03/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - Local authorities adopt ambitious climate declaration. On 1 and 2 July in Lyon (France), the global summit “Climate and Territories”, the initiative of, amongst others, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Platforma, was held. The final declaration includes a series of commitments taken by the signatories and also submits a raft of proposals to the states meeting in Paris for the global climate conference (COP 21) in December. “This agreement must have an influence on the negotiations. Because when one state lays down an objective on the climate, we know that this cannot be achieved if the local authorities are not on board”, stressed the Secretary General of the CEMR, Frédéric Vallier. For his part, the French President, François Hollande, who attended the event, said that “there will be a day devoted solely to the regions. They will not simply be given the opportunity to speak, but they will participate in the negotiations”. (PH)