The role of the European Green Deal in the recovery process and the need of direct, fair and transparent funding for Local and Regional Authorities (LRAs) to help Europe achieve the European Green Deal goals, were the main points raised by EPP-CoR members during a debate on the European Green Deal with Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy. The debate culminated with the launch of the EC-CoR Joint Action Plan on the Renovation Wave.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, CoR President and Governor of Central Macedonia, Greece said "We must deliver climate neutrality and this will only be achieved with the support of our local communities. Buildings are responsible for 1/3 of greenhouse emissions. This is an opportunity to make our towns, villages, cities and regions more resilient and future-proof. We need to make sure they have full access to the EU Budget and Recovery Funds available today. We need to ensure all our regions will recover and that Europe will recover."
Kadri Simson said that buildings are the largest single source of greenhouse emissions in the European Union (EU). She added that the main components of the renovation wave should include high energy efficiency of buildings, and the decarbonisation of energy consumed in buildings. She appealed to administrations to encourage building owners to take up large scale green measures. On the role of the Renovation Wave on the recovery Simon said "Renovation improves people's well-being, health and living conditions. It also creates jobs." She also said that Local and Regional Authorities have set the example with renovation of public buildings such as schools and hospitals. Brining the EC-CoR cooperation on energy even further/to the next level, she announced the launch of a Joint Action Plan on the Renovation Wave between the two institutions.
Markku Markkula, Chair of Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region, having been himself an trailblazer in Finland in organizing in-depth professional development training on renovation and reconstruction in 1990s, congratulated Commissioner Simson and President Tzitzikostas on launching a Joint Action Plan on the Renovation Wave between the CoR and the European Commission. "This will assist the CoR members in initiating practical renewal measures in cities and villages across Europe" Markkula highlighted.
Rastislav Trnka, Chairman of Košice Self – Governing Region said that due to the pandemic people have been forced to spend much of their time indoors, becoming more aware on the importance to take care of our homes and workplaces. "In order to carry out the renovation wave, we must skill and upskill people and provide sufficient, flexible and, above all, direct funding for regions and cities. There is no time for complicated funding schemes. This is the time to put more trust in LRAs and for effective use of multilevel governance" he concluded.
Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź said that historic city centres around the world need initiatives such as the Renovation Wave. "This is a great opportunity to increase their energy efficiency, eliminate sources of pollution and reduce energy poverty. For the smooth course of this process, we need an objective, transparent and equal access to the EU funds for all stakeholders - local governments, public institutions, and private owners."
Harald Sonderegger, Member the State Parliament of Vorarlberg said "The State Parliament of Vorarlberg dealt with the Renovation Wave in a highly intensive manner. A coordinated method for energy certificates is without doubt important, so that buildings of each country could be comparable." Speaking on the CoR Opinion on 'A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives' Sonderegger said "The Renovation wave is indeed a highly necessary and a useful package to reaching the climate goals, as well as to contributing to overcome the economic crisis arising from the Pandemic. In our mountain regions, timber construction plays a dominant role for making construction material more sustainable. "
Konstantinos Agorastos, Governor of Thessaly Region, underlined that we need to move from words to deeds and that the LRAs can give swift answers to the people in the post-COVID-19 era. He mentioned the integrated strategy his region has encompassing the GHG reduction targets and the fight against climate change. He spoke about the EU added value to the number of projects currently running on the ground, including eco-friendly public buildings, public lightening, eco-friendly boilers and waste management. Agorastos stressed that we need to care not only about big urban areas but also about smaller communities.
