Local and regional authorities must be recognised as implementation partners, given better access to finance, and fully integrated into global climate and biodiversity governance – were the opening remarks of rapporteur Konstantinos Bakoyannis (EL/EPP) at the adoption of his opinion on the “EU global climate and energy vision: Towards more inclusive climate and environment global negotiations”
The opinion highlights that Europe’s global climate, energy and biodiversity objectives can only be delivered if local and regional authorities are systematically involved in shaping, implementing and monitoring international commitments. It aims to strengthen the role of cities and regions in global climate and environment negotiations, improve their direct access to finance, and better connect negotiated outcomes with delivery on the ground.
Konstantinos Bakoyannis, Chair of the CoR ENVE Commission and Leader of the Opposition in the city of Athens, also highlighted that: “Europe’s security, Europe’s competitiveness, and our climate and nature ambitions can no longer be treated separately. They are part of the same strategic equation. Our continued exposure to fossil fuel markets leaves us vulnerable to price shocks, undermines climate and nature objectives, and exposes Europe’s future to geopolitical risks beyond our control. Reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels is, quite simply, a matter of economic security.”
Åsa Agren Wikström, Regional Councillor of Västerbotten, said that “Local and regional authorities must be involved not only as observers, but as contributors to implementation, reporting and accountability, supported by better access to finance, capacity-building and data systems. We should continue pushing the Parties to formally include LRAs in national delegations and coordination mechanisms, with improved observer access, structured input opportunities and stronger links between negotiated outcomes and territorial delivery. The Paris Agreement will not be successful without the full involvement and leadership of local and regional politicians.”
“Without local communities, international climate action will not deliver real results. Local and regional authorities have a major role to play, but they must be given the means to act. That requires direct and simplified access to funding, especially at European and international level. Too many smaller communities are still left outside these processes, lacking both visibility and access to the tools they need.” underlined Thibaut Guignard (FR/EPP), Mayor of Plœuc-L’Hermitage, said:
Borboly Csaba, Vice-President of Harghita County Council, said “Global climate and biodiversity commitments only work if they reach the ground. But in mountainous and rural regions, local authorities receive less than 10% of international climate finance while paying the full cost of implementation. Biodiversity in these areas is not an abstract goal. It exists because communities have maintained it for centuries through traditional farming, pastoralism and land stewardship. We must pay for biodiversity where it still exists, not regulate away the people who created it.”
The text comes in response to the European Commission and the High Representative’s October 2025 communication on the EU global climate and energy vision, which stressed that the clean transition is central to Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy. In that context, the opinion underlines that local and regional authorities are not merely stakeholders, but essential actors in implementing the Paris Agreement, advancing biodiversity goals and building a just, circular and resilient transition.
