Mayor Michele Guerra testifies in front of Europe Parma’s commitment to become Climate Neutral.
The European Commission has approved the Climate City Contract (CCC) of Parma, the first Italian city together with Florence to take this important step. During the ceremony, Mayor Michele Guerra was presented with the Climate Label, the formal recognition of the contract’s approval. Among the main institutions that took part in the event: Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth; Patrick Child, Deputy Director General at DG Environment – European Commission and Head of the Mission 100 Cities project; Marie Donnay, Director of the Task Force “Recovery and Resilience”; Teresa Czerwinska, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB).
This recognition, in addition to positioning Parma as a model for other European cities, is of great importance from the point of view of attracting private investment, as the projects presented are recognised by the Commission’s external experts as serious and relevant, thus encouraging private finance to invest in the city.
Mayor Michele Guerra was in fact called upon to tell the city’s commitment in front of the other European cities involved, the only testimony together with that of the Mayor of Pécs, a Hungarian city.
“It is a great honour and a real satisfaction to have received the Mission Label Award today, which confirms the excellent work done so far on our City Climate Contract. A work that has seen the Municipality of Parma coordinate a network of partners that has decided to commit itself very concretely to the objectives that the Mission sets and that has been particularly appreciated for the actions already put in place and for those that we are planning,” comments Mayor Michele Guerra. “I was pleased that our city was chosen as a case study to present to Commissioner Ivanova, allowing me and the Mayor of Pécs, Hungary, to speak as the only administrators in the concluding panel of this splendid and very well attended ceremony. Now it’s back to work, confident that the Commission will be able to provide these projects with the tools and resources they need”.
“Almost two years of confrontation, planning, integration between public and private, working as a system and having an extraordinary goal as difficult to achieve, that is, neutrality in CO2 emissions by 2030: this is the Climate Contract of the City of Parma that the European Commission formally approved today,’ adds Gianluca Borghi, Councillor for Environmental Sustainability, Energy and Mobility. ‘From now on, and for the next six years, we will be even more determined to promote the production of renewable energy, save energy, make buildings and production cycles more efficient. Not because Europe asks us to, but because we want to, together with Europe, taking the responsibility to choose, to fight climate change and to have a better future, for everyone”.
Among the main reasons for the success of the City Climate Contract, the European Commission highlighted Parma’s particular ability to promote a strategy capable of involving a wide range of stakeholders to foster economic well-being, employment growth and social development in the community. A further strength highlighted by the Commission is that the action plan is based on a solid territorial mandate, supported by detailed financial planning of the investments needed to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.
City Climate Contract at a glance
The contract consists of an action plan with 130 actions divided into 5 key areas, together with 10 actions related to governance and public awareness.
The contract consists of an action plan comprising 130 actions divided into 5 key areas, together with 10 actions related to governance and public awareness.
It also identifies the investments needed for Parma to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, a goal that can only be achieved through solid collaboration between public and private investments. Precisely for this reason, 46 companies and bodies active in the area have signed the pact to date, but the goal is to significantly increase this number in the coming months.
The strategies outlined in the action plan include land electrification, green planning, sustainable mobility, circularity of resources, food policy, urban reforestation, education and training. The goal is a total reduction of 85% of emissions by 2030 and a further 15% reduction to be implemented through compensatory measures or new actions that can increase the already ambitious sustainability targets in the plan The five sectors in which the actions fall are: Construction; Transport; Waste Management; Industrial Production; Agriculture, Public Green and Land Use.
It also identifies the investments needed for Parma to reach climate neutrality by 2030, a goal that can only be achieved through a solid collaboration between public and private investments. Precisely for this reason, 46 companies and bodies active in the area have signed the pact to date, but the goal is to significantly increase this number in the coming months.
