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Assembly of European Regions

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You are here: Home / Archives for EUGreenWeek

AER’s take on the EU Green Deal

13 December, 2019 By Editor

The latest ‘Europe’s State of the Environment 2020’ report, which was launched by the European Environment Agency earlier this month, states that Europe is facing environmental challenges of unprecedented scale and urgency. This report underlines that Europe will not achieve its 2030 goals without urgent action over the next 10 years to address the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, the increasing impacts of climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources.

In the light of such challenges of major importance, the Assembly of European Regions welcomes the launch of the European Green Deal by the European Commission, which now needs to be approved by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. The European Green Deal provides a roadmap with actions to boost the circular economy, reduce greenhouse gases emissions, revert biodiversity loss, and cut pollution. Although the AER will conduct a more detailed analysis of this document, we celebrate the adoption of this roadmap to guide us towards a just and inclusive transition to a sustainable Europe, and especially the political goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

AER welcomes the announcement of the first European Climate Law, to be presented within 100 days, and the upping of the Europe’s 2030 emissions targets, but also the new Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the new Industrial Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan, the Farm to Fork Strategy for sustainable food and proposals for pollution-free Europe. 

AER recognises the magnitude and the urgency of the commitment adopted by the European Commission and underlines the importance of not failing in making this pledge a reality. The Assembly recalls the importance that the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament approve the European Green Deal and, together with the European Commission, do everything possible to accelerate the approval of the different initiatives and ensure their ambition. The joint vision and action of these three institutions are crucial for granting the necessary policy coherence, which should also be achieved between the European and national levels. 

The success of this roadmap to the future requires a firm multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach. AER and its members are ready and willing to contribute to making the European Green Deal a reality. Our vision, knowledge, good practices, and especially the competences that the AER members hold, are valuable for reaching these ambitious goals.

The AER also welcomes the commitment of dedicating at least 25% of the EU’s long-term budget to climate action. It is important, however, to remember that EU spending represents less than 1% of the total value of the EU’s economy and its budget is smaller than the one from some Member States. This reinforces the idea of boosting policy coherence in a real multilevel approach to the Green New Deal.

Read the Commission’s Communication on the European Green Deal here.

The Annex to the Communication on the European Green Deal can be accessed here.

Photo by Appolinary Kalashnikova on Unsplash

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EU Green Week 2019: the call for proposals for the official opening event is open!

12 October, 2018 By Editor

The AER Working Group on Energy and Climate Change has recently exchanged experiences on the use of the SDGs as a framework for regional policy-making. In this context the below open call led by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG-ENV) of the European Commission can be of interest to AER members.

Focus on the implementation of environmental policies

The next edition of EU Green Week (13-17 May 2019) will put the process of environmental implementation into the spotlight. The European Commission will be asking stakeholders whether environmental laws really matter, and what are the added benefit for citizens.

What does successful implementation look like? Why do “implementation gaps” exist? What generates ownership of environmental laws by stakeholders? And most importantly, how can the EU facilitate the process, making sure that citizens’ voices are heard? 

The EU Green Week 2019 will include events across Europe, with the official opening event on 13 May in one of the Member States and a high-level summit in Brussels from 15 to 17 May. The official opening event will have a particular prominence, setting the tone for the Week’s debates. Organisations can apply until 31 October to host the official opening event of EU Green Week 2019.

How to apply

The European Commission is launching a call for proposals to select an organisation(s) that, in partnership with the European Commission, will organise this event.

You can find the guidelines and the form to submit your application here. The deadline for submission is 31 October at 17:00 (Brussels time).

Contact details

For further information, please contact: [email protected]

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