EU's Mercedes Bresso to meet with President Obama to discuss climate action

BRUSSELS: President Barack Obama, along with a delegation of U.S. mayors, will be meeting with Mercedes Bresso, President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), and discuss greater trans-Atlantic cooperation on climate action on Friday, the European Union (EU) confirmed Monday.

President Bresso is currently in Washington at the invitation of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), at whose Winter Plenary Session she presented a series of concrete measures on Sunday aimed at helping mayors on both sides of the Atlantic to tackle the issue of global warming, based on the model of the EU Covenant of Mayors.

Among the topics to be discussed by the delegation of mayors will be the role played by local government in the U.S. in promoting energy efficiency, developing renewable energies and generating green growth and jobs – a role that is mirrored by their counterparts in the EU.

The recent agreement between the CoR and the USCM to share best practice and collaborate more closely on tackling global warming will also be discussed.

Among the measures proposed by President Bresso at the USCM meeting are a town-twinning and visit program that would facilitate direct knowledge sharing between mayors on key climate actions.

"Across the Atlantic, we share similar challenges and goals: fighting climate change, improving the quality of life in our cities; boosting the 'green economy' to create jobs; engaging more with our citizens," Bresso stated in front of over 200 U.S. Mayors.

"We know how tough these challenges are, but also how great the rewards will be if we succeed, and how much more effective we will be if we work together.

Bresso underlined the importance behind the Memorandum that was signed last October in which town-twinning and exchange programs was agreed. The exchange program aims to connect the Covenant of Mayors and the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and is expected to start later this year with a visit to the USCM's Summer Plenary Session by a delegation from the Committee.

During the session, U.S. mayors are expected to coincide with a key date in the Committee's calendar, such as the Open Days Week of Regions and Cities in October, the annual signing ceremony of the Covenant of Mayors or the Summit of Regions and Cities in Copenhagen in early 2012.

(BNO NEWS )