The 210 mayors’ letter

EU leaders Sefcovic and Arias Canete praise cities' "impressive" action for the energy transition


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Author

Floriane Cappelletti

Publication date

June 14, 2019

It was unprecedented in its breadth and ambition, more than 210 mayors from across the EU calling on EU leaders to chart a course for a net-zero EU by 2050 just ahead of the Future of Europe conference in Sibiu, Romania.

Never before had so many mayors representing so many people (over 62 million EU citizens) been unified in their demands.

Net-zero is a transformative goal and requires commitment from as many stakeholders as possible. As the elected officials closest to the people of Europe, mayors have a very important role to play. And while the political declaration from Sibiu was not as ambitious as hoped, the joint letter has increased the pressure on national leaders to strengthen their ambition.

Equally impressive is the widespread coverage across EU media outlets and on social media – it even made it to the cover page of the main Danish daily newspaper with a wonderfully evocative image showing the determined cities across Europe.

Our letter was well-received by European leaders. Commissioners Cañete and Šefčovič took the exceptional step of recording a video with their thanks to the European mayors who signed the letter. Have a look and feel free to share the video.

The work to get agreement on a net zero EU is far from over but there is good momentum and the indications are positive. The 210+ mayors who signed this letter can be proud of the role they have played so far in achieving this vital goal.

We encourage mayors to continue championing the letter in public speeches and forums to show national leaders that we must be more ambitious in tackling climate change and reducing emissions.