- 27 NGOs come together to advocate for accelerated climate action during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
- NGOs bring knowledge and skills to help the Council Presidency go beyond governments and include organised civil society. To this end, they require information channels and active spaces for participation.
From 1 July 2023 until the end of the year, Spain assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a crucial moment in the European institutional cycle, prior to the elections to the European Parliament in June 2024 and the subsequent appointment of a new Commission. Consequently, Spain will be responsible for completing the negotiations to implement the European Green Pact and accelerate the ecological transition and the social agenda in Spain and Europe. The initiatives that Spain promotes during its presidency will have a lasting impact on European society as a whole, and consequently also on Spanish society.
In this context, a large group of civil society organisations committed to the green transition in Spain and Europe are joining together in an Alliance for a Climate Ambitious Spanish Presidency of the European Council to contribute to making the Presidency of the EU Council a participatory exercise that transcends the General State Administration and involves social actors, including civil society organised under shared objectives around the energy transition and climate ambition agenda.
Civil society is organised and has the knowledge and accumulated experience to help this presidency advance its climate agenda and create the framework that European society, the economy and the environment need. In this sense, we believe that the success of the European project requires moving towards a Europe based on three main objectives.
1.- A decarbonised Europe
The science is clear and warns us of the need to decarbonise our societies faster if we want to keep the rise in temperatures below the limits we have committed to in the Paris Agreement. The EU has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s first carbon neutral region by 2050, and to achieve this it has launched an ambitious regulatory roll-out with a medium-term target of at least a 55% reduction in net emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 emission levels. The EU must deepen the roadmap of the Fit for 55 Package with science-based interim targets for 2035 and 2040 to ensure the success of its decarbonisation pathway. The upcoming COP 28 in Dubai will be an opportunity for Europe to show the world progress on its mitigation plans and also to push for greater climate ambition from the international community as a whole, avoiding steps backwards.
2.- A resilient Europe
Climate change is a challenge for Europe’s society and economy, and its impacts are already evident and will increase as temperatures rise. The success of mitigation strategies will depend on avoiding even more devastating consequences, but at the same time Europe must be aware of its particular vulnerability and provide an urgent and planned response to adapt to the effects of climate change. Moreover, effective adaptation is also an opportunity in terms of creating green and quality jobs for a more resilient economy.
3.- An inclusive Europe
Europe must promote that the benefits of the ecological transition reach the whole of society, with social justice, intergenerational equity and inclusiveness. The most disadvantaged sectors of the population are also the most vulnerable to climate change, so it is vital to ensure a just transition for impacted groups, strengthening the Welfare State and the European social agenda so that no one is left behind and the living conditions of all citizens are improved. A greater role for the social pillar in the political and legislative action of the European Union will contribute to greater social and territorial cohesion and to the strengthening of the common European project.
The ‘Alliance for a Climate Ambitious Spanish Presidency of the EU Council’ is made up of the following members:
- Amigas de la Tierra
- AUS – Arquitectura i Sostenibilitat
- CAN-E – Climate Action Network Europe
- CC.OO. – Comisiones Obreras
- Climate Strategy
- Conama
- ConBici
- Ecodes
- Eco union
- Fundación Alternativas
- Fundación Global Nature
- Fundación Renovables
- Fundaciones por el Clima (Asociación Española de Fundaciones)
- GBCe – Green Building Council España
- Greenpeace
- IIDMA – Instituto Internacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente
- PTP – Promoció del Transport Públic
- Px1NME – Plataforma por un Nuevo Modelo Energético
- Investigadores del Real Instituto Elcano
- Salvia Energía, Derecho y Medio Ambiente
- SEO/BirdLife
- T&E – Transport & Environment
- Talento para la Sostenibilidad
- UGT – Unión General de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores
- WWF
Download the press release (in Spanish)
Contact:
– María Alejandra Gómez, Conama: prensa@conamafundacion.
– Helena Fortea, Eco-union: helena.fortea@ecounion.eu