FEDARENE becomes Friend of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change

Today, the European Commission announced the second set of regions and local authorities that will participate in the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change (aka Mission Adaptation). The Mission aims to support at least 150 European regions and communities toward climate resilience by 2030. It will help these regions and local authorities to better understand, prepare for and manage climate risks, as well as to develop innovative solutions to build resilience.

In addition to the new signatories of the Mission charter, a further number of private companies, service providers, research organisations, etc. will endorse the charter and become recognised Friends of the Mission. Today, FEDARENE was recognised as a Friend of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Did your city or region become a Signatory or Friend? Meet the regions, local authorities, and other actors who joined the Mission yesterday!

About Mission Adaptation

During the announcement, Johannes Klumpers, Head of Secretariat for Climate Adaptation Mission at DG CLIMA, described Mission Adaptation in three words:

• Bridge: The Mission creates the essential bridge between the world of science and innovation and the world of implementation on the ground;
• Accelerate: The Mission accelerates Europe’s resilience by linking regions to the most innovative scientists and solutions, and provides the necessary funds to turn ideas into reality.
• Regions: Adaptation solutions look different across the European Union; regions are best positioned to take action.

The Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change will receive €370 million of Horizon Europe funding for the period 2021-23. The research and innovation actions will address rebuilding areas impacted by extreme weather events, restoring floodplains, vertical farming, prototype insurance approaches, or creating a ‘perfectly adapted’ city ready to withstand a storm or heatwave. There is also a possibility to build joint initiatives with other EU Missions and programmes. The Mission also provides networking opportunities, exchange of best practices between regions and local authorities, and support to engage citizens.

“Whether it is greening public spaces, developing water retention systems, and insulating homes, cities and regions are already developing innovative ideas to adapt to climate change. The more than 100 regions and communities in the Mission Adaptation will be true trailblazers, showing millions of Europeans that a green, clean, and healthy future is possible for everyone.”

Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, European Commission

Join the Mission

By signing the charter, your region will become part of a community of practice on adaptation to climate
change and have the opportunity to network and share with other regions and communities in
Europe. By endorsing the charter as a Friend, your organisation will officialise its support for the Mission.

The Commission and the Committee of the Regions encourage applicants from all Member States to become new Signatories and Friends of the Mission. A growing network can only allow for the broadest uptake of adaptation measures in Europe and lead the way towards a climate-resilient future. Would you like to join FEDARENE and become a part of Mission Adaptation? Fill in the Mission survey here!

More on adaptation

The REGILIENCE project, co-organised by FEDARENE and funded by Horizon Europe, is FEDARENE’s leading project on climate adaptation. The goal of the project is to foster the adoption and wide dissemination of regional climate resilience pathways, following a demand-driven approach and bearing in mind the expertise and knowledge acquired, as well as the solutions available from Innovation Packages and other sources. The project puts a special focus on regions, supporting the implementation of climate-resilient pathways in 10 of the 50 most vulnerable regions within the EU.

On Tuesday, 11th of October from 16:30 to 18:00 CEST, REGILIENCE will participate in an online session and panel discussion at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2022. The session will summarise regional innovation for climate adaptation, featuring case studies and good practices on a variety of topics. Regional government representatives will be paired with EU institutions; the session targets local and regional governments, individuals, policy-makers, and businesses. Find out more and register for the event HERE.

Another important FEDARENE project on climate resilience was the Transform4Climate project, which sought to help energy agencies transform into energy and climate agencies. The project was done in conjunction with the Cyprus Energy Agency (CEA), IRE Liguria, and North-West Croatia Regional Energy Agency (REGEA). Read more about the project and the role of energy agencies in climate adaptation.

Check out FEDARENE’s Climate Adaptation Working Group to find out more about our work on this important topic.