Towards a Global Green Deal: aligning climate and biodiversity goals with SDGs from bottom-up

The two co-rapporteurs - ENVE chair, Mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski (PL/EPP) and vice-chair, Deputy Mayor of Budapest Kata Tüttö (HU/PES) - pointed out that the European Green Deal can serve as a model for global levelin terms of multilevel action for sustainable development and against climatechange,biodiversityloss, pollutionand land degradation. However, there is a need to further increase support to local and regional authorities, including by providing direct financing, to boost their involvement and inclusion, and to improve their capacitiesfor monitoring, reporting and implementation.

ENVE chair Mr Trzaskowskisaid: "There is a need to create stronger synergies between the Rio Conventions, the Agenda 2030 and other global commitments that address the triple planetary crises. I am glad that UNFCCC COP28 recognised the importance of multilevel action by launching the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP) and organising the Local Climate Action Summit. I urge to further create alliances between the global UN agendas and the European Green Deal, putting subnational authorities at the core of a Global Green Deal. I also call for direct financing for local and regional authorities to improve the implementation of projects on climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversityand the SDGs."

ENVE vice-chair Ms Tüttösaid: "This forward-looking opinion wants to bring together climate change, biodiversity conservation and restoration and sustainable development and emphasizes the importance of decentralisationand bottom-up approaches. Decisions taken by UN bodies and by the EU end up onthe table of local and regional authorities for implementation. Therefore, the design of these policies also needs a stronger role of cities and regions. The EU has developed an overarching strategy to deal with the triple planetary crisis that isclimate change, pollutionand biodiversity loss in a comprehensive way and with a more holistic approach: theEuropean Green Deal, which we need to preserve and makego global."

The opinion is set for final adoption at the plenary session in June. It will outline EU cities'and regions' recommendations for this year's key international conferences, in which the CoR will participate: the UN Summit for Future in New York (22-23 September), the biodiversity COP16 in Colombia (21 October-1 November) and the climate COP29 in Azerbaijan (11-22 November).

Communicating Green Deal

CommunicatingGreen Deal policies to citizens was another key item on the ENVE meeting agenda on 11 April, two months ahead of the European elections. In the debate with leaders and representatives of various European political think-thanksand foundations, speakers pointed out that therecent farmers' protests serve as a warning that without public support green policies in key sectors risk stalling.

Members underlined the need to accompanyGreen Deal policies by supporting measures and adequate mechanisms to protect the most vulnerable, consideringthe different strengths and challenges of EU regions and cities.Giving local communities a stronger voice in the design and governance of the Green Deal would also help in this regard, speakers argued.

Resilient water management

Water management within the EU is profoundly impactedby climate change, agriculture, industrialisationand urbanization. Members adopted the recommendations drafted by André Viola (FR/PES), Member of the Aude Departmental Council.

Rapporteur Mr Viola statedahead of the meeting: "The many water-related challenges, such as water scarcity, floods, pollution, wastewater treatment and rising sea levels, are already causing regions of the EU to declare emergency situations, fuelling tensions within our cities, regions and cross-border areas. We must act urgently to guarantee universal access to water and sanitation for all. To address these risks, we call on the European Commission to make water a strategic priority for its next mandate from 2024-2029, tointegratewater into all relevant EU policies and to put in place an ambitious and holistic EU Water Strategy".

In the absence of the rapporteur, the draft opinion​ was presented by Luca Menesini (IT/PES), president of the Province of Lucca.

Transition to circular economy

The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council has asked advice from the CoR on the role of regional and local authorities in the transition towards a circular economy. The draft opinion​was adopted at the ENVE Commission just a few days before the beginning of the World Circular Economy Forum​, taking place in Brussels next week.

Rapporteur Loredana Capone(IT/PES), President of the Regional Council of Puglia, said: "We live on a damaged planet and the geopolitical risks make our supplies increasingly vulnerable. The limits of an economic development based on a linear and extractive approach, and the advantages of a model based on a circular and regenerative approach, are now tested and scalable. The circular economy is no longer a choice, but a necessity on our path towards climate neutrality and the EU strategic autonomy. We local and regional authorities, always and forever the closest link to our citizens, are at the forefront and key actors in tackling the environmental, socialand economic challenges of the green transition."

Members also had a first exchange on the Wind Power Action Plan with rapporteur Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA), Member of the Flemish Parliament. Markku Markkul​a (FI/EPP), President of Helsinki Region, was appointed rapporteur for an upcoming opinion on"The future of EU climate policy: aligning mitigation targets and adaptation challenges", referring to the recent European Commission communications onthe2040 climate targets and on climate risk management.