economically and socially, there is an urgent need to promote adaptation in coastal regions; the degree of detail in the future European adaptation strategy needs to be sufficient to allow for specific regional situations;
the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) tool is essential both for facilitating policy integration in coastal regions, particularly on issues which have not yet been fully systematised such as erosion, climate change adaptation and green infrastructure, and for promoting regional cooperation between local actors;
developing tools which can assess the costs and benefits of adaptation could effectively pushes forward the local and regional political processes which underpin planning and implementing on the ground and lay the groundwork for shaping more cost-effective strategies;
the CoR should be regularly consulted on European and international climate negotiations. The CoR should be (i) involved in a European working group on adaptation focusing on regions with permanent handicaps, including those caused by the effects of climate change and so covering coastal regions, islands and mountain regions and the Outermost Regions; and (ii) granted observer status with the Adaptation Committee
In its opinion, the Committee of the Regions considered that the degree of detail in the EU Adaptation Strategy needs to be sufficient to allow for specific regional situations.
One can note that ultimately, the EU Adaptation Strategy does provide common tools and guidance to facilitate adaptation action tailored to specific national, regional and local challenges.
In addition to tools and guidance, the strategy foresees the creation of a local network focusing on adaptation. It is fully in line with the CoR opinion recommendation to support and promote local and regional networks.
The CoR also called for the European Commission to fine tune and further develop data monitoring and collection, partly based on the basis of experience accrued through individual projects. This concerns specifically (i) mapping tools to provide data and information which is geographically-based and on a useful scale to support local and regional decision-making; (ii) a clear and joint reference framework for assessing vulnerability, impact and risks; and (iii) guidelines for shaping local adaptation strategies in coastal regions which take account of the requisite multidisciplinary approach and multilevel governance aspects.
In response, the European Commission agreed this is an essential endeavour and pursue this aim through the mainstreaming of adaptation in EU funds such as the cohesion fund, the development of specific adaptation programming in its research policy (FP7 and Horizon 2020), the GMES climate change service and the LIFE+ financial instrument. The Climate-ADAPT platform also provides a reference source of tools and data to support local and regional adaptation efforts. In the recent months, the platform's regional focus did improve significantly.
Specifically on coastal regions, the CoR recommended coastal regions coordination of adopted policies and the existence of research which aims to assess the effects in neighbouring or cross-border regions. This would ensure that the problem is not simply transferred from one region to another. A participatory approach to identifying these measures and the involvement of all key stakeholders could facilitate the implementation of measures which are coherent from the territorial point of view.
In response, the European Commission considered cross-border issues in the EU Adaptation Strategy. In particular, a dedicated Commission Staff Working Document is on climate change adaptation in coastal areas.
Moreover, the CoR highlighted the extent to which there is an urgent need to promote adaptation in coastal regions. In response, the EU Adaptation Strategy does highlight the vulnerability of coastal regions as well as marine environments. The European Commission also put a specific focus on coastal regions adaptation via the adoption of specific guidance for these regions and a clear focus on coastal areas, water management and marine and fisheries is present on the CLIMATE-ADAPT platform.
Eventually, the CoR called on the Commission to consult representatives of local and regional authorities beforehand so as to be certain that the proposal for a EU Adaptation Strategy complies with the proportionality principle and includes sufficient emphasis on and detail regarding the local level, particularly regarding more vulnerable regions, such as coastal regions, islands and mountain regions.
The Commission did undertake both a formal consultation with stakeholders through regular meetings, in particular the Adaptation Strategy Group where local and regional authorities were and are represented, and an internet consultation open to all citizens and organisations (it ended on 20 August 2012 and lasted for 8 weeks). In addition and as a final comment, one may note the EU Adaptation Strategy does emphasise the importance of the local and regional levels for adaptation.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- is convinced that, economically and socially, there is an urgent need to promote adaptation in coastal regions, not least in view of the greater burden imposed by the "failure to act" scenario and in spite of the continuing sovereign debt crisis in some eurozone countries; considers that the degree of detail in the future European adaptation strategy needs to be sufficient to allow for specific regional situations;
- acknowledges that the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) tool is essential both for facilitating policy integration in coastal regions, particularly on issues which have not yet been fully systematised such as erosion, climate change adaptation and green infrastructure, and for promoting regional cooperation between local actors through initiatives such as the Sardinia Charter in the Mediterranean basin;
- points out that developing tools which can assess the costs and benefits of adaptation could effectively push forward the local and regional political processes which underpin planning and implementing on the ground and lay the groundwork for shaping more cost-effective strategies;
- reiterates that it should be regularly consulted on European and international climate negotiations and therefore calls for the Committee (i) to be involved in a European working group on adaptation focusing on regions with permanent handicaps, including those caused by the effects of climate change and so covering coastal regions, islands and mountain regions and the Outermost Regions; and (ii) to be granted observer status with the Adaptation Committee.