The European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions join forces ahead of COP27 calling on Member States to raise climate targets and reinforce multilevel cooperation
The
members of the delegation of the European Committee of the Regions to COP27
warmly welcome the support of the European Parliament on the urgency to foster multilevel cooperation in global climate action and the need to fully involve local and regional authorities in the implementation of the Paris agreement. The European Parliament
voted
its COP27 resolution at the plenary session in Strasbourg.
The president of the European Committee of the Regions,
Vasco Alves Cordeiro
, said: "
With this vote, the European Parliament shares the European Committee
of the Regions' call to further recognise the important role
sub-national governments play in effective climate action. We count on
the Czech Presidency and all Member States to get this recognition
confirmed by the Environment Council next week. We need to move from
commitments to achievements, learning also from what local and regional
authorities are already doing, and listening to what they need to be
able to do more. Cities and regions need to be empowered to shape
climate policies at all levels, as they are the ones having to
implement and achieve climate action."
The Mayor of Warsaw,
Rafał Trzaskowski
(PL/EPP), chair of the
ENVE commission
and of the
Green Deal Going Local
working group, said:
"In the context of the current energy crisis and climate emergency, w
e support the European Parliament call to better channel financial
resources to local and regional authorities to face these challenges.
Ahead of COP27
, we reaffirm our climate ambition and commitment to deliver on the
objectives of the Paris agreement and we reiterate our call for direct
access to EU funds for cities and regions to implement Green Deal
projects."
Dublin city councillor and
Alison Gilliland
(IE/PES), said : "As defined by the
Glasgow Climate Pact
and just echoed by European Parliament resolution, we need inclusive
global climate governance! As CoR rapporteur on COP27, I call on Irish
Minister Eamon Ryan and all other EU governments at the Environment
Council Conclusions next week to explicitly recognise the key role that
subnational authorities play in delivering climate action and to
support the need for their inclusion in climate dialogues."
Alison Gilliland is the CoR's rapporteur for the opinion
'Towards a structural inclusion of Cities and Regions in UNFCCC
COP27'
.
Olgierd Geblewicz
(PL/EPP), president of West Pomerania Region, said:
"We congratulate our colleagues from the European Parliament for
adopting a
COP27
resolution that recognises the key role that cities and regions play in
delivering climate action and achieve the EU's climate objectives. The
EU delegation will have the support of its cities and regions as new
climate diplomats."
Olgierd Geblewicz
is rapporteur of the opinion
'The CoR's role in boosting subnational climate diplomacy ahead of
COP27 and COP28'
.
Vincent Chauvet
(FR/Renew Europe), Mayor of Autun, said: "
We thank the European Parliament for supporting our pledge to formally
include cities and regions in global climate negotiations. It is now
time for the Council and Members States to show their support for
multilevel cooperation and back up their cities and regions."
Andries Gryffroy
(BE/EA), member of the Flemish Parliament, said:
"I welcome the European Parliament vote recognising the essential role
of sub-national governments in the fight against climate change.
Regions and cities are on the frontline of climate hazards, but also of
solutions. Building on the achievements of COP26 and the recognition of
the importance of multilevel collaboration, we call on Member States to
uphold the multilevel governance principle and to support a bottom-up
approach to tackle climate change."
Jakub Chelstowski
(PL/ECR), president of the Silesia region said: "
In the region of Silesia, we are the leaders of important innovative
and sustainable changes. But we must increase the speed of the
transition. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, high
inflation and the war in Ukraine, we are reminded of the vulnerable
world we live in and the need to build resilience in an increasingly
unpredictable world."
Notes to editors:
The
EP COP27 resolution
recognises the urgent need for multilevel and cooperative action and the
involvement of local and regional authorities in the implementation of the
Paris agreement, supports locally-led approaches towards adaptation and
biodiversity protection, calls for mandatory adaptation and climate
vulnerability tests at local level, stresses the need for better
channelling financial resources to the local level and recognises the
Edinburgh process
as an example of inclusive "whole government" approach. The European
Parliament also calls on all countries to step up their 2030 climate
targets before COP27, to limit global warming in line with the Paris
agreement.