Following the publication in July 2019 of the policy priorities of the Commission chaired by Ursula von der Leyen and the launch of the Green Deal in December of the same year, the EU executive launched the European Climate Pact. The initiative has the ambitious goal of building a greener Europe in full cooperation with citizens and civil society.
The Climate Pact, in line with the results of the public consultation closed in June 2020, introduces the possibility for citizens to come together in a virtual space to connect and collectively develop solutions to combat climate change, to make European society and economy more sustainable. In practice, this is a chance to share ideas bottom-up.
Involving civil society and all citizens is a very important step towards an effective green transition. Therefore, the pact aims to support local initiatives, whether undertaken by individuals or collective entities, and to provide continuous support and monitoring of activities. Thus, each initiative will be based on scientifically valid information and, above all, its sustainability and feasibility in the medium to long term will be ensured.
This is a concrete call for participation, a call for action by which the European Commission invites individuals and organisations to become ambassadors of the European Climate Pact. To this end, a special portal has been created where anyone can apply for the role. The ambassadors will aim to involve their communities in the actions identified and become bridges between civil society, stakeholders and the European Commission.
A first phase will focus on actions under four priority headings, namely, green areas, sustainable mobility, building efficiency and the development of new skills in the field of green transition. There is no time limit, the Pact has an open mandate and will be updated on the basis of annual evaluations.
The official launch of the initiative will take place on 16 December on the occasion of an online event at which the Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, is expected to participate.