To increase the recognition of climate adaptation, alongside climate mitigation, in EU policies;
To strengthen the involvement of LRAs in climate adaptation policy development and implementation;
To call for a more ambitious EA Adaptation Strategy, and to ensure that the new strategy takes into account the great territorial diversity of the EU;
To elevate the role of LRAs in global climate diplomacy;
To promote the importance of climate adaptation monitoring, adaptation solutions such as nature-based solutions, and cross-cutting policy areas;
To highlight the importance of funding opportunities for LRA climate adaptation actions;
To underline the importance of multilevel governance and active subsidiarity in achieving the transition to climate neutrality.
The opinion served as the flagship on CoR proposals and viewpoints of climate adaptation. As such, it has had a central place in reinforcing the role of regions and cities in the new EU Adaptation Strategy, that contains strong territoral compontents and takes into account proposals from the opinion. The opinion has also been instrumental in focusing the regional and local viewpoints on the Horizon Europe mission on adaptation, ensuring that they are well represented.
The rapporteur has, both during the preparation and the follow-up, has represented these views on major European plaftorms. His follow-up activities included:
• 26 January 2021: The rapporteur spoke at the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC) event on Cities’ carbon handprint – How cities facilitate and accelerate low-carbon business. The event was the kick-off event of CLC theme group for cities and had presentations from the EU and different cities on how they are supporting the development of low-carbon and climate friendly business.
• 27 January 2021: The rapporteur spoke at the The Seminar of Energy Transition Strategies for Carbon Neutrality and the 2nd Tsinghua and Datong Energy Transition International Forum in a sub-forum on the Energy Transition in Finland.
• 26 February 2021: The rapporteur spoke at a high-level science-policy panel on the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy as part of the Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC) virtual event accompanying the adoption of the new EU Climate Adaptation Strategy with the aim of mobilising the climate adaptation community and providing a forum for reflecting on the role of science and innovation in general.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
– stresses that climate change is an emergency and a global threat that needs to be tackled by political leadership collectively with joint activities and standards by breaking down silos and barriers, highlighting the role of cities and regions as innovators and trailblazers on climate change;
– stresses the importance of integrated holistic climate adaptation and mitigation policies;
– calls on the EU to take an active leadership role in the shift towards a climate-neutral economy to increase adaptation financing, by jointly developing suitable adaptation methods and instruments, step up cross-border cooperation, exchanges of experience and practices, enhance resilience, nature-based solutions and opportunities for innovation;
– underlines that the impact of climate change is uneven and that territorial factors play a crucial role in the right choice of policy mix;
– calls for focus on the carbon handprint to support innovative solutions and to promote sustainability as a "new normal" for all communities, businesses and individuals;
– welcomes the blueprint for a new, more ambitious EU strategy on adaptation and calls for the clear goals and indicators in line with the principles of active subsidiarity and proportionality;
– calls on the UNFCCC to officially recognise the role of the subnational level in adaptation and mitigation policies and to propose that the Parties adopt ambitious targets; calls for the EU to create incentives for the municipalities to achieve the SDGs;
– supports the development of "local IPCC" scientific platforms on climate change to encourage cooperation with academia and scientists in local decision making;
– urges the Commission to pay special attention to the CO2 pricing system and supports the EP’s call to establish an EU27 net greenhouse gas budget based on the latest scientific calculations used by the IPCC;
– calls on the Commission and Member States to involve subnational governments in drafting their adaptation and mitigation strategies and to promote the regional and local strategies.