A Reference Methodology for Local Authorities to Monitor Robust Climate and Energy Strategies
 | The EU Covenant of Mayors reporting framework has been developed in consultation with practitioners from local and regional authorities, climate and energy experts and with the methodological support of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Over the course of 2019, the Covenant framework was aligned with the recommendations of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Common Reporting Framework. |
The following resources support signatories using the MyCovenant platform to report their action plans:
- The Covenant Reporting Guidelines explain step-by-step how to report in the various sections of MyCovenant.
- The Reporting guidelines on energy poverty explain step-by-step the reporting on energy poverty and present the support provided by the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub.
- The guidelines are available in all European languages - accessible in the public Library.
- The video tutorials below follow the reporting guidelines and demonstrate of MyCovenant (note some new features in the platform may be missing); each video focuses on a reporting section: Strategy, Inventory, RVA, Actions.
- The Info-packs provide information on how to: manage the signatory profile, renew commitment, navigate among reporting templates, request delay for reporting, etc. There are info-packs for: i) signatories, ii) coordinators, iii) supporters (available in DE, EN, FR, IT, SP in the public Library).
- This SECAP reporting template (Excel version - working document only) is an offline .xlsx template that mirrors the SECAP reporting in MyCovenant.
The template does not contain all the interactive features, automatic calculations and validations carried out in MyCovenant. The template can be used by signatories as a working document, to facilitate the preparation of data reporting via MyCovenant – the only official channel to report/monitor data.
Once completed, the xlsx template can then be imported into MyCovenant platform - (See section 3: ‘Import of GHG inventory data from Excel’ on how to import GHG inventory data in MyCovenant from .xlsx.)
- Signatories can automatically import all GHG inventory data (baseline and monitoring data) in MyCovenant using the Excel template ‘GH emissions’.
- Step-by-step instructions on how to import data are available in the template itself and in MyCovenant (within the Reporting corner > ‘Import’).
- For a baseline emission inventory the import is possible if a related template already exists, and thus selecting the option “overwrite existing emission inventory”.
- Monitoring emission inventories can be uploaded by creating a new inventory or overwriting an old one (it is not possible to overwrite the Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI).
- It is strongly suggested to look at the “My inventories” section of MyCovenant reporting corner for errors or missing elements that may have not been visible in the Excel file.
- In 2023, the Covenant of Mayors – Europe Office, together with partners from the Global Covenant of Mayors, engaged in a simplification of the reporting requirements for Covenant signatories.
- This was undertaken in response to requests from signatories around the world to reduce the reporting burden, to accommodate cities with lower capacity and to provide flexibility for advanced cities that may be reporting though other channels, including at the national level.
- In Europe, the simplified reporting has been consulted with city practitioners to ensure it is tailored to the EU context.
- The Simplified reporting template contains the main Covenant reporting pillars (Strategy, GHG emissions inventory, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Energy poverty assessment, Actions); however, the extent of reported data is reduced. The most significant simplification concerns the GHG emissions inventory.
- Simplified reporting will likely be integrated in MyCovenant in 2024. Only then will it be possible for signatories to use the simplified reporting, if they wish to. Up until then, the Simplified reporting template is available for information only.
- The future integration of the simplified reporting in MyCovenant will not affect in any way the current reporting carried out by signatories.
For any questions related to reporting on MyCovenant, please contact the Covenant Helpdesk at info@eumayors.eu.
Video tutorials
Strategy | GHG Emissions | Risk and Vulnerability Assessment | Energy Poverty | Actions |