The European Commission defines “Covenant Supporters” as European, national and regional networks and associations of local authorities which leverage their lobbying, communication and networking activities to promote the Covenant of Mayors initiative and support the commitments of its signatories.

Local and regional energy agencies (LAREAs) support the introduction of good energy management practices, advocate the concept of sustainability, provide information and guidance, and offer a number of other local services based on specific local energy needs. The energy agencies are funded by public authorities.

The Helpdesk is the primary mediator between local authorities and the Covenant of Mayors Office. It responds to general or technical enquiries about the initiative and assists signatories through the process.

An implementation report is a document that Covenant signatories commit to submit every two years after the submission of their Sustainable Energy Action Plan, and which outlines the interim results of its implementation. The aim of this report is to assess whether the preliminary outcomes are in line with the foreseen objectives.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the scientific and technical arm of the European Commission. It is responsible for providing the technical and scientific support to the initiative. It works in close co-operation with the CoMO to provide signatories with clear technical guidelines and templates in order to assist delivery of their Covenant of Mayors commitments as well as to monitor implementation and results. Website of the JRC: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/

Local Energy Days are events organized by Covenant signatories as part of their official commitments, with the aim of raising public awareness of the opportunities offered by a more intelligent use of energy. They provide an occasion for local authorities to involve stakeholders and citizens in a common dialogue related to the development and implementation of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (e.g. in parallel with EU Sustainable Energy Week). Usually organised for a specified period, the types of events may vary, but normally include activities such as workshops, exhibitions, guided visits and open door days. More information on EUSEW can be obtained here: www.eusew.eu

The Risk and Vulnerability Assessment is an analysis that determines the nature and extent of risks related to climate change, by analysing potential hazards and assessing vulnerability that could pose a potential threat or harm to people, property, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend. It allows the identification of areas of critical concern and therefore provides information for decision-making. The Risk and Vulnerability Assessment serves, along with the Baseline Emission Inventory, as the point of departure for the development of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan.

A Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) is the key document in which the Covenant signatory outlines how it intends to reach its CO2 reduction target by 2020 or 2030. It defines the activities and measures set up to achieve the targets, together with time frames and assigned responsibilities. SEAPs were developed by Covenant signatories that joined the Initiative before October 2016.

Signatories of the new Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy now commit to preparing and implementing a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), addressing both climate mitigation and adaptation with a 2030 horizon. The action plan is the key document which shows how the Covenant signatory will reach its vision and target. The plan includes an assessment of the current situation, i.e. a Baseline Emission Inventory for the climate mitigation part and a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for the adaptation part, clearly identified goals and targets; and the measures planned together with time frames, assigned responsibilities and estimated impacts.

The Covenant of Mayors reporting templates provide signatories with a structured manner of summarising the key elements of their action plan and tracking of implementation during the monitoring phase. When signatories submit their action plan document (in their national language), they are at the same time required to complete an online template available via the Covenant website restricted area: ‘My Covenant’ in English. Only after this process is completed, the official submission of the action plan to the Covenant of Mayors takes place.