The concerns regarding public health and economic recession in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic were the focal points of discussion in the European Committee of the Region's plenary session, which ran from the 30th of June to the 2nd of July. The plenary took place in a hybrid form, with most members joining the session remotely with a few attending the plenary in Brussels personally. Due to health concerns and the need for social distancing, this was the first CoR plenary where voting was done remotely.

This summer's plenary featured debates on the EU recovery plan, demographic change, crisis management, the EU budget, and the European "Green Deal" among other contemporary European issues. These debates featured several prominent and relevant guest presentations to open the debates. One of the most salient and relevant debates, in the context of the COVID-19, was the debate on the European “Green Deal."

 Władysław Ortyl, the President of the ECR Group in the CoR spoke during the debate on the European "Green Deal," saying: 

"We must now focus on ensuring a swift economic recovery and building economic resilience for the future. Before the pandemic, the "Green Deal" was the principal EU strategy for economic growth, but the world has changed since then. This requires us to look at the plan and adjust it accordingly. We must modify it, especially the parts that hinder our economic recovery, while also prioritizing "Green Deal" elements that will help us rebuild our economy."

Mr Ortyl's call for revaluating some “Green Deal" goals were complimented by his calls for climate realism. In the debate, he stressed that not all European regions have the same economic starting position. Some regions are still reliant on solid fuels and that for many of them, a gradual shift to district heating supplied by natural gas is one of the few realistic options. Therefore, district heating supplied by natural gas should not be excluded from EU funding.

Lastly, Mr Ortyl reemphasized the need for pragmatic and level-headed solutions to meeting “Green Deal" goals, while also saying that we should not dismiss nuclear energy, as a clean energy source and alternative to fossil fuels.