The cities of Eindhoven and Helmond are drawing a line under participation in an EU climate mission. The cities thought they could get money from Brussels to accelerate their joint efforts to become climate-neutral.
But just under two years after the ambition was expressed to join the project, Eindhoven and Helmond are pulling out. Brussels had promised “financial opportunities” to them. But just under two years later, the money pot turns out to be empty.
As a result, the ambition to become climate-neutral by 2030 is no longer feasible. This is what the Eindhoven college has written in a letter to the city council. The college does say that it still wants to accelerate to realise the city’s climate ambitions, but this requires additional support from Europe and the state.
2030
The college further writes that the climate targets set by the city council in 2016 remain valid. That is, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 55 per cent compared to 1990.
The College informs that as part of the EU mission, steps have already been taken. For instance, collaborations have been set up between residents and other parties in the city. A partnership was also established between other Dutch cities that participated in the EU mission. Efforts were also made to accelerate ongoing projects that help reduce emissions. The letter does not clarify the status of the initiatives that were started in light of the mission and to what extent they will be continued.
Source- Studio040
Translated by Chaitali Sengupta
