COP31 must turn global targets into tangible results for citizens, EU cities and regions say

Delegation of EU local and regional leaders will participate in the UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya.

With the annual UN climate conference – UNFCCC COP31 – beginning in Türkiye on Monday, 9 November, EU regions and cities are calling to formally recognise local and regional authorities' role in delivering global climate goals on the ground, and to provide them adequate support to pursue decarbonisation efforts and strengthen resilience against the consequences of climate change.

Seven members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) form part of the official EU delegation at the UNFCCC COP31, taking place in Antalya from 9 to 20 November. The CoR delegation led by Kostas Bakoyannis (EL/EPP), member of Athens City Council and chair of the CoR's Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE), will be carrying the voice of Europe's cities and regions to the international climate negotiations during the first week of the conference.

“Our message is clear: COP31 must be the COP of implementation. Commitments are already on the table; now we must turn them into tangible results for citizens. Delivery happens locally: through faster electrification, investment in renewables, and by protecting people from the extreme weather events. To deliver global goals, sub-national governments need the right mandates, better direct access to climate finance and a structured role in shaping global climate decisions, not just a consultation at the very end,” Mr Bakoyannis said.

Working in close collaboration with the rest of the EU delegation and representatives of local and regional governments from across the world in the LGMA Constituency, the CoR will advocate at the COP31 for: 

• A structured inclusion within negotiations. Sub-national perspectives should be integrated into the UNFCCC process, with their views feeding into negotiations and national climate plans and strategies, and with clear accountability, transparency and measurable outcomes; 
• Better access to climate finance for local and regional authorities. International climate finance should be simpler, more predictable and more accessible for LRAs, with transparent tracking of finance reaching the local level and greater mobilisation of private investment; 
• Accelerated implementation of the COP28 energy commitments, recognising that accelerating the clean energy transition is essential to addressing the energy crisis while strengthening Europe's industrial competitiveness and territorial resilience; 
• Stronger adaptation and resilience action. Climate adaptation needs to be accelerated at all levels of governance, with adequate resources, stronger local and regional capacity and better integration of adaptation into territorial planning and investment, as demonstrated by the devastating heatwaves and wildfires across Europe in summer 2026.

Members of the CoR delegation at the UNFCCC COP31:

• Kostas Bakoyannis (EL/EPP), ENVE Chair, Municipal Councillor of Athens, Greece 
• Åsa Ågren Wikström (SE/EPP), member of County Council, Västerbotten Region, Sweden 
• Nadia Pellefigue (FR/PES), Vice-President of the Region of Occitanie, France 
• Clare Colleran Molloy (IE/Renew E.), member of Clare County Council, Ireland
• Attila Kiss (HU/ECR), member of the County Council of Hajdu-Bihar Varmegye, Hungary 
• Dan Boyle (IE/Greens+Pro), member of Cork City Council
• Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA), member of the Flemish Parliament, Belgium 

Highlights of the CoR delegation's agenda at the UNFCCC COP31:

Monday, 9 November (Food, Agriculture and Health)

During the opening day of the COP31, a press conference of the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA) Constituency will take place to present the key messages of the world's sub-national governments. The CoR has contributed to the drafting of the joint LGMA position as member of the LGMA Steering Committee.

Tuesday, 10 November (Energy and Transport)

CoR delegation members will participate in different side-events focusing on a just transition, energy grids and accelerating electrification.

Wednesday, 11 November (Zero Waste) – Leaders Summit Day 1

CoR delegation chair Kostas Bakoyannis will speak at the opening event of the Multilevel Pavilion alongside high-level speakers, including COP31 Special Envoy for Cities and Mayor of Konya Uğur İbrahim Altay, and Anne Hidalgo, Global Covenant of Mayors Ambassador and former Mayor of Paris. Adanech Abiebie, Mayor of Addis Ababa, has also been invited to share his perspectives ahead of the COP32 hosted next year in Ethiopia. In a separate meeting with the Acting Mayor of Istanbul Nuri Aslan, the CoR delegation is expected to express its support for detained local elected representatives in Türkiye, such as Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu. Members will also participate in an event related to wildfire management in the Mediterranean, and in a youth dialogue on local decarbonisation organised at the Japanese Pavilion.

Thursday, 12 November (Resilient Cities and Built Environment) – Leaders Summit Day 2

CoR delegation chair Kostas Bakoyannis will represent the CoR and share experiences from Athens on boosting urban climate-resilience at the European Union pavilion in a session organised by the EU Covenant of Mayors. The CoR is also co-organising a high-level event with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB) and ICLEI Europe to take stock of the first week of negotiations.

Friday, 13 November (Finance and Trade) – Saturday, 14 November (Children, Youth, Education and Skills) 

Delegation chair Kostas Bakoyannis will meet with Gina McCarthy, Chair of America is All In and former White House Climate advisor, to discuss local leaders’ important role in supporting climate action in the United States. The CoR delegation will have a bilateral meeting with Québec's Minister of Environment, Jean Pellerin, as well a briefing with negotiators of the European Commission's DG CLIMA. Members will also have meetings with representatives of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Climate Alliance, and intervene at the 21st Global Forum on Human Settlements in Antalya.

More information:

· Türkiye is hosting the UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, while Australia is presiding the negotiations. The co-presidency has identified implementation as a central theme, moving from commitments to action. Priorities include raising the global electrification rate to 35% by 2035, cutting the growth in waste generation by 50% by 2035 and reducing energy intensity in buildings by at least 25% by 2035. Talks are also expected to focus on strengthening national climate plans (NDCs), finance for mitigation and adaptation, the Global Goal on Adaptation, a just transition, and the COP30 presidency’s roadmaps on moving away from fossil fuels and protecting forests.

· The CoR set out its key messages for the UNFCCC COP31, and the biodiversity COP17 that concluded last week in Yerevan, in an opinion led by ENVE chair Kostas Bakoyannis. Sub-national governments implement between 70% and 80% of the actions needed to deliver the Paris Agreement. The EU's negotiation mandate adopted by the Council of the EU underscores the significant contribution of local and regional governments in achieving climate objectives.

· The CoR has contributed to the joint LGMA position, which outlines six key messages of world's subnational governments for the COP31 negotiators: 

1. Achieving an energy transition outcome that recognizes and accelerates subnational delivery to return to the 1.5°C pathway;
2. Prioritizing an ambitious outcome on just transition; 
3. Institutionalizing multilevel climate finance through country-owned architectures;
4. Continuing to uphold the key role of independent science in the COP process;
5. Creating a systematic, joint space for Parties and local, regional and sub-national governments to discuss barriers to multilevel action; 
6. Accelerating the implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation and National Adaptation Plans.

Contact:

Lauri Ouvinen
Tel. +32 473 536 887
lauri.ouvinen@cor.europa.eu