More and more regions in Europe are putting in place “regional strategies for the environment,” as became clear during a debate on the theme held on Wednesday 22 March by the Chamber of Regions of the Congress. While some measures are part of national or European plans, others are based on grassroots initiatives, at local and regional level. In both cases, they enjoy the support of large sections of the population, especially young people, as explained by several youth delegates, who called on regional elected representatives to take still more action.
Since 2015, Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, has been developing a municipal “greening” strategy for the city and the surrounding region, comprising many pilot projects geared towards the protection of water resources, combating air pollution and adopting new techniques in property development and public works projects. The Congress co-rapporteur Levan Zhorzholiani (Georgia, SOC/G/PD), on a “green reading” of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, described several relevant aspects, including the development of green spaces and the electrification of public transport, while underlining that the various initiatives would soon be extended to the whole country.
In France, the Grand Est Region is a leader in the protection of water resources, especially since its location at the crossroads of several major rivers makes its “Europe’s water tower,” in the words of Pascale Gaillot, councillor and chair of the region’s environment committee. In combining national and regional plans and regulations, including a regional plan for spatial planning, sustainable development and territorial equality (SRADDET), the region also works to protect biodiversity and the climate, in particular by sharply reducing its energy consumption. According to Ms Gaillot, it is necessary “to plan to help protect the environment” and the “regional level can become the driving force of change and energy transition.”
A town of 30 000 inhabitants close to the German border, Winterswijk in the Netherlands received an award in 2021 for its action in favour of sustainable development carried out through crossborder and European networks. These networks facilitate exchanges of experience and efforts to find common solutions to problems in border regions. For instance, as the mayor of Winterswijk, Joris Bengevoord, who is also treasurer of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR), explained, “we built a solar park in a field near the border … but we had to lay miles of cables to connect it to the other installations in the Netherlands, although it would have been much easier to hook up to the German network which is closer but not compatible with ours.”
According to the Hungarian youth delegate, Richard Levante Bakkay, environmental protection also requires better education for young people, including, for instance, the teaching of environmental sustainability. In his opinion, young people and NGOs also need to be involved more closely in efforts to protect the environment. “Young people are very motivated regarding these issues, but don’t receive enough support and are too poorly represented and consulted too little about the measures to be taken,” he said, adding that “young people want to take action, but together with the other generations.”
Wars are also disastrous ecocides for the environment
Speaking after these presentations, Sergii Chernov (Ukraine, ILDG) pointed out that the war devastating his country was also an environmental disaster and had already left much of its territory unusable. Iuliia Vusenko (Ukraine, EPP/CCE) condemned Russia’s “ecocide” of the environment in Ukraine, which would demands billions of dollars in reparations once the conflict had ended. Aida Jalilzade (Azerbaijan, ECR) added that Nagorno-Karabakh was also the victim of “ecoterrorism” committed by Armenia, as reflected in pollution of the soil by mines, as well as water pollution and the destruction of fertile land.
Several youth delegates then spoke in turn, calling on regional elected representatives to “do more to protect the environment,” while also asking to be more closely involved in the process. Heiner Klemp (Germany, SOC/G/PD) nevertheless stressed that it was necessary to weigh up environmental measures properly, taking account both of their benefits and also of their risks: wind turbines could be harmful for birds and biodiversity and solar parks could destroy fertile land. In his view, regions were capable of ensuring that the right balance was struck. Lastly, Reinhart Rohr (Austria, SOC/G/PD) presented the “water charter” enacted in his region, Carinthia, which was designed to ensure that the entire population had access to high-quality water supplies at the best price.
Statement by Levan ZHORZHOLIANI
Statement by Richárd Levente BAKKAY
