CoR members agree on a roadmap to show the local way to the European Green Deal

Their firm conviction is that recovery and green transformation are only possible in a bottom-up approach

Yesterday, 15 February, saw the 4^th meeting of the Green Deal Going Local (GDGL) group which concluded with the adoption of a preliminary roadmap to making the European Green Deal a tangible mission with the active and central involvement of the local actors on the continent. The GDGL working group is composed of 13 members from the Committee of Regions (CoR) institution and it has been tasked with finding a pragmatic and working way for translating the grand European Green Deal and UN SDP goals into achievable initiatives where municipalities and regions will play a central role.

The working group was established on 15 June 2020

Members of the GDGL group agreed on the necessity to speed up the green transition and set up priorities and political objectives towards realizing this goal. Due note was also given to the need for taking into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local communities in Europe.

The focus areas of the initiative were defined and these include the renovation of buildings for better energy efficiency, the greening of urban areas and the decarbonization of transport. In order to make these a tangible reality it was decided that there is a need to improve on inter-regional cooperation between relevant institutions, solidarity and the sharing of good practices.

"When we say that the Green Deal will be local or it will not be, we are not simply launching a slogan. The European Union will never achieve climate neutrality without its territories sharing the same ambitious objectives. Projects like the Intelligent Cities Challenge and Just Transition Platform are examples of how we can deliver the Green Deal on the ground, creating the necessary support and finding synergies to help cities and regions,” stated Juan Espadas, the chair of the working group, as quoted on the CoR website.

He added: “The climate crisis is the biggest challenge we have in front of us and we need innovative ways to work together towards a shared and common goal."

The European projects he referred to are flagship initiatives, which are expected to localize the climate efforts proposed by the European Commission, and as such are enjoying considerable interest by the members of CoR. It is expected that soon the finalized version of the roadmap will be released and posted on the CoR website.