The Committee of the Regions urges European cities, provinces and regions to
become leading actors in the fight against climate change
The global fight against climate change is a top EU
priority. In its Climate Action and Renewable Energy Package , the EU Member
States commit to cutting their CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020.
The next decade will be crucial in ensuring a sustainable environment for
future generations, and achieving tangible results will mean a commitment from
every level of government, it will be vital to unite strengths at all
levels .
That was one of the key reasons for the launch of the Covenant of Mayors , an EU
initiative launched by the European Commission in 2008 which aims at reducing
greenhouse gas emissions through a formal commitment by cities and other
signatories at the local level .
The challenge begins locally: more than 1000 cities and local
authorities have already committed to go beyond the 2020 EU
objectives
The Committee of the Regions has given its full political support to the
Covenant of Mayors. It has successfully lobbied for the Covenant to open up
to regions as well as towns and cities, arguing that regions also play a major
role in the fight against climate change, in particular through the
coordination of local activities on the ground.
The Committee has called on Commissioner-designate Günther Oettinger, within
whose energy portfolio the Convenant of Mayors currently sits, to give a clearer
and more active role to the CoR in the development of the Covenant. Read more
about the CoR demands
to Commissioner-designate Günter Oettinger .
Next steps: climate change actions across the EU and
beyond
- The Committee has been working hard to broker a cooperation agreement with
the US Conference of Mayors, expected to be signed in early 2010,
that will enable the exchange of best practice between mayors on both
sides of the Atlantic, and is keen to pursue similar arrangements
with other associations.
- The CoR’s Lisbon Monitoring Platform has also begun a recent
consultation in cooperation with the Covenant of Mayors aimed at establishing
a comprehensive database of climate action at the local and regional
level across the EU.
Interested to participate or obtain further information, visit 