Today's CoR Green Deal Going Local Working Group focused on the role of subnational governments to effectively deliver on the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Members also exchanged views on the new European Commission's Horizon Europe mission on 100 Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030 and the future of the Covenant of Mayors, the world largest city coalition on climate action.
COP 26 - Glasgow
The meeting served as an occasion to exchange views on COP26 with Yunus Arikan, ICLEI's Director of Global Advocacy, who said "The success of the Paris agreement depends on its implementation on the ground. Every nation should raise their climate ambition and deliver collectively with subnational authorities. As members of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) constituency, we are calling on the Parties to explicitly commit to multi-level collaboration. The Paris climate agreement cannot be delivered without an effective collaboration with regional and local authorities."
Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź, said "As a member of the European Committee of the Regions' delegation to COP26 in Glasgow, I will actively participate in various meetings to ensure that the voice of cities and regional authorities is heard loud and clear. We must convince decision-makers that local governments should be a permanent partner in planning and delivering climate solutions. The pace of environmental degradation and ambitious climate goals impose responsibility to deliver a green transformation. It can only be successful if local and regional authorities become an equal partner of the United Nations and of national authorities, also in terms of climate commitments."
Horizon Europe Missions
Markku Markkula, Chair of the Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region highlighted that "Horizon Missions are the most important instrument for cities and regions to achieve climate neutrality as they cover the 'wicked' problems that cities and regions are facing. We want and need to get ready to move fast towards green transition with high quality projects. Multilevel cooperation is key and it is amazing how much we can learn only by listening from others the good examples.
Philippe Froissard, Head of Unit of Future Urban and Mobility Systems at DG Research and Innovation in the European Commission presented the new Horizon Europe mission on 100 Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030.
Covenant of Mayors
Rafal Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw said "The Covenant Ceremony yesterday showed a sound political consensus on all levels on the role of cites in fighting climate change. Information exchange is seamless in current times and solutions coming from small and medium-sized cities can be up-scaled for the betterment of the Union as a whole. The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy is a leading force in this sense and has become a reference all over the world in terms of climate action and local energy transition. As member of the Board of the Covenant I cannot but be proud of the work we are doing with this initiative. In April we launched the new ambitious commitment of the Covenant, fully in line with the Green Deal and the increasingly ambitious EU legislative framework and we see that, despite the pandemic and the difficulties in the territories, cities are responding to our call."
Ricardo Rio, Mayor of Braga and CoR National Ambassador of the Covenant of Mayors endorsed the commitment to make cities climate neutral by 2050, in line with the objectives of the Green Deal. "That is exactly the type of ambition we need to show. The Covenant of Mayors sets the example to be followed by more and more cities around the world, and under its patronage we can all keep each other accountable for the promises we made. We need transformative, aspiring policies to imagine and design the city of the future. A city that responds to the needs of the citizens, that offers green spaces, accessible and low-carbon public transportation options, efficient waste management services and even cultural and sports events. In this endeavor, we are guided by the targets set by SDG 11 to make cities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable."