“Implementing the Sustainable Energy Future”

“Implementing the Sustainable Energy Future” is the title of the R20 Conference, which is taking part in Vienna on 31 January and 1 February 2013. José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission, participated in the conference. He said that energy plays an essential role in development and global growth, thus must be the heart of all our policies in the years to come.

The main objective of the Conference is to depict the role of sub national governments (States, Regions, Provinces, Counties and Cities) in reaching the objectives of both the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All campaign and the European Union’s climate and Energy package. Also the Conference will present R20’s approach for a sustainable Energy future. The R20 Regions of Climate Action is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other global leaders in cooperation with the United Nations.R20 aims to tackle climate change and green economic development at the subnational level.

Barroso stated that a global consensus among government and among people is needed to tackle energy and climate issues. “I firmly believe that it is possible to achieve sustainability without shutting people out of development” noted Barroso. “The European Commission has proposed that at least 20% of the resources available would be targeted on sustainability, across all policy areas, from agriculture via research to foreign policy. We will continue making the case in the decisive talks for such a future-oriented budget that invests in the green drivers of growth” said Barroso.