Brussels, 05/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Committee of the Regions (CoR) plans to give a local and regional slant to climate talks underway in Durban at the moment (South Africa). Two representatives of the institution will take part in the discussions to recall that action is required close to citizen level. Michel Lebrun (EPP, Belgium) will deliver the message that the local and regional authorities are best placed when it comes to connecting with the citizens, who ultimately will be responsible for ensuring that climate change politics are effective. Lebrun will be seconded by Ilmar Reepalu (PES, Sweden), who is also the mayor of the Swedish town of Malmö, and who, sharing the experience of what has already been done in his town, will recommend urban revitalisation on the basis of sustainable development. “It is important to show how cities can work with, for instance, things like waste, making it recyclable and generating energy from it”, he said. On the basis of what had been started last year in Cancun, CoR delegates trust that the local and regional authorities will have an important role in framing, implementing and evaluating policies related to climate change. They should be empowered and equipped with resources and given access to funding to carry out their task correctly. (MD/transl.jl)