site.btaLocal Action, Global Impact: Vasco Alves Cordeiro on the Role of Cities and Regions in Tackling Climate Change at COP 29

At a local or regional level, on a more micro scale, it’s much easier to get things done and to achieve a global positive outcome on climate action, said Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions, in an interview with BTA's special correspondent Antoaneta Markova during COP 29 in Baku on Thursday.

Cordeiro was interviewed about the main challenges facing European cities and regions at a time when, according to recent scientific data, Europe is the fastest-warming continent. The interview also addressed the goals of the European Committee of the Regions' delegation at COP 29. 

"The great challenge for European cities and regions is to adapt to climate change while facing significant pressure on infrastructure and services," said Cordeiro. "I think that what European regions and cities are doing already puts us on the right path, but the question is about having a different involvement in the countries’ strategy to tackle climate change," he noted. "This means that we should go further and have established framework for participation of regions and cities in the processes that each Member State has to do concerning the goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement."

Another important point for Cordeiro is access to financial instruments. "I think that what European regions and cities are doing already puts us on the right path, but the question is about having a different involvement in the countries' strategy to tackle climate change. This means that we should go further and establish a framework for participation of regions and cities in the processes that each Member State has to do concerning the goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement," Cordeiro said.

Currently, the participation of cities and regions is not mandatory, he said, "so we believe it would be useful to have a formal, established framework for the participation of regions and cities, namely, not only in designing, but also in implementing, the monitoring, the auditing of the strategies to implement and to achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)," he explained. "The situation is very diverse in Europe. You have seen that some cities have already committed, above 100 cities have already committed themselves to be carbon neutral by 2030. So, there is a lot of work being done. The question is and the fact is, that we think for the implementation and the design of instruments to achieve the goals, greater participation of local and regional authorities would be useful."

"This is one of the key messages I would like to deliver here, and it is not only important because of the rights of regions and cities, not only because of the participation, but because this is the better way, the best way, to get things done," he said. "Because when you go at local level, regional level, on a more micro scale, it’s much easier to get things done and to achieve a global positive outcome."

"The answer is simple: when you have the Member States responsible for the establishment or contribution to the European strategy, they should make it clear that participation at the local and regional level is essential for establishing a good strategy and for creating the conditions to get things done," Cordeiro said.

"Change is made by people. If you go to local and regional communities, it’s much easier to achieve that change than having only national established strategies. The involvement of local communities equals an efficiency in achieving these changes. This has been one of the key messages the European Committee of the Regions has put forward internally, at the EU level, and also here at COP 29," Cordeiro stressed.

A good outcome from COP 29, from the perspective of the European Committee of the Regions, would be "а clear recognition of the role of local and regional authorities; second, a clear mandate for national governments to involve local and regional level of power in their national strategies; and third, in the question of financing, contemplating the situation, contemplating the role of local and regional authorities, namely in their access to the financial instruments to get things done," Cordeiro summarized in response to a question about his expectations for COP 29’s outcomes.

Vasco Alves Cordeiro has led the European Committee of the Regions since June 2022. Born in the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal and the EU's most remote region, he is a lawyer who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores and held various positions in regional government, including as President of the Regional Government of the Azores. Cordeiro led the Socialist Party of the Azores from 2013 to 2024.

He has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions since 2013, serving as a substitute member from 2004 to 2008. Cordeiro was the institution’s first Vice President from February 2020 to June 2022.