In September 2017, 7 climate change experts of the Chinese Government, led by the Climate Change Department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
This mission was the first activity of IUC’s component 2, i.e. to strengthen EU-Asia cooperation on local and regional climate change action, building upon the EU Covenant of Mayors initiative.
The delegation included also experts from the National Climate Strategy Center (NCSC), the Institute of Urban Development and Environment (IUDE) at the China Academy of Social Science and the Innovative Green Development Program (iGDP). These entities have been appointed by the NDRC as possible institutions for setting-up a technical support secretariat for the Covenant in China.
The mission provided Chinese representatives with technical training and hands-on experiences regarding the EU’s approach towards low carbon urban development, focusing on the EU Covenant of Mayors. It also paved the way to set a roadmap for a governance structure and a technical support secretariat for the Covenant in China.
The visit included policy results (e.g. institutional setting and processes of the Covenant), methodological aspects developed by the JRC and practical implementation measures in cities of Belgium (Ghent), Portugal (Lisbon and Almada) and Austria (Vienna).
EU cities were chosen based on their track record on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures as well as on their experience on access to clean energy within the EU Covenant of Mayors.
Presentations are available in the forum site of the project
