Climate Pact Ambassadors

As a Climate Ambassador, I will promote our Green Deal goals locally and regionally working together with national as well as European levels. My aim is to increase dialogue with local authorities and citizens of my home city and region on how to best put our climate and environmental policy commitments into practice. Tampere has already taken many important steps towards circular economy and carbon neutrality, but more can be done. Good local practices can be linked better to European goals.

We have not only a political but also a moral obligation to implement environmentally friendly policies. The challenge of climate change is not just a problem we have to deal with but at the same time an opportunity for sustainable, green growth.The Region of Thessaly is leading in this effort and is a region with a deep green environmental footprint. 

In Liepāja city I have worked with environmental and climate issues already for years. Liepāja city has joined the Covenant of Mayors in 2012 and I am acting as the Committee of Regions' Covenant of Mayors Ambassador. The first thing we did to fight climate change was to improve the heat supply system. We are working for the residents to have convenient public transport and safe movement with bicycles. As the Ambassador I would like to reach out more to local inhabitants schools on the topics of environment.

During my mission, I would like to draw attention to the vulnerability of Lake Balaton and other large lakes and their functional areas in Europe. As the Mayor of Balatonfüred and Chairman of the Lake Balaton Development Council, I am committed to improve climate awareness. By taking sustainability aspects into account, we can all do so much to protect our environment. The implementation of measures often does not require significant financial resources, just a different way of thinking is needed.

As president of Harghita County Council, Romania, I represent a region in which environmental and agricultural subjects are always present in our public dialogue. Being a mountainous and rural area, the economy, tourism, nature protection, biocultural diversity all depend on the climate changes. As member of the ENVE Commission of the CoR, and CoR Ambassador of Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy I will assume the steps needed to be in the benefit of our local and regional communities.

Vice-President for Europe and International of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, President of COTER at the European Committee of the Regions, I want to get involved in sustainable development and in the fight against climate change. Through its Neo Terra roadmap, my Region shares the same ambitions as the European Green Pact and wants to become an exemplary territory. Néo Terra, eleven commitments in many sectors (companies, transport, agroecology, biodiversity, energy ...).

It is very important that we do everything we can to protect our environment at the local level, in our own environment. In addition, existing good practices at the municipal level need to be disseminated in order to develop a wide-ranging and effective approach.

The region of Hungary in which I live has great historical traditions and natural endowments. Nevertheless, now this region is lagging behind and poor in its potential. This is compounded by the difficult legacy of the old failed economy and industrial structure, that traditional politics still want to save. I want to do everything I can to make it prosper again on a sustainable and green basis, and EU funding is being used for that. 

Based on my experience and contacts in the EU and Finnish politics and on my roles as the President of the Helsinki- Uusimaa Region and the Chair of the Board of the Espoo City, I can influence and support the Finnish activities to reach the global forerunner goals in tackling climate change and creating new solutions to reach SDG targets. I can create many useful contacts in Brussels. I will arrange my activities to be based on collaboration and operating in teams and networks.