens are invited to participate. The municipality of Arlon hopes for 200 responses, from which 20 members and 10 substitutes will be selected for the four meetings (one per month starting in March) where everyone will have the opportunity to speak, with a collective intelligence animation, in small groups, which will be carried out with the ULg, Arlon site.

And the municipality is committed to these citizen representatives: "First, it will take into account what they have to say and give them feedback on these actions, on what has been implemented, on the results obtained.We are committed to the citizens' representatives: "first of all, to take into account what they say and to give them feedback on these actions, on what has been implemented, on the results we have obtained, and even to integrate them more into the work of the steering committee if they so wish, " says Anne Lamesch, the Mayor of the Environment.

Source: www.rtbf.be