Green Deal Going Local is a flagship initiative of the European Committee of the Regions that aims to place cities and regions at the heart of the EU's transition to climate neutrality.
Part of the "Resilience" priority, Green Deal Going Local is a political engagement and communications campaign active since 2020. It includes a political working group, composed of fourteen local and regional leaders and chaired by Markku Markkula (FI/EPP), Member of Espoo City Council. A set of communication and engagement tools support cities and regions in their green transition.
Green Deal Going Local is above all intended to mobilise and engage CoR members, participants in the Young Elected Politicians (YEPs) programme and members of the EU Local Councillors Network, to provide them with first-hand information so that they can accelerate the green transition locally. It also targets local and regional authorities across the EU, as well as public and private stakeholders, European and national territorial associations, community associations and NGOs willing to contribute to accelerating the transition towards climate-neutrality.
Our Goals
The EU climate and energy ambitions, especially the efforts to secure affordable and more sustainable energy sources, are becoming key elements to preserve EU economic competitiveness, making it a key priority for Europe.
Green Deal Going Local is the key CoR initiative to strengthen our work towards a new green transition agenda that is more flexible and more ready to respond to Europe's needs in ain a changing environment. A renewed agenda that fosters sustainable competitiveness and strategic autonomy, eradicates social inequalities and further exploits the potential of green innovation within the planetary boundaries - placing regions and cities, and their specific contexts and needs, at its centre.
The strategic goals of the Green Deal Going Local Working Group are to:
- strengthen collaboration across different policy areas and apply a holistic approach to changes in the CoR's work
- provide a long-term perspective and include strategic foresight in the CoR work
- work as a platform for steering the CoR work on the global green agenda
- connect the different EU green initiatives for cities and regions
- steer the communication and engagement efforts in the field of green transition also addressing misinformation
Take Action: every step counts
Green Deal Going Local is an open call to local and regional authorities across the EU to take action and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, because it makes environmental, economic and social sense.
Climate change is a global problem that needs local solutions. Cities and regions are at the forefront of climate change. They are also at the forefront of climate solutions. Every day, local communities show their relentless efforts to mitigate the impacts of global warming and build resilience. Green Deal Going Local is also about showing what cities and regions are doing to accelerate the transition towards climate neutrality.
We want to inspire others to replicate. We aim to encourage others to accelerate. Every step counts.
Flagship initiatives
Under the Green Deal Going Local initiative the ENVE Commission promotes further political engagement with ambassadors' schemes within two flagship initiatives of the European Commission: the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and the European Climate Pact.
Covenant of Mayors Ambassadors
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is the world's largest initiative for local climate leadership. In the EU, 27 CoR members serve as national ambassadors to promote the initiative in every EU Member State. In addition, ENVE members represent the CoR in the Political Boards of the Covenant at European and global level.
Climate Pact Ambassadors
The ENVE Commission plays a key role in the European Climate Pact, driving local action and citizen engagement to fight climate change and make the EU more sustainable. CoR members are invited to join this initiative as CoR Climate Pact Ambassadors. Through this network the CoR supports ambassadors in hosting local events to raise awareness, share knowledge and accelerate climate action. All CoR members are invited to become Climate Pact Ambassadors.
Zero Pollution Going Local
The ENVE Commission is in charge of co-managing the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform together with the European Commission. Launched in 2021, the platform is co-chaired by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions (CoR). It was set up to help achieve the zero pollution ambition in dialogue with actors from different communities and areas of expertise, including local and regional authorities.
