The European Committee of the Regions urges the acceleration of the implementation of the European Green Deal in partnership with local and regional authorities in order to respond to health threats arising from environmental pollution and the consequences of climate change. At a plenary session on January 31, MPs accepted the recommendations drawn up by Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla (ES/ELP), president of Andalusia.

The European Environment Agency has estimated that various forms of environmental pollution are responsible for one in eight deaths per year in the European Union. In addition to air and water pollution and soil degradation, longer and more frequent droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events and the spread of diseases associated with a changing climate represent a significant threat to human health.