The United Nations' climate summit is to kick off in Glasgow in less than two months. Six years after the signature of the Paris Agreement, national governments are to provide concrete answers on how they plan to meet their climate targets. As the world goes through unprecedented heat waves, fires and floods, COP26 will put the spotlight on the need for higher climate ambition to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. The formal inclusion of local and regional governments and their climate contributions remains a key demand that EU cities and regions will put forward in Glasgow, in close cooperation with international networks of sub-national government actors.

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. ​

La Comisión Europea creó el Pacto de los Alcaldes en 2008 para ayudar a las ciudades y regiones a alcanzar los objetivos climáticos y energéticos de la UE para 2020. A fin de reforzar su papel, el Pacto ha decidido adaptar su compromiso climático al objetivo de la UE de alcanzar la neutralidad climática antes de 2050 y ha puesto en marcha una nueva Cámara de Embajadores Nacionales para respaldar su implantación en todos los Estados miembros. El Pacto de los Alcaldes cuenta con más de 10 000 signatarios que reciben apoyo técnico y orientación financiera para diseñar y aplicar planes de energía y clima que contribuyan a lograr la mayor ambición del Acuerdo de París sobre el Cambio Climático: mantener el aumento de la temperatura global por debajo de 1,5 °C.

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