The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union have joined efforts to bring together local and regional authorities, Member States' permanent representations, the European Commission and the European Parliament to discuss how to ensure that the Renovation Wave accelerates the social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic while greening a sector that accounts for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the EU. The third CoR multilevel climate and energy dialogue provided an open exchange platform between different levels of government to build bridges for the full involvement of local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of national resilience and recovery plans. ​

​While Member States are currently defining their plans and priority investments under the Just Transition Mechanism , the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) brought together local and regional authorities and EU institutions to discuss cities' and regions' involvement in phasing out coal, reducing the footprint of carbon-intensive industries and addressing the social and economic effects of the transition towards a climate-neutral economy. The CoR's Multi-Level Dialogue was attended by representatives from the main beneficiaries of the EUR 150 billion Just Transition Mechanism which include Germany, Poland and Romania. The event is part of the Just Transition Platform meeting which aims to assist EU Member States and regions in the path towards climate neutrality