Frances Fitzgerald TD, Fine Gael MEP candidate for Dublin, today said that the European Union can speed up and scale up the transition to a low carbon and circular economy by empowering local level action.
“Europe's cities are at the front-line of climate action and have a crucial role to play in our efforts to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement which sets to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
“Local governments are implementing specific policies but they need to be empowered to fully participate in national and European energy and climate plans. “Within the next EU budget, I will seek to ensure the European Commission ensures the effectiveness of climate-related spending and facilitates direct access to funding for local governments.
“European cities like Dublin are uniquely positioned to address complex problems through practical experimentation and innovation. I will build alliances to seek to secure the implementation of the new €10 billion EU Innovation Fund for low-carbon technologies to include consultation with local governments on key decisions such as calls for proposals, pre-selected projects.
“European cities like Dublin can lead the way to an accelerated transition by scaling up their efforts and supporting actions to exceed EU climate and energy objectives, particularly in the area of air pollution.
"We need to be a leader, not a follower.”
ENDS