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Covenant of Mayors
31.01.2008, 14:28
On 29 January in Brussels, European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs launched the ‘Covenant of Mayors', an initiative aimed at securing the strong involvement of Europe's local governments in the EU's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and increase energy efficiency.
The ‘Covenant of Mayors' will give the mayors and leaders of
Europe's cities the opportunity to commit themselves to going beyond the
objectives set out in the Energy for a Changing World package, adopted by the
EU's heads of state and government on 9 March 2007. In particular, signatories
of the Covenant will commit to reducing CO2 emissions in their city by more
than 20% by 2020. To achieve that objective, the local authorities concerned
will implement Sustainable Energy Action Plans based on the strong involvement
of citizens and the use of dedicated resources.
The presentation of the ‘Covenant of Mayors' initiative took place on the
occasion of the European Sustainable Energy Week, held from 28 January to 1
February. Ronan Dantec, Vice-Mayor of Nantes and Chair of EUROCITIES'
Working Group on Climate Change and Energy, was present to express EUROCITIES' support for the initiative. Mr Dantec said that ‘it
is now time for Europe's local governments to take up the challenge of energy
efficiency, and to ensure that the EU's ambitious objectives are met on the
ground.' While a number of local actions have already been undertaken, a
general mobilisation of all European cities is now required, Mr Dantec added.
After being involved in the preparation of the Covenant of Mayors, EUROCITIES will pursue dialogue with the EU institutions about
the need to develop far-reaching action plans in Europe's cities, he announced.
95 European cities have expressed their interest in joining the ‘Covenant of
Mayors' initiative. The official signing is expected to take place during the
European Sustainable Energy Week 2009.
Source: www.cor.eu