The sharp deterioration in relations between Turkey an​d the European Union's member states and institutions has underscored the importance of maintaining lines of communication between local and regional authorities in the EU and Turkey, EU and Turkish politicians and officials said on 16 December.

COP25 did not reach an agreement on the rules for the full implementation of the Paris agreement. Regional indicators within the Paris rulebook and the call for multilevel collaboration did not make it to the final decision either. Nevertheless, Madrid demonstrated that cities and regions worldwide are firmly committed to higher climate ambition and action. The delegation of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) strongly defended the pivotal role cities and regions play in tackling global warming and the need to formalise their role in global climate governance. Glasgow is to host COP26 in December 2020 with expectations focusing on higher climate commitments and multilevel action. Click here to access the CoR's COP25 photo album.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is looking forward to the COP25 climate summit in Madrid as an opportunity to formally acknowledge the key role of the EU’s cities and regions in strategic climate governance and ensure their adequate engagement in reducing greenhouse emissions. First Vice-President Markku Markkula will lead the CoR delegation in Madrid along with the ENVE Commission chairs Cor Lamers (EPP/NL) and Jean-Noël Verfaillie (RE/FR). Members of the CoR's Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) also outlined that the local and regional level is key to the success of the European Green Deal.

Local and regional decision-makers from all five political families in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), led by its President, Markku Markkula and First Vice President Karl Heinz Lambertz, engaged yesterday in a "youth citizens' dialogue" on populism and ‘cities of the future’. The two topics were chosen by young people from across Europe as a focus for their discussions with CoR members and the main European youth parties. The conclusions will feed into a CoR official contribution for the process of reflection on the European Union, launched by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council.