The new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change is a crucial step towards achieving climate neutrality and resilience by 2050. European civil society strongly supports the Commission's commitment to strengthening efforts on climate proofing, resilience building, prevention and preparedness.

In its opinion on the new strategy, adopted at the plenary session in July, the EESC stressed that adaptation, with equity at its core, is critical to protecting European citizens' lives and livelihoods, especially those of the most vulnerable, so that we leave no one behind.

The EESC therefore stresses the need for an equal emphasis on financing mitigation and adaptation, as well as specific adaptation guidelines, monitoring tools, benchmarks and indicators. Such tools will help provide transparency, and assess the progress of climate adaptation, while building local, national and regional capacity.

The bioeconomy and the transition to a circular economy are essential and concrete climate adaptation approaches as Europe recovers.

"The EU needs to further enable and emphasise the importance of innovation, investment and trade that enhance sustainable development. Climate adaptation and its costs must also be an integral part of the EU's industrial strategy", says Dimitris Dimitriadis, EESC rapporteur for this opinion.

In order for the Union to emerge as a global standard-setter in the field of sustainable finance, the Commission should keep the bar high and follow science-based and technology-neutrality principles, including in the EU Taxonomy. (mr)