CETENMA is organizing a webinar on energy efficiency financing for municipalities in the Region

Murcia, June 1, 2026. — With the aim of identifying funding opportunities and facilitating the preparation of municipal projects, CETENMA is organizing the free webinar: "Energy Efficiency Aid for Municipalities" , a day that has the collaboration of the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia (FMRM).

The technical session will take place on June 17, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. , and is specifically aimed at enabling municipal officials to learn in advance about the available funding options.

Topics to talk about

The webinar will offer a comprehensive overview of the most relevant tools and calls for proposals for the local sector, highlighting the following points:

• Analysis of upcoming opportunities of the National Energy Efficiency Fund (FNEE 2026).
• Unique energy efficiency projects and actions in municipal health or care buildings.
• Forecasts for outdoor public lighting, based on the experience of previous calls.
• Opportunities in the Tertiary PREE for municipal buildings.
• Practical introduction to the Energy Saving Certificates (EAC) system as a way to monetize the savings obtained.

The event will allow attendees to learn what documentation is needed to apply for these grants and resolve doubts about the CAE system through practical examples of actions with potential for energy savings.

Registration: Due to the technical nature and interest of the subject matter, places are limited. Municipal officials interested in participating can register directly through the application form provided by the organizers at the following link:

I want to register!

The Federation of Municipalities is organizing a conference to promote the economic return on public investments in energy efficiency.

The Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Industry, Energy and Mines, will hold an information session on March 18th focusing on the Energy Saving Certificate System (CAE) and its application in the public administration sector. CAE SESSION PROGRAM

The meeting will take place at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Council of the Region of Murcia, with the aim of informing local and regional administrations about the opportunities offered by this system to monetize energy savings derived from energy efficiency actions, thus contributing to improving the profitability of public investments.

The session will cover key aspects such as the operation of the Energy Savings Accounting (EAA) system, the current regulatory framework, and the mechanisms that allow public entities to monetize the energy savings generated. Practical recommendations and real-world examples will also be presented to facilitate public administrations' participation in this system.

The program includes technical presentations by industry experts, as well as representatives from regional and local government, who will analyze the role of regional managers, the current state of the system in the Region of Murcia, and its future prospects. In addition, a round table discussion will be held to share experiences and case studies related to the management of energy efficiency certificates in the public sector.

This initiative is aimed at public administration technicians, policymakers, energy service companies and professionals in the sector, and aims to facilitate access to tools that allow the optimization of the use of public resources and advance the energy transition from the municipal and regional level.

The event is part of the commitment of the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia to promote sustainability, energy efficiency and support local entities in improving their energy and economic management.

The Minister of the Environment and the President of the Federation of Municipalities have finalised the framework for collaboration between the regional and municipal administrations, which responds to a broad demand from local entities.

Municipalities with fewer than 50.000 inhabitants in the Region will be able to carry out environmental procedures in order to speed up the development of the actions planned in their municipal area, as is already done by the municipalities of Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca and Molina de Segura. This has been agreed by the regional Government, through the Ministry of the Environment, Universities, Research and Mar Menor, and the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia.

The Minister for the Environment, Juan María Vázquez, held a meeting today with the President of the Federation of Municipalities, Víctor Manuel López, to close a framework for collaboration between administrations that allows “all municipalities, who wish to do so, whatever their size, to lead projects that affect and facilitate the daily lives of their inhabitants, highlighting their environmental wealth in harmony with the rest of the values ​​of their locality”.

In this way, local councils will be able to act as an environmental body and directly manage the environmental assessment procedures for plans, programmes or projects in which they are entirely responsible for the development, approval and adaptation.

“This measure is entirely voluntary,” stressed the councillor, who explained that the town councils will be able to exercise these powers upon request and signing an agreement with the regional administration, “provided that they prove that they have the technical and personal means to carry them out, guaranteeing the effectiveness and efficiency in the management of the files.”

Vázquez stressed that it is a measure that “grants greater municipal autonomy to the town councils” and that “responds to a broad demand from the town councils, who want to have more participation in their projects.” “No one knows their town better than their own town council,” he said.

For his part, the representative of all the mayors has actively participated in the negotiation of this agreement, since, for the municipalities of the region, the situation of municipal powers is a significant issue that causes numerous problems for the local public administration, especially due to the time factor, since the processes are prolonged and lead to the loss of opportunities for the municipalities. The president of the FMRM has said in this regard that "it is vitally important to effectively establish this transfer of powers to those municipalities that voluntarily decide to adhere to this agreement so that they can resolve environmental processes themselves so that their localities can advance in this area."

Monitoring Commission

Within this framework of collaboration, a Monitoring Committee will be created to resolve problems of interpretation, execution and compliance with the agreement. It will be composed of the Director General of the Environment, a representative of the City Council, graduates in Law and higher education graduates competent in environmental matters.

This measure will be accompanied by the corresponding funding from the Autonomous Community, which will be set annually and will be linked to each type of file processed based on the number of hours spent by the staff in charge of processing it.

The president of the Federation of Municipalities, Víctor Manuel López, thanked the regional government of Fernando López Miras for “having responded to his demand to improve the financing of municipalities so that they can join this initiative, which is especially important for towns with fewer than 10.000 inhabitants, which have to make a greater effort.” 

The Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia, chaired by its top representative, Víctor Manuel López Abenza, held this morning in Caravaca de la Cruz the Annual General Assembly, which is the most important decision-making body of the organization, and to which the 45 mayors of the region belong. The mayor of Caravaca, José Francisco García, was the host of this meeting, which brought together mayors of the region to approve the most substantial decisions of the entity.

The agenda has been marked, mainly, by the approval of the liquidation of the year 2023 and the budget for 2024, which has been approved unanimously by the councilors who have attended, since as the general secretary of the FMRM, Antonio Moreno, has said, "the result of the liquidation of last year reflects that the accounts of the Federation, are not only healthy, but that their evolution is favorable, since the previous year was closed with a surplus of 112.762 euros, which demonstrates the responsible and transparent work that is carried out in the federation that brings together all the municipalities". Likewise, Moreno has said that this year's budget follows the principle of balance between income and expenses, and this year in particular, very specific items have been approved, such as the one dedicated to the actions of the 40th Anniversary of the Federation that is celebrated this year".

Other points on the agenda were, on the one hand, the approval for the signing of a collaboration agreement with the Spanish Protocol Association (AEP), which adds to the long list of agreements that the FMRM has with other regional and national organisations, and the presentation of a commemorative plaque to the head of the National Police in Murcia, Ignacio del Olmo Fernández. The Federation of Municipalities wanted to dedicate a few minutes to this body and security forces of the State on the occasion of its bicentennial.

The president of the FMRM, Víctor Manuel López, said that, “the General Assembly of the Federation represents the unity of all mayors, as measures are approved that serve to improve daily management in the town councils. Today we have demonstrated once again that we are working in the same direction, with our sights set on achieving new local funding, which is very necessary for local administration, and on resolving current complex issues, such as the Waste Law and the problems it is causing in the municipalities, as well as on other more exciting issues, such as European projects, which give us the opportunity to transform our towns and cities.”

He added that, “Today I have to especially thank the Mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Francisco García, for his welcome and reception. On the occasion of the jubilee year, we have moved the Assembly to his municipality, and we could not be happier with the result, as well as congratulate the Chief of the National Police for this well-deserved recognition that we have all given him.”

For his part, the mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz commented that, "in such a special year for our municipality, it is an honour to receive the mayors of the Region at the Caravaca City Hall, who thus express their support for the Jubilee Year 2024, as an event that unites us and is capable of generating opportunities for the tourism sector of our land.

The federation, which brings together the 45 municipalities, is an important and useful body for facing the numerous challenges and difficulties that local administrations continually face. Municipalism must remain united and strong in the face of challenges such as the financing model, depopulation and the transfer of inappropriate powers that we assume by placing ourselves at the forefront and being closest to the needs of the residents," he said.

Mayors from some of the main European capitals such as Vienna, Paris, Munich and Lisbon attended this important event.

 

The local world has become a key element in putting into practice the sustainable development goals set by the European Union. That is why the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia (FMRM), which has a great commitment to some SDGs, such as 11, which talks about the importance of cities and human settlements being inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, or objective 17, which deals with alliances between administrations.

To this end, the federation has been involved for several years in projects financed by the European Union, even leading some of them in which other countries of the continent participate.

In this framework, the president of the FMRM, Víctor Manuel López, has travelled to Brussels to participate in the event that has brought together more than 220 mayors, including the mayor of Lorquí, Joaquín Hernández, and the mayor of Alhama de Murcia, María Cánovas, as well as European representatives. The Majors Green Deal has been the meeting point for all of them to discuss, as a central theme, the major global environmental problems such as climate change, with the main goal being the search for solutions at a local level that are committed to sustainability.

On the other hand, the mayors took advantage of their visit to Brussels to learn about the Murcia Region Office in the city that is the administrative headquarters of the European Union, and the role that it has in promoting and advising public entities in the region and companies that want to undertake initiatives that highlight the objectives of sustainable development through projects and actions. Precisely, among the topics discussed in this meeting with the director of the office, María Huertas, the most important was to study how to reach agreements between the municipalities and companies in the municipalities and the regional office in Brussels.

 

In the words of Víctor López Abenza, “participation in this event has allowed me to broaden my perspective on the importance of municipalism in European projects, and therefore this makes my commitment to the initiatives financed by the EU from the Federation of Municipalities even more decisive and firm.” The representative of the mayors has insisted on “the decisive role of the Federation as a guide and anchor for all the municipalities of Murcia in this matter, setting up a multidisciplinary team for the advice and participation of local entities, together with the CARM, in this matter.”  

“Building Inclusion through municipal action” was the event that the Federation of Municipalities of the Region of Murcia (FMRM) held this morning within the framework of the project financed with Next Generation Funds +QueEmple-A, in which it participates with Cepaim and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, within the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and which brought together more than 200 people dedicated to Social Services and the third sector in the region.

This event is also part of the Federation's programme for its 40th anniversary, which aims to highlight the importance of inclusion in local public administration.

The opening ceremony was led by the president of FMRM, Víctor Manuel López Abenza, and Juan Antonio Segura, general director of Cepaim, and the closing ceremony was led by the managing director of IMÁS, Verónica López, and the general secretary of the Federation, Manuel Pato.

For his part, President Víctor López, who also hosted the event, said that “the local world has a lot to say, and this is indicated by Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 17, which talk about inclusive municipalities and public-private partnerships, key elements to be able to advance in the development of programs that guarantee being close to people by helping them with real actions that offer positive results.”

Speakers

For its launch, it has had the support of speakers from experts in Inclusion from the three administrations, national, regional and local, as well as its partner in the project on migrant women, Cepaim.

From the Ministry of Inclusion, the person responsible for reporting on the progress of national policy in this area has been María Amor González Redondo, deputy assistant director of Inclusion Policies, who has opened the round of presentations and has explained that "from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 34 pilot inclusion projects linked to beneficiaries of the Minimum Vital Income have been promoted, which have been developed with pioneering research methodologies in our country in the field of social policies."

The special relevance of these projects in the Region of Murcia is highlighted, since nine of them have carried out interventions in a total of 16 municipalities in the Region, developing inclusion itineraries that cover a very wide range of actions in different areas such as social support, employment, digitalization, education or 'non-take-up'.

The second talk was given by Cepaim, with interventions by Sara Caja and Miriam Esquiva, coordinators of program lines and the +Que Emple-A project, who presented the results of the impact of the study carried out in this project with migrant women, also in this case, recipients of the minimum vital income (IMV).

Following the first presentations, two round tables were held, the first dedicated to assistance resources and European projects in local administration, with the participation of the head of section and provincial coordinator of the IMV at the INSS, Jesús Saorín, the head of the economic benefits service of the Murcian Institute of Action, Josefa Saura, and the head of the Social Welfare service of the Murcia City Council, Consuelo García.

The second round table, dedicated to municipal experiences, was held to discuss success stories with similar projects that have been carried out by town councils throughout Spain. In this round table, the Secretary General of the Federation, Manuel Pato, who acted as moderator, opened a very interesting debate in which initiatives on absenteeism or improving self-esteem were presented by speakers from Seville and Santander who developed their presentation in an online format.

The last talk of the morning was given by Marcos Bote from the University of Murcia, to talk about the innovative evaluation method in social sciences, which is a fundamental part of measuring the impact of actions on users.

A total of 220 people have participated in the event, including, in addition to numerous third sector associations such as Unicef, Jesús Abandonado, Secretariado Gitano, or Proyecto Abraham, and municipal workers, more than 50 students from the Faculty of Social Work at the UMU.

Undoubtedly, this was a success in terms of participation, which paves the way for continuing to build social services in local public administration.