On 15 October, the ECR Group in the European Committee of the Regions held a panel discussion regarding the subject of air pollution in Europe as part of the "European Week of Regions and Cities".

The conference was moderated by the President of the Podkarpackie region who is also the President of the ECR Group in the CoR, Władysław Ortyl. The panellists included Roberto Ciambetti, President of Veneto Regional Council, Lucie Záčková from the European Commission's DG Regio, ECR MEP Grzegorz Tobiszowski, Jakub Chełstowski, President of the Silesia region, and Tjisse Stelpstra who is a Regional Minister for the Drenthe province in the Netherlands.

The discussion began with Mr Ortyl underlining the need to act on carbon emissions by emphasising the public health concerns caused by polluted air. Mr Ortyl discussed the steps being taken by the Podkarpackie region to embrace sustainability.

Mr Ciambetti also weighed in, saying how Veneto was acting to reduce the use of solid fuels so as to bring down the levels of PM10 (fine particulate matter) which damages lungs. Mr Ciambetti said that due to Veneto's geographic location, cooperation with neighbouring local and regional authorities is vital for lowering levels of airborne pollution. 

Ms Záčková spoke next and stressed how effective EU cohesion funding has been in helping Central-Eastern European countries reduce pollution, thereby improving overall public health.

This emphasis on cohesion and cooperation was echoed by Mr Tobiszowski MEP, who stressed that the EU must play a pivotal role in accelerating energy sustainability in countries such as Poland, saying: "The level of EU funding for the green transition must match its ambitions to be successful."

Mr Chełstowski then stressed that there are still many jobs in the Silesian coal industry and that a green transition must take into account the wellbeing not only of those working in the coal industry, but of regional economies overall.

Tjisse Stelpstra was the final speaker, and he emphasised the role played by individual consumers and localities in reducing airborne pollution. Fundamentally, it is people who have to be conscious of cleaner methods of production and consumption. Drenthe province is in a very different situation from Silesia in that its emissions come mainly from neighbouring provinces.

The discussion was adjourned by Mr Ortyl who thanked the participants, viewers and organisers, while also pointing out that only those solutions which factor in regional characteristics and economic situations in local communities will be successful in reducing emissions in the long term.

The entire conference was recorded and can be watched here.