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Iasi is the first Romanian municipality to receive the energy-efficient Sustainable Community certificate in accordance with the European Energy Award system; the distinction was presented during a ceremony attended by ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Romania, Arthur Mattli.
We are here today to participate in an event related to sustainability. There are several major reasons why I wanted to be present here at the handing out of this European title to the Iasi City Hall. The first reason is that the International Secretariat for the award of this prize is based in Switzerland, the second reason is that the second installment of the Swiss contribution will facilitate the implementation of this award in Romania. We have supported with Swiss funds the implementation of sustainability plans of action. Congratulations to the municipality of Iasi for succeeding in taking all the necessary steps for being declared the most sustainable city. I would also like to congratulate you on the signing of the Covenant of European Mayors which means a 25 percent cut of energy consumption and a 25 percent improvement in efficiency. This award designates an Energy City. A Swiss municipality received this Energy City award in 1991. Since then, 461 Swiss cities have received this recognition, and 60 percent of the Swiss population lives in energy-efficient cities. We consider that it is very normal for Switzerland and Romania to also exchange best practices in the field of city energy efficiency. Energy-efficient cities were just a fiction in the 70's, in the 90's this became a vision, in 2021 we see it turning to reality in Iasi. I am convinced that in the future it will become a necessity. I have no doubt that this chosen path is a necessity, Swiss ambassador Arthur Mattli told a news conference.
The diplomat also met with Iasi mayor Mihai Chirica, reviewing on this occasion the cooperation of the municipality with the embassy and future projects, agerpres.ro confirms.
It is a great joy, my presence here in Iasi is an important moment. Walking today through the streets of Iasi I saw changes for the better in this wonderful city. Today I already had very fruitful talks about the many past cooperation activities between Switzerland and Iasi, and we also discussed future collaborations. For us it is important that this cooperation continues on the basis of this Swiss contribution because we are convinced that our nations will grow stronger as we work together. Our goal is to reduce social disparities and inequities. We have already collaborated excellently in various areas: health, public transport and energy, the Swiss ambassador also said.
The Switzerland - Romania Cooperation Program, which aims to help reduce economic and social disparities within the enlarged European Union, provided the funding for the Institutionalization of the European Energy Award in Romania, a European-recognized certification scheme. Also, the harmonization of the European Energy Award with other community assessment systems was continued through the European CoME EASY program. Both projects were developed by the Romania Green Building Council.
Iasi is the first Romanian municipality to have been labeled a sustainable community. Why Iasi? For us, its efforts in recent years to get out of the shadows, or of this part of Moldavia where everybody is leaving has counted very much. Foreign companies are setting shop here. So this is also an effort on the part of the private sector that has changed the situation and rendered Iasi attractive, giving the youth a chance to stay here and find a job with a decent income instead of departing for abroad, president of the Romania Green Building Council and head of the Transylvania Chapter of the Romania Green Building Council Dorin Beu told AGERPRES.
