“Despite the significant progress achieved through multilateral frameworks in climate and biodiversity, there is a growing perception among citizens that global decision-making is distant from their daily realities. Yet the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss are felt first and foremost at local level. This is why local and regional authorities must have a stronger voice in global negotiations,” said Konstantinos Bakoyannis (EL/EPP), Municipal Councillor of Athens and Chair of the Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Bakoyannis made these remarks during a stakeholder consultation on the draft CoR opinion “Towards more inclusive climate and environment global negotiations”, for which he is serving as rapporteur. The consultation gathered local and regional representatives, EU and international networks, and institutional partners to contribute to shaping the CoR’s political position ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP17) and the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP31), both scheduled for 2026.
The draft opinion aims to strengthen the role of local and regional authorities in international climate and biodiversity governance. While multilateral agreements have delivered important progress, citizens increasingly perceive global decision-making as remote. At the same time, the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss—heatwaves, floods, water scarcity, ecosystem degradation, food system pressures, and growing social and economic vulnerabilities—are becoming more visible in cities and regions across Europe.
As authorities responsible for delivering public services and implementing national and international commitments on the ground, local and regional governments play a central role in translating global targets into tangible results. Successful policies reinforce public trust; failure to deliver risks undermining confidence in institutions.
A core objective of the opinion is to better integrate climate and nature agendas. It highlights the need for stronger alignment between the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), recognising that climate action and biodiversity protection are deeply interconnected.
The opinion also underlines that while the CBD has developed more structured mechanisms for engaging subnational authorities, participation in the UNFCCC process remains uneven and more challenging. The CoR therefore calls for more systematic, inclusive and meaningful involvement of local and regional governments in global climate negotiations.
The draft opinion will be discussed at the ENVE commission meeting on 22 April 2026 and is expected to be adopted at the CoR plenary session on 1–2 July 2026.