The Committee of the Regions, in cooperation with the European Commission, has launched a survey on sustainable energy policy in cities and regions.

The Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform of the Committee of the Regions, with the support of the Covenant of Mayors initiative, is asking EU cities and regions to contribute to this survey by describing their policy on sustainable energy practices.

The survey "Sustainable energy policies by EU Regions & Cities: Good practices and challenges" will be used to gather examples of good practice from EU regions and cities and to improve understanding of the policy options being implemented, the challenges facing local and regional authorities and the main areas of success, in line with the work of Committee of the Regions on defining the role of local and regional authorities in the wider EU efforts to protect the environment.

The results will contribute to the Committee of the Regions' political message to the special session of the European Council devoted to energy policy in early 2011, thereby helping to define future EU action in this area.

The survey is open to all local and regional authorities and can be completed in all official EU languages. The deadline for submissions is 20 July.