Brussels, 25/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - Both the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) have been very engaged in the fight against climate change and the promotion of energy transition. They have also both called for the major role played by the regional authorities and European civil society organisations to be recognised.
The joint conference organised on 24 November in Brussels provided them with the opportunity to make this appeal. With 10 days to go until the opening of the COP 21 (30 November-11 December), these two EU advisory bodies addressed a clear message to the negotiators: genuine climate friendly action that promotes a transition to a low carbon intensity economy is currently being carried out on the ground where many local communities are providing an example, particularly by way of partnerships between infra-national governments and civil society organisations. The negotiators therefore do not have the right to fail and the moment has now come to include the contribution made by civil society actors and the regional authorities in a multilevel system of governance.
The CoR and EESC are making a robust appeal for an ambitious and legally binding global climate agreement. They emphasise that they will be stepping up their efforts to guarantee that the agreement concluded in Paris explicitly recognises the role played by citizens and the local and regional authorities in the fight against climate change by providing them with more resources and opportunities for translating the decisions taken at an international level into concrete, significant and innovative action. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)