On 24 March, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union sent Member States a first draft of conclusions on the EU’s new strategy on adaptation to climate change.
Welcoming the strategy adopted on 24 February by the European Commission (see EUROPE 12665/4), the Presidency believes that post-Covid-19 economic recovery “must be based on efficient solutions focusing on increasing climate resilience, in particular nature-based solutions that can benefit climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity protection”.
To this end, it proposes, among other things, that the Commission be invited to establish guidelines setting out common principles and practices for the “identification, classification and prudent management of material physical climate risks” in the context of project development.
Lisbon also wants to ask the institution to develop a framework “that enhances the use of insurance against climate-related risks” as well as to continue exploring ways to measure the potential impact of climate-related risks on public finances.
The Presidency also proposes to call for integrated cross-sectoral and cross-border water management to increase resilience, promote sustainable water use, protect aquatic ecosystems and improve flood risk management strategies.
See the draft conclusions: https://bit.ly/3m6EbON (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)