The ENVE commission meeting on 15 July showed that the prospect of the energy crisis is worsening as the approaching winter is a major concern for EU local and regional authorities. The severe droughts across the EU and the tragic collapse of the Marmolada glacier confirm the urgent need to adapt to global warming. The ENVE commission adopted two draft opinions on the energy package on gas, hydrogen and methane, and the role of cities and regions in global climate governance ahead of the United Nations climate summit to take place in November in Egypt. The priorities of the Czech Presidency were also on the discussion table.
The European Committee of the Regions’
June plenary
saw the adoption of a set of economic, fiscal and social measures to accelerate access to green funds, to improve energy
performance of buildings and to further support vulnerable citizens and
businesses to face energy and mobility poverty. To further highlight the
importance of the green recovery plan, members of the CoR ENVE commission
underlined that the economic recovery from the pandemic as well as from the
war in Ukraine should not come at the cost of jeopardising long-term
environmental and climate goals. More ambitious energy-efficiency and
renewable-energy targets as proposed in the
REPowerEU plan
are key to overcoming the challenges that the energy sector faces and the
impact on citizens and businesses.
Opening the meeting,
Kata Tüttő, Deputy Mayor of Budapest and chair of the
ENVE commission
and of the Green Deal Going Local
working group, said:
“Russia continues cutting gas exports to certain Member States. Some
households and companies in our cities and regions are being forced to
reduce or stop their consumption. Rising energy prices and supply
disruptions are already affecting our economies, risking a social
crisis. We need to ensure that in case of full disruption before next
winter, the EU will be able to show its energy solidarity where most
needed across all our territories. It is of paramount importance to
reduce demand and save energy and we urge the adoption of measures to
finance RePowerEU, the plan for speeding up the clean-energy
transition.”
During today’s ENVE commission meeting, two draft opinions were adopted.
On the
Energy package on gas, hydrogen and methane emissions, rapporteur
Jakub Piotr Chełstowski (PL/ECR)
, Marshal of the Śląskie Voivodeship, said: "
The regulatory set to which the opinion is referring, will be critical
in achieving the European Union's reduction targets included in the Fit
for 55 package, and also directly contributes to the EU's strategic
plans for decoupling from fossil fuels in line with REPower EU.
The current geopolitical situation must not have an impact on energy
prices for consumers. Our main objective should be to protect consumers
from high prices and to ensure the security of gas supply. Furthermore,
it is extremely important to ensure an economically predictable energy
transition.
"
Ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Egypt next November, the CoR
commission adopted the opinion
Towards a structural inclusion of Cities and Regions in UNFCCC
COP27
drafted by Rapporteur
Alison Gilliland (IE/PES)
. The Mayor of Dublin and member of the CoR delegation to COP27 said: "
The energy crisis, exacerbated by the illegal Russian invasion of
Ukraine, highlighted even more the urgency to keep our ambitious
climate goals when tackling climate change. We must provide an urgent
large-scale response to the climate crisis by effectively coupling
adaptation and mitigation measures through multilevel action. The
European Committee of the Regions calls for a structural inclusion of
cities and regions in UNFCCC COP 27
."
Both opinions are scheduled for adoption at the CoR's plenary session in
October.
The ENVE commission also debated the priorities of the Czech Presidency of
the Council of the European Union. One of the objectives of the Czech
Presidency, which took the chair of ministerial meetings in July, is the
EU's energy security, which is in danger due to Russia's gas supply cuts,
risking an increase in the number of citizens and business suffering energy
and mobility poverty. The debate highlighted that is it vital to achieve
the right balance between the greater climate ambitions presented through
the Fit for 55 package and the need to alleviate the negative impact of the
current geopolitical situation on energy prices and the need to reduce
Europe's dependence on energy imports.
Members had an exchange of views on the
EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
with by rapporteur
Luca Menesini (IT/PES)
, President of the Province of Lucca.
Background:
The documents of the ENVE commission meeting are accessible
here.
Green Deal Going Local
is a CoR initiative that aims at placing cities and regions at the heart of
the EU's transition towards climate neutrality to empower local and
regional leaders to take action on climate change and increase the delivery
of sustainable EU-funded projects in local communities across the European
Union.
Contact:
David Crous //
David.Crous@cor.europa.eu
// +32 (0) 470 88 10 37
Theresa Sostmann //
Theresa.Sostmann@cor.europa.eu
// +32 (0) 475 99 94 15