The renewed Green Deal agenda must put regions and cities at its centre, address asymmetric territorial impacts and tackle the financing gap.

EU regions and cities are urging the European Union to pursue ambitious Green Deal policies to reach the climate neutrality target by 2050, create thriving economies and ensure well-being within the planetary boundaries without leaving anyone or any place behind. The report Regions and cities shaping the European Green Deal 2.0, which outlines 29 key recommendations for the EU's next legislative mandate, was presented by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 29 May in the presence of European Commission executive vice-president Maroš Šefčovič.

The report calls for a renewed Green Deal 2.0 agenda that aims at fostering sustainable competitiveness and strategic autonomy, eradicating social inequalities and further exploiting the potential of green innovation. This new agenda should place regions and cities, and their specific contexts and needs, at its centre. It should ensure that regions and cities have the necessary tools and resources to meet ambitious objectives and are empowered to design and govern their own transition pathways.

The report urges to maintain the level of ambition required by science and highlights the cost of no-action. However, it points out that various international crises have occurred since the European Green Deal introduction, showing the need for a strengthened and more flexible Green Deal that is ready to respond to challenges in an evolving context and prevents the green transformation from unequally impacting vulnerable people and regions.

Regions and cities are also expressing concerns about a funding gap for implementing the European Green Deal in the years to come, as many local and regional authorities in the EU are already struggling to provide the investment needed for the green and digital transitions.

Some of the key recommendations include:

• Building a long-term ambitious sustainability strategy and a stable framework that goes beyond a single term, with the level of ambition required by science, and putting stronger attention on the just transition.
• Strengthening the current European Green Deal with territorial impact assessments, at least at regional level, and improving monitoring with focus on asymmetric territorial impacts by developing a Green Deal 2.0 scoreboard which includes socio-ecological and wellbeing indicators beyond the GDP.
• Improving the coordination of EU funds and instruments for the green and digital transitions, reinforcing efforts for better regulation and simplification, promoting a place-based approach and facilitating access for the regions and cities that need these funds the most.
• Bolstering the leading role that the European Union is playing in the global transition and working towards a Global Green Deal built around the participation of cities and regions, while strengthening multi-level governance in all EU Member States and at the EU level.
• Increasing the focus on protecting biodiversity, advancing the transition to sustainable food systems, and addressing the interconnections between human health, climate change, and environmental crises.
• Aligning the priorities and allocations of the next EU multiannual financial framework with the Green Deal 2.0 ambitions, objectives and targets, supported by a mission-oriented approach through specific and time-bound targets and a robust financial package that includes technical assistance and increased direct EU funding to cities and regions.
• Addressing the existing European Green Deal investment gap with a reformed Cohesion Policy that supports climate-related spending with increased and accelerated investments in climate adaptation, biodiversity and resilience and addresses the asymmetric impacts of climate change and different vulnerabilities and needs across EU regions and cities.

Quotes:

Rafał Trzaskowski​ (PL/EPP), Mayor of Warsaw and chair of the the CoR's ENVE Commission and Green Deal Going Local working group: “As we are on the eve of the EU elections, I appeal to the future European Parliament and the European Commission to keep our Green Deal policies ambitious but also realistic, putting the needs, challenges and possibilities of the people, their businesses and their territories at the centre. Cities and regions are the engines of the transition moving our economy and society forward creating more competitive, resilient and healthier local communities. However, we cannot do it on our own. We need a Cohesion Policy that reaches every city, region or village, making sure that none is left behind. We need direct EU funds for the sustainable projects on the ground. We also need an active involvement of the private sector which is responsible for more than 80% of the CO2 emissions in the EU."

Kata Tüttö (HU/PES), Deputy Mayor of Budapest and vice-chair of the CoR's ENVE Commission: “Since its launch in 2019, the European Green Deal was designed as a growth strategy to ensure inclusive wellbeing for all. We adapted it in order to tackle the new challenges of the fast-evolving economic and geopolitical context. Going green is the only way forward. We cannot use fossil fuels and natural resources anymore the way we do it! However, it is not an easy task for cities and regions who risk exacerbating existing inequalities or creating new ones. Our task is therefore to implement the Green Deal with a strong social dimension, turning fear into hope and decline into growth."

Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Executive Vice-President for European Green Deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight: “Local authorities have a key role to play in our fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. That is why our green transition efforts require that national and subnational leaders are in sync. And that is also why I have sought to boost our engagement, including through the Clean Transition Dialogue on Cities, held together with the Committee of the Regions in March. The Commission will continue supporting regions and cities in progressing on the green transition. I am particularly proud of our work on reducing administrative burden, simplifying permitting and facilitating access to financing – all with a direct impact on local administrations."

More information:

Since 2019, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) – the voice of regions and cities in the EU policymaking process – has issued over 78 opinions/resolutions covering the different subject areas of the European Green Deal. The report Regions and cities shaping the European Green Deal 2.0  has been developed under the leadership of the Green Deal Going Local working group, with the active contribution and cooperation of all the CoR thematic  commissions. The policy recommendations were adopted by the CoR Bureau in April.

The 29 May event was organized in the frame of the Green Deal Going Local initiative of the European Committee of the Regions and was part of the CoR activities within the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy and the European Climate Pact. Covenant of Mayors ambassadors and Climate Pact ambassadors took part in the discussions.

Contact:

Lauri Ouvinen
Tel. +32 473 536 887
[email protected]​