26.04.2021
European Mayors step up climate ambition with new Covenant of Mayors commitments
On April 21, Covenant of Mayors – Europe officially launched a set of new commitments. Mayors and local leaders from the Covenant Political Board officially endorsed the commitments during an online ceremony. A well-attended informational session organised by Climate Alliance immediately after the ceremony delved into further into key aspects of the newly launched vision, featuring speakers from the European Commission, signatories such as the City of Barcelona and members of the Covenant of Mayors – Europe office. Climate Alliance has been instrumental throughout the development of the Covenant of Mayors as a movement as well as these in the shaping of its renewed commitments.
The update of Covenant of Mayors – Europe commitments was based partially on a survey of local authorities’ views and spurred on by European Union's new climate targets as laid out in its Green Deal. These renewed ambitions reflect local leaders' commitment to a climate and energy transition that is fair, inclusive – respectful of the world’s citizens and of our planet’s resources. Beyond the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, signatories to the new commitments also vow to strengthen efforts on adaptation to climate change and on alleviating energy poverty through a just transition. They further commit to engaging their citizens, businesses and local stakeholders in the transition, thus contributing to the European Climate Pact, an EU-wide initiative fostering participatory climate action towards a greener Europe. Local leaders are now being invited to endorse the renewed Covenant ambitions by presenting the 2050 commitment document to their local council for formal approval.
Further information
- The Covenant of Mayors new 2050 commitments (available in all official EU languages)
- FAQ (pdf; see pages 8 – 10 on renewing the Covenant commitments)
- Info session led by Climate Alliance (video)
- Info session presentations (pdf)
- High level session (video)
- Message from the EU Commissioner for Energy (video)
- Mayor's call to action (video)
- Covenant of Mayors – Europe survey
- EU Green Deal
Want to learn more? Contact Lucie Blondel at l.blondel(at)climatealliance.org for more information.
