How is the energy transition thriving in the rural world? Join our Community Group to take part in the discussion!

The Rural Pact Community Group ‘Energy transition in rural areas’ aims to guide rural areas from all over Europe in developing efficient, relevant and fair energy transition plans, using co-design and other tools.  

The group provides a dynamic space for key stakeholders who want to advance the energy transition in rural areas by empowering rural municipalities, sharing best practices, discovering citizen participation methodologies, and discussing the most urgent points of action towards a sustainable and meaningful transition. 

It addresses the urgent need to bridge knowledge and capacity gaps of local authorities and provides support for the co-design of social energy plans that respond to the needs of regional and local stakeholders (including vulnerable citizens) while safeguarding compliance with European and national energy policy frameworks, such as sustainable energy and climate action plans.  

Originating from the EU-funded ENTRACK project, the Community Group’s objectives include creating opportunities to develop collective projects and initiatives related to rural energy transition, and to engage with transnational organisations that support the development of rural municipalities. It also seeks to align European energy policies with local needs and knowledge. 

Co-design to support the energy transition 

Several online sessions are planned – and one in-person meeting – to keep the dialogue around rural energy transition thriving. The group’s first online session in December 2025 turned the spotlight on challenges and solutions around co-designing energy action plans. These are local energy plans with specific actions, targets and objectives, dedicated to promoting the clean transition while incorporating the social dimension. 

Co-design is a powerful tool that allows citizens, public administrations and experts to join their efforts and become active stakeholders in the energy transition. The fruitful discussion identified a set of challenges, clustered under the topics of allies, resources, meaningful participation, engaging stakeholders and communication. For each cluster, solutions were identified to mitigate the challenges and ensure smooth co-design to maximise a sustainable transition.  

The second online session, ‘Learning Together for a just Clean Energy Transition: Capacity Building initiatives across the Synergy’, will take place on 10 March 2026. This will look at training initiatives from ENTRACK and some sister projects as a baseline for debate on building capacity for sustainable energy transition in the rural world.  

Join the Community Group and register for the second online session to connect and exchange with peers.  

New training platform to boost skills and knowledge on energy 

ENTRACK is funded by the EU’s LIFE programme and aimed at providing technical support to clean energy transition plans and strategies in municipalities and regions. The project’s main goal is to empower rural communities and provide them with the knowledge and tools needed for sustainable energy planning.  

Its new training platform offers free online courses – targeted at policymakers, civil society and organisations dedicated to sustainable energy solutions – designed to strengthen knowledge and skills for a sustainable and inclusive energy transition.  

The courses are available in six languages (English, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan) and cover topics such as energy concepts and terminology, taxonomy of social energy plans, energy poverty and vulnerability, and EU financial opportunities. 

The project has also established online collaborative groups covering Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, focused on rural energy transition. With participants from diverse backgrounds, these groups are aimed at creating spaces for learning, discussion and joint action. Within them, local actors and representatives, experts and other interested parties come together to discuss issues, exchange experiences and support each other in promoting sustainable energy transitions in rural Mediterranean areas.  

Author: Nona Galvany and Laura Valdés, Associació Ecoserveis