A Structural Shift: How Agencies Are Strengthening Climate Preparedness

For decades, local and regional Energy Agencies have played a key role in advancing the energy transition—supporting municipalities, businesses, and citizens in improving energy efficiency and deploying renewable energy solutions. But as climate impacts intensify across Europe, a new reality is emerging: energy challenges can no longer be addressed in isolation from climate risks. We can’t treat energy challenges separately from climate risks anymore.

Floods, heatwaves, droughts, and other extreme events are already forcing cities to rethink how they plan, invest, and operate. Focusing solely on mitigation is no longer enough. Resilience and preparedness have become essential components of sustainable development.

This shift is prompting agencies to rethink their role. Energy Agencies are expanding their mandate, integrating climate adaptation, risk assessment, and resilience planning into their services—becoming energy and climate agencies capable of addressing both the causes and consequences of climate change.

This article explores how four agencies—REGEA (North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency), ENERGAP (Energy and Climate Agency of Podravje, Slovenia), CEA (Cyprus Energy Agency), and IRE Liguria (Regional Agency for Infrastructure, Recovery and Energy of Liguria, Italy)— are bringing this shift to life in their territories.

Why agencies are making the shift

 At the heart of this evolution is a simple realisation: the line between energy and climate no longer exists.

For ENERGAP, this shift  came from recognising how tightly these challenges are now connected. Climate neutrality, risk management, and resilience require an integrated approach that goes beyond energy alone. In regions like Podravje, where floods, heatwaves, and landslides are becoming more frequent, climate change is not a distant threat. It is already influencing local development choices. As Vlasta Krmelj, Director at ENERGAP, explains, energy is central to resilience: disruptions to transport, heating, or supply chains can quickly cascade into wider impacts, making the link between energy systems and adaptation both direct and unavoidable.

REGEA reached a similar conclusion:

“Continuing to operate purely as an energy agency would have meant responding to symptoms rather than tackling the root causes of transformation.”

Miljenko Sedlar, Head of Climate Department at REGEA

Faced with increasing complexity, agencies are moving beyond  isolated technical measures to a more systemic way of working — connecting energy, spatial planning, governance, and investment choices to support long-term resilience and security.

Aligning with policy frameworks while driving local action

The shift towards resilience is closely linked to the evolving European policy landscape—while remaining firmly rooted in local realities.

Frameworks such as the European Green Deal and the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change highlight the urgency to strengthen resilience and accelerate action at local and regional levels. In this context, energy agencies are emerging as key enablers: they translate broad policy goals into practical, actionable solutions on the ground.

ENERGAP has played an important role in raising awareness among local authorities. Through regional climate risk and vulnerability assessments and targeted training sessions, the agency is helping municipalities shift perspectives: from reactive responses to more strategic, preventive approaches.

“Preventive and strategic measures are far more cost-effective and efficient than continuous post-disaster recovery.”

Vlasta Krmelj, Director at ENERGAP

 This evidence-based approach has proven crucial in encouraging more forward-looking planning and investment.

Similarly, agencies such as REGEA are also helping embed  climate considerations into governance and financing frameworks. By supporting the integration of climate criteria into investment planning and public budgets, they help ensure that resilience and preparedness  become visible, measurable components of local development strategies.

What it takes to become an energy and climate agency

 Becoming an Energy and Climate Agency requires more than adding new services—it calls for organisational, technical, and even cultural change.

At REGEA, the transition was treated as a deep institutional shift. Climate considerations are now embedded across all activities, from energy efficiency and renewables to spatial planning and investment strategies. The agency has developed new services such as climate risk assessments, vulnerability analyses, and climate-proofing of projects and programmes,  positioning itself as a national and European reference point in this field.

At the national level, REGEA also supports ministries in integrating climate criteria into regional development programmes and budgetary frameworks, helping ensure that investments are aligned with resilience goals.

This transformation has also been supported by new expertise, including climate scientists, enabling a more analytical and evidence-based approach to adaptation and preparedness.

“We see this as an opportunity: as the need grows, so does our mandate to innovate, expand, and lead. For REGEA, the pathway forward is clear—we must grow alongside the adaptation agenda, ensuring that resilience becomes a cornerstone of Croatia’s and Europe’s sustainable future.”

Miljenko Sedlar

Other agencies are following different, more gradual pathways.

At IRE Liguria, climate adaptation and resilience are being integrated within existing energy activities, supported by internal training, cooperation with research institutions, and participation in European projects. This approach allows the agency to build capacity step by step, without needing a full organisational overhaul.

In Cyprus, CEA has established dedicated structures and expertise, while developing practical knowledge through pilot projects such as green roofs and Tiny Forests. These hands-on initiatives play a key role in building technical capacity and demonstrating the value of nature-based solutions.

Together, these experiences show that there is no single blueprint for becoming an Energy and Climate Agency. Instead, it is a gradual, context‑specific transformation—one that adapts to local needs, capacities, and priorities.

Delivering climate resilience on the ground

The integration of climate services is already translating into tangible impact.

Across Europe, agencies are supporting municipalities and regions in:

• assessing climate risks and vulnerabilities,
• developing and implementing SECAPs with stronger adaptation components,
• implementing nature-based solutions and resilient infrastructure,
• and improving access to funding for climate action.

In practice, these activities are delivered through integrated and often hands-on approaches. CEA, for instance, combines vulnerability assessments and joint SECAP development with pilot projects that test and refine adaptation measures on the ground. Similarly, IRE Liguria supports local authorities through technical assistance while implementing concrete adaptation actions via European projects, helping translate planning into implementation. ENERGAP complements this with a climate “One-Stop Shop” service, guiding municipalities through the entire process—from data collection and planning to financing, implementation, and monitoring—thereby simplifying complexity and strengthening local capacity. They recognise that resilience is not only about technical solutions, but also about enabling conditions: building the knowledge, coordination, and confidence needed to act proactively.

A new role as connectors of the transition

As climate challenges intensify,  Energy Agencies are reshaping their role to match the scale and complexity of today’s needs.

By linking local needs, national frameworks, and European priorities, Energy and Climate Agencies are becoming key connectors of the transition. They bring stakeholders together,  bridge knowledge gaps, and help coordinate action across sectors and governance levels—turning fragmented efforts into coherent, long‑term strategies.

This broader role allows them to move beyond individual projects and contribute to deeper, more systemic change. Their work helps ensure that climate resilience and preparedness are embedded in planning, investment, and policy-making.

In a context where climate risks are increasing, this transformation is not just necessary—it is already underway. Across Europe, energy agencies are stepping confidently into this new role: helping territories not only transition, but prepare, adapt, and thrive in a changing climate.