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Dublin and Cork have been chosen from a group of 337 cities to participate in the EU Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. All 27 EU Member States are represented in the 100 cities chosen, with 12 additional cities coming from countries associated or with the potential of being associated with Horizon Europe.

Currently, Europe’s urban areas are home to 75% of EU citizens and globally they consume over 65% of the world’s energy, accounting for more than 70% of CO2 emissions. Given this context, it is viewed as essential that cities act as experimentation and innovation ecosystems to help others in their transition to become climate-neutral by 2050.

In a press release issued following the announcement of Dublin’s inclusion within the programme, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Alison Gilliland said “We recognise that we all nationally and internationally have a massive climate imperative and need support to realise our climate-neutral vision. Cities like Dublin are central to realising this vision.”. This sentiment was echoed by Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Colm Kelleher who said, “The prioritisation of climate action will ensure that Cork can play a local role in addressing the most pressing global challenge of our time”.

The 100 cities chosen to participate in the programme will receive €360 million of Horizon Europe funding covering the period 2022-23, to start the innovation paths towards climate neutrality by 2030. The research and innovation actions will address clean mobility, energy efficiency and green urban planning, and offer the possibility to build joint initiatives and ramp up collaborations in synergies with other EU programmes.

However, this is a programme that goes beyond the headline EU funding, as the programme promises to open both Dublin and Cork to opportunities that may have otherwise been off-limits. These opportunities and benefits include tailor-made advice and assistance from a dedicated Mission Platform run by the EU’s Net Zero Cities project, networking opportunities, exchange of best practices between cities and support to engage citizens in the mission.

The next step for Dublin and Cork will be the development of a whole-of-city Climate City Contracts. These contracts will include an overall plan for climate neutrality across all sectors of the city including energy, buildings, waste management and transport, alongside related investment plans. This process will involve citizens, research organisations and the private sector. The clear and visible commitments made by Dublin and Cork in their Climate City Contracts will enable them to engage with the EU, national and regional authorities – and most importantly with their residents in order to deliver on this ambitious objective.

European Committee of the Regions call for a better appreciation of the role of local and regional authorities in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, welcomed the ambition of the Committee of the Regions and its members to cooperate with the UK at the local and regional level, albeit within the confines of the type of Brexit chosen by the UK government.

On the 27^th April the Committee of the Regions adopted Cllr Michael Murphy’s opinion “Strengthening the EU-UK relationship at sub-national level and remedying the territorial impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU“. The opinion calls on the EU to “address the lack of territorial depth” in the TCA by involving local and regional governments in the monitoring of the agreement and for the CoR-UK Contact Group to be recognised as an official sub-national interlocutor between EU and UK local and regional governments. The recommendations also called on the EU to add to the €5.4 billion already earmarked to support regions most affected by the trade disruptions caused by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Following Cllr. Murphy’s presentation of the opinion, Commissioner Šefčovič, who is overseeing implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) that entered into force in 2021, spoke. He noted that: “While the Committee has no formal role when it comes to EU international agreements, the Commission’s door is always open to listen to the voice of the regions. We look forward to continuing the regular exchanges we have had with the Committee’s UK Contact Group over the past two years, as we move forward with the implementation of the TCA. And we are already working to support the people and businesses most affected by Brexit. For example, the Peace+ initiative helps finance projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties, which are aimed at reconciling communities and contributing to peace. Including co-financing from Ireland and the United Kingdom, funding under Peace + will amount to more than €1 billion.”

Apostolos Tzitzikostas (EL/EPP), President of the European Committee of the Regions and governor of the region of Central Macedonia, said: “Despite Brexit, ties between the EU and the UK remain strong, and so is the desire to retain and develop relationships, in areas of mutual interest such as tackling the climate emergency and the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals. European local and regional authorities want to channel their voice into the EU-UK Partnership Council. As we understand, and regret, the internal political reasons why the United Kingdom failed to assure a voice to local democracy in the Joint Partnership Council, we encourage the European Commission to remedy to this by organising a structured consultation with local and regional authorities, through the European Committee of the Regions whenever a topic having territorial impact is tackled.”

Cllr. Michael Murphy said: “Brexit will have a negative impact on territorial cooperation, which forged excellent relationships over decades between the cities and regions of the European Union and the UK. We call on both the European Commission and the UK government to recognise the CoR-UK Contact Group as an official sub-national interlocutor in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We know that cities and regions are continuing to find new ways of maintaining and developing relationships and this is evident through exchange programmes, bilateral cooperation, EU networks and associations. These relationships are needed to address common challenges that know no borders, such as culture, sustainable management of the seas, and the local and regional implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We very much welcome this continued cooperation.”

The Brexit Adjustment Reserve has set aside €5.4 billion to cover trade losses and the impact on maritime border regions and for fisheries. The CoR opinion drafted by Councillor Murphy calls for the Reserve to be increased, for the eligibility period to be extended and for assessments of the impact on particular sectors and regions. A recent study commissioned by the CoR — “New trade and economic relations between EU-UK: the impact on regions and cities” – concluded the effects were “asymmetric” but the report also found that “almost all regions in the EU are exposed in at least one of the main EU sectors of specialisation with respect to the UK”.

Bangor University will host an online workshop fostering Irish and Welsh collaboration on issues relating to climate change, resilience and the blue economy.

The event, which is due to take place on Wednesday the 9^th of March, will look at understanding perceptions of climate change and impacts on the Irish Sea. The workshop will explore how climate change impacts on the Irish Sea and how this is linked to human health and wellbeing, while also focusing on themes including sustainable aquaculture, fisheries, ecosystem services, marine renewable energy and tourism.

The online workshop will bring together representatives from Irish and Welsh academia, industry, communities, and government. The workshop will look to assess the sustained future cooperation across sectors with a focus on blue economy, whilst ensuring sustainability and resilience in the face of clime change and pollution. The workshop will do this by exploring five key areas:

1. Future areas of collaboration.
2. Knowledge gaps.
3. Industry perspective and needs.
4. Policy perspective and needs.
5. Research needs.

The workshop will foster cooperation on the above areas in line with the principles set out in the Ireland Wales Joint Statement and Action Plan. The workshop also promises to broaden its scope to discussing collaborations and partnerships to include organisations in the other nations and regions bordering the Irish Sea, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England.

Results from existing Ireland Wales INTERREG projects will be highlighted with the intention to foster new connections for collaborative work, particularly around sustainability, specifically sustainability in regard to energy, environment and food. The workshop will look to embed these areas of sustainability and resilience in the context of climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Wales Well-being for Future Generations Act.

For more information and to register for the event click here: Sustainable and Resilient Irish Sea Resources: Towards Blue Solutions Tickets, Wed 9 Mar 2022 at 09:00 | Eventbrite