Moving towards zero-pollution,
making the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) work for EU cities and regions along with gender equality and climate change are three of the main topics discussed at the ENVE commission meeting on 23 and 24 November.
The meeting hosted the award ceremony of the Transformative Action Awards 2021. The conclusions of the COP26 climate summit have been part of the discussions with
members celebrating the Glasgow Climate Pact reference to 'the urgent need for multilevel and cooperative action' to tackle the climate crisis.
On 23 and 24 November, the first
meeting
of the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) commission for the
Environment, Climate change and Energy
(ENVE)
after
COP26
included a debate on the conclusions of the UN climate summit that took
place in the Scottish city of Glasgow from 31 October to 13 November 2021.
Juan Espadas (ES/PES)
, Mayor of Seville, Chair of the ENVE commission and of the CoR's
Green Deal Going Local
working group, said: "
COP26 was an important step forward in recognising the limit of 1.5° C
rise in temperature as the common global targets. Nonetheless, it also
left many issues unsolved. As European Committee of the Regions, we are
ready to start working as of now on these issues and support the
process with a view to making COP27 really the COP of fair
implementation and of concrete measures for financing, adaptation and
loss and damage."
An assessment of the achievements of subnational governments at COP26,
gathered in the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities
(LGMA)
Constituency, was provided by Yunus Arikan, ICLEI Director of
Global Advocacy and LGMA Focal Point at the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). CoR members
and Mr Arikan shared their disappointment for the COP26 results in terms of
climate ambition, which could have been more concrete, and resources, which
could have been better defined. Nevertheless, they also recognised the
positive steps made by the Conference to strengthen the fight against the
rise in temperature and to recognise the fundamental role of local and
regional authorities within this process.
On 23 November, the ENVE commission meeting also hosted the ceremony of the
Transformative Action Award 2021. The winner project is 'La Titaranya', a cooperative of homes in the heart
of the Catalan city of Valls which objective is the physical and social
rehabilitation of a degraded neighbourhood. The project has been awarded
for its capacity to catalyse a socio-cultural, socio-economic and
technological transformation within its community. Read the press release
here.
The ENVE commission members adopted the following draft opinions:
'Making the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) and the Carbon Border
Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) work for EU cities and regions'
, by rapporteur
Peter Kurz (DE/PES)
. The Lord mayor of Manheim stressed that:
“The Emissions Trading System is the most successful measure to date
for reducing CO2. As part of the 'Fit For 55 Package', it is rightly
being expanded to include the building and mobility sectors, as these
have so far clearly missed the CO2-saving targets. In these sectors,
however, it is important to give a compensation to the people and
regions particularly affected. We therefore propose to directly involve
local and regional authorities in the revenues generated from the
auctioning of allowances. This should make the transformation socially
sustainable in the relevant regions.”
The
draft opinion
is to be adopted by the CoR's Plenary in April 2022.
'EU Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil'
, by rapporteur
Marieke Schouten (NL/The Greens)
. The Alderman of the municipality of Nieuwegein, said: "
Local and regional authorities have a key responsibility in ensuring
healthy living conditions for citizens, and are at the forefront of
implementing pollution-related laws, policies and programmes. The
complex causes and effects of pollution, conflicting interests, and the
gap between policies and practice create obstacles to do so
sufficiently. With more effective and focussed cooperation between
authorities, stronger administrative and compliance mechanisms, and
access to data and knowledge, local and regional authorities can
effectively contribute to the achievement of the zero pollution target
."
The
draft opinion
is to be adopted by the CoR's Plenary in January 2022.
'Gender equality and Climate change: towards mainstreaming the gender
perspective in the European Green Deal'
, by rapporteur
Kata Tüttő (HU/PES)
. The deputy-mayor of Budapest declared: "
Gender equality is a fundamental principle of the European Union and as
such must be at the core of all its policies, especially the European
Green Deal. Climate policies have gender-differentiated impacts
therefore the transformative agenda of the Green Deal will be key for
women too. The EU needs to systematically implement the gender
perspective into the Green Deal, from the Recovery Plan to mobility,
from energy poverty to jobs. We are ready to work with the other
European Institutions to make this happen at all levels of governance.
" The opinion is to be adopted by the CoR's Plenary in January 2022. You
can read the draft opinion
here
.
'Local and regional authorities accelerating the implementation of the
EU Pollinators Initiative'
, by rapporteur
Frida Nilsson (SE/RE). The member of the Local Assembly of Lidköping Municipality said:
"The situation for pollinators around the world is alarming, but
reports show that it is not too late. Not for biodiversity, climate or
pollinators. There is however a need for changed measures, at all
levels. To turn the decline of pollinators around, coordinated and
integrated strategies involving all sectors and political circles is
needed. It is important to engage all relevant actors and improve the
effectiveness of existing, but fragmented, efforts. The draft opinion
underlines the crucial role that local and regional authorities play in
this, and the way forward"
. The opinion is to be adopted by the CoR's Plenary in January 2022. You
can read the draft opinion
here.
The members of the ENVE commission exchanged views on the following draft
opinions:
'Amending the Energy Efficiency Directive to meet the new 2030 climate
targets'
, by rapporteur
Rafał Trzaskowski (PL/EPP)
,
'Amending the Renewable Energy Directive to meet the new 2030 climate
targets'
, by rapporteur
Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA)
and 'Towards a socially fair implementation of the Green Deal'
, by rapporteur
Csaba Borboly (RO/EPP).
On 24 November,
ENVE members had a debate on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE)
with the newly elected Chair of the CoFoE Working Group on the Green Deal
and the environment, Anna Pasková, from the Ministry of
Environment of the Czech Republic.
Background:
The CoR released a
COP26 political declaration
on 12 November which was endorsed by the Local Governments and Municipal
Authorities Constituency (
LGMA
), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability,Climate Kic, Regions4,
Climate Alliance
, COSLA and
AER - Assembly of European Regions
. It reinforces the message of the
LGMA
Constituency – the voice of cities and regions in the United Nations
climate talks – that any pledges and commitments taken in Glasgow will only
become a reality if every level of government is involved in their
implementation.
At COP26, the Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA)
Constituency, composed of local and regional authorities from all over the
world, has been calling for greater recognition from the Parties of the
Paris Agreement of their role in reversing global warming, as well as for a
formal seat in the climate negotiations and the full acknowledgment of
multilevel collaboration as a prerequisite for limiting temperature rises
to 1.5°C by the end of the century. In its declaration published on 31
October, World Cities Day and the opening day of the Glasgow conference,
the LGMA Constituency shared its
Time 4 Multilevel Action Roadmap
, calling for "a new decade where multilevel collaborative action becomes
the new normal" in the fulfilment of the objectives set up by the 2015
Paris Climate Agreement.
Read here the press release announcing the LGMA Multilevel Action
Roadmap at COP26.
CoR Resolution on the COP26: Global and Local Alliances for Climate
Action.
CoR opinion 'Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition towards
COP26'.
Press Contacts:
David Crous
Tel. +32 470 88 10 37
david.crous@cor.europa.eu
Matteo Miglietta
Tel. +32 470 895 382
matteo.miglietta@cor.europa.eu