Brussels, 04/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - In the company of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, the mayors of 500 towns signed up to the Covenant of Mayors on Tuesday 4 May. With this act, there are now over 1,600 towns, local and regional authorities (nearly 19 million European citizens in 36 countries) that have undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 20% by 2020. They will achieve this by energy savings and greater use of renewables, heightening public awareness of the problem and sharing best practice. “Mayors and local authorities have an essential role to play in combating climate change”, Buzek stressed during a press conference also attended by the first vice-president of the Committee of the Regions, Ramón Luis Valcárel Siso, and the mayors of Stockholm, Sten Nordin, and of Rome, Gianni Alemanno. Over half of all greenhouse gas emissions are in fact generated by and within towns, where over 80% of the people of Europe live and work on a daily basis, and where over 80% of energy is consumed. “Despite the failure of the Copenhagen summit, local officials are taking forward programmes to combat climate change”, Valcárcel Siso said, inviting the signatories of the Covenant of Mayors and the local and regional authorities to take part in a survey on sustainable energy policy measures adopted by regions and towns, with a view to collecting and diffusing best practice in relation to combating climate change. The results of this project will be an element of the Committee of the Regions' contribution to the new EU action plan for energy, which will define the framework for European energy policy until 2020 - and at the European Council meeting devoted to energy policy in May 2011. “Local governments are closer to the citizens. They must take on their responsibilities when it comes to combating climate change, and set an example. The Committee of the Regions will continue to play its role with a view to defining the participation of local and regional authorities in the EU's broadest possible effort to protect the environment”, Valcárcel Siso added, also underlining the need for transatlantic cooperation, promising agreement with American mayors in the future. (E.H./transl.jl)