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.