At their meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 17 June, the EU environment and climate ministers discussed the growing climate risks and the need to step up cooperation at different levels of governance.
The discussions, chaired by Alain Maron, Minister for the Brussels-Capital Region in charge of Climate Transition and the Environment, raised a number of points arising from the conclusions of the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) report on the acceleration of climate change and its impacts, published by the European Environment Agency in March (see EUROPE 13368/11).
In addition, the European Commission’s assessment, which was an immediate response (see EUROPE 13369/11), formed the basis for the discussions. This communication reiterates the need for a systemic and coordinated response to climate risks, involving both the Member States and the EU institutions.
It identifies decisive actions to be taken to better manage risks in areas such as natural ecosystems, water, health, food, infrastructure and the economy.
During their preparatory discussions (see EUROPE 13424/3), the delegations recognised the importance of increased cooperation between the national, regional and local levels. They also discussed the measures already in place to integrate climate risk management into budget planning, and highlighted the need for additional methodological and information tools to strengthen resilience.
At the end of the Environment Council, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, declared: “Climate change is already part of our daily lives. We need to step up our efforts not only on mitigation, but also on adaptation and climate risk management”.
As the Commissioner explained, the discussions also addressed the issue of governance, with general recognition of the urgent need to increase efforts to improve climate resilience. Cooperation and the sharing of best practice between Member States have been identified as key to making concrete progress. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)