INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE GREEN TRANSITION DRIVES EUROPEAN CITIES - ZAGREB 2024


Two-day conference.
 
The first day was dedicated to the dialogue with citizens, who are also present today.
 
After my introductory speeches, I will report on the Conclusions of the dialogue with citizens, which can serve as a framework for our further discussion.
 
The green and sustainable transition exists because of citizens, so it is important to hear their opinion and involve them in decision-making.
 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CITIES
 
Ladies and gentlemen,
 
Cities are the biggest polluters.
Cities are the largest generators of economic growth and development.
Cities are the major centres of social development.
Knowledge, finances and most importantly - people are concentrated in cities.

Today, more than 75% of the world's population lives in cities.
They account for more than 90% of the world's GDP. 
Cities consume 80% of the energy produced and have approximately the same share of CO2 emissions.
Cities are responsible for 75% of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to the building sector (in the EU, buildings consume 40% of energy and are responsible for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions), but also transport, heating and cooling, which are very energy-intensive.
 
Europe is the fastest warming continent. In the last 30 years, the temperature in Europe has risen twice as much as the world average – 0.5 degrees per decade.
 
My hometown – Zagreb no longer has a temperate continental climate, but a Mediterranean one. There is no more FIS race (World Ski Cup) on Sljeme.
 
For all these reasons, the effects of climate change are most felt in cities. Climate change is our reality and every self-respecting city must have an active climate policy.
 
Progress is greatest in cities, where the possibility of decarbonization and energy transition is greatest, and thus they are the most important part of the solution in the process of containing and managing climate change.
 
Without cities, there is no green transition, no sustainable future!


Therefore, cities should be drivers and agents of change!
Relying on their financial and economic power, on their concentration of knowledge and innovation, on new and creative governance models, cities become leaders of the green transition, often more ambitious than their governments.
 
That is why cities are joining together in initiatives such as the European Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which brings together thousands of local authorities voluntarily committing to implementing the EU's climate and energy goals. Zagreb is part of this covenant, but also of many others - from the EU Mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.
 
Local authorities are responsible for the implementation of around 75% of the European Green Deal (EGD), but unfortunately they are not involved enough in defining and shaping it. This must change if the EGD is not to remain just a piece of paper.
 
For the successful implementation of the EGD and green transition, cities need:
 
I.         competent personnel
II.       appropriate financial resources
III.      good multi-level governance.
 
Personnel:
  • cities often lack the competent staff to implement the green transition, and without them it will not happen;
  • technical assistance from the EU and the Government is needed to develop the administrative capacity of cities to implement the green and sustainable transition.
 
 
Finance:
  • the current EGD funding is insufficient;
  • the EU alone estimates that €600 billion of investments are missing annually in order to achieve the EGD objectives;
  • the new EU budget must be aligned with the objectives of the EGD;
  • this alignment must be accompanied by a significant increase in funds for local authorities to finance projects, technical assistance and strengthen their implementation capacity;
  • public funds should also be used to mobilise and activate private capital for investment in projects that achieve the objectives of the EGD.
 
Thus, a financial mix should be designed consisting of:
 
  1. direct economic incentives (e.g. loans, grants…)
II.       fiscal measures (e.g. tax relief, incentives, subsidies)
III.      PPPs
IV.      green bonds – also involving citizens in financing green transition projects.
 
  • We want more support for the "European City Facility" model, which provides funds for developing investment plans with the aim of stronger mobilization and engagement of private capital.
  • In the next financial period, we need a European financing model that effectively responds to the needs of cities, given that the current one is very complex and the limited capacity of cities makes its efficient use difficult.
  • An additional problem is the nationalization of European funds because funds are allocated through governments without sufficient consultation with local authorities.
 
 
Multi-level governance:
  • the current model of multi-level governance has not met expectations, and we need a new one that will ensure the active role of cities from the very beginning of defining the policies and goals of the new EGD, both at EU and national level;
  • cities should also be provided with consultation with the Government whenever they feel the need, especially during the drafting of the NECP, rather than having to wait for the Government to do so;
  • the NECP must have an Implementation Chapter that will contain the Government's obligations to provide the necessary resources to cities for its implementation.
 
 
However, for the successful implementation of the green and sustainable transition, cities also need the active engagement of their residents. And to get citizens involved, you need to have:
 
I. relevant policies of interest to the citizens
II. tangible and concrete projects that concretize these policies by improving the quality of life of citizens
III. the capacity to implement policies and projects (people, money, good governance).
 
 
EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL
 
But in order to achieve the green and sustainable transition at all, you need a well-designed plan. It was conceived and adopted by the European Union 5 years ago and named the EGD.
 
The EGD initiated a profound transformation of the EU, both economically and socially.
 
With European elections approaching, its impact and the need for it are increasingly questioned.
 
  • We hear various doubts:
    • whether it is too ambitious or no enough ambitious;
    • whether it has a good or bad impact on local communities and the economy;
    • whether it places too much emphasis on the environment, neglecting economic and social development;
    • whether it hinders the competitiveness of the European economy in the global market...
 
EGD is the best alternative to the challenges of our time that we have designed in Europe. If there is a better one, let it be presented. I have not heard of one.
 
EGD is a development strategy for balanced and sustainable growth of the economy, society as a whole and environmental protection. The strategy is to create new jobs and manage climate change. The EGD paves a new path towards a prosperous, competitive and sustainable European economy.
 
EGD has never been just about the birds, fish and bees, trees and flowers. EGD is a story about balanced development within the limits imposed by our planet and our living environment. Its three components, all three of its load-bearing pillars are equally important and if only one is neglected, the entire structure will shake. These include the economy, social development and environmental protection.
 
The economic pillar – strong, prosperous, competitive, which creates new jobs.
The social pillar – no one should be left out, no one should be the loser of the transition – not a single citizen, not a single city, not a single region. Whether it is health insurance, training for employment in new green and digital jobs, or reducing the differences in the development of European regions in order to avoid that more developed regions are the winners of the transition and weaker regions the losers.
The environmental pillar – preserving the environment for the benefit of our generation, but also for the benefit of future ones.
 
EGD is not just one policy. It is a deal or an umbrella policy that must encompass and mutually reconcile all important policies: from health to agricultural policy, from economic to social, from financial to cultural… everything!
 
EGD has created the basis for an in-depth structural economic and social transition, implemented many initiatives and projects that have helped cities start a radical transformation towards a sustainable future. However, it has never experienced full momentum at the local level , which is why there is now an opportunity to put cities and regions, with all their diversity and needs, at its center and to ensure a better future by achieving the goals we have set ourselves by 2050.
 
That is why my message from today's gathering is:
 
  1. Cities need a new EGD as a permanent framework for a green and sustainable transition that goes beyond election cycles.
 
  1. Cities must be involved in the development of the new EGD, as well as the NECP, from the very beginning because they bear the greatest responsibility for its implementation (they are no longer at the very end of the process, when the policies have already been defined and the objectives set).
 
  1. The new EGD must be based on science, not political populism, given that we do not yet know the overall consequences and effects of climate change.
 
  1. The new EGD must strengthen the just, green and digital transition, taking into account vulnerable groups and the varying degree of the development of European regions. No one must be the loser of the green transition.
 
  1. The new EGD must include a strong financial package as part of the next MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework) which will contain direct financial lines for city and regional projects and a mechanism to mobilise private capital to finance green transition projects.
 
  1. The new EGD, as an umbrella policy, must better coordinate all policies and initiatives that function and develop under its auspices, as so far they have often been contradictory and conflicting, which has prevented their implementation on the ground, especially in cities.
 
 
Dear guests, dear citizens,
 
The City of Zagreb is the leader of the green and sustainable transition in the Republic of Croatia.
 
Zagreb is the second "greenest capital city in Europe", immediately after Oslo – according to the European Environment Agency.
 
Our policies of energy transition and climate change management have been reflected in concrete projects, spatial plans and the budget of the City of Zagreb.
 
Our priorities are:
  • decarbonization – by 2030, a 55% reduction in greenhouse gases, and by 2050, a climate-neutral city (net zero greenhouse gas emissions);
  • increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total energy consumption - the goal is to increase this share to at least 32% by 2030;
  • increasing energy efficiency - the goal is to increase energy efficiency by 32% by 2030 + earthquake recovery;
  • urban planning of energy transition and development and construction of green infrastructure;
  • digitalization of energy infrastructure;
  • combating energy poverty.
 
These goals are set high, and we are committed to achieving them.
 
 
Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
our future is in our hands.
 
Let's pave it with the new European Green Deal and its implementation in our cities!
 
 
                                 PRESIDENT
OF THE CITY ASSEMBLY OF THE CITY OF ZAGREB
 
                               Joško Klisović