The Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos, together with representatives of 20 large Spanish companies, presented today in Brussels to the European Commission the Spanish Group for Green Growth, an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment that brings together the Administration and the business sector involved in the fight against climate change.
Last November, more than 30 companies signed the Declaration of Adhesion to the Spanish Group for Green Growth, within the framework of the “I Forum of the Spanish Group for Green Growth”, held in Madrid. The constitution of the Spanish section of the Green Growth Group, an initiative that emerged in 2013 within the framework of the European Union, aims to increase the participation of companies, share information, identify opportunities and support the Spanish presence in international forums in this field.
COMMON GOALS
Each of the companies that joined this Declaration recognises the importance of the EU’s green growth strategy to move towards sustainable, low-carbon growth and an energy-efficient economy and considers that, in the face of the challenge of green growth and the fight against climate change, “the future is in our hands and public-private collaboration is and will be essential”, according to the aforementioned Declaration.
In addition, they are “aware” of their relevant role in achieving the European objectives and recognise the importance of “considering the risks and opportunities linked to climate change as part of their business strategy, assessing their own carbon footprint in this context, as well as establishing targets to reduce emissions and publicly reporting on their achievements”.
FRUITFUL COLLABORATION
Within the framework of this presentation today in Brussels, the Secretary of State for the Environment held a meeting with the representatives of this business delegation of the Working Group, as well as different NGOs in the field of the fight against climate change, sectoral associations and councillors of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union.
At this meeting, Ramos stressed that we are at a “crucial and interesting” moment in the fight against climate change and that the constitution of the Spanish Group for Green Growth “marks the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between the private sector and the public administration in Spain” to advance towards the goal of a low-carbon economy.
In this regard, he recalled the importance of the Declaration already signed with more than 30 companies – and to which more interested parties can continue to join – and which commits the signatories to calculate their carbon footprint, establish quantifiable reduction targets and periodically communicate the progress made with these objectives and their achievements.
CLOSE TO ONE MILLION JOBS
He also highlighted the contributions made so far by companies in the fight against climate change, after recalling that, together, 20 of the companies that are part of the Spanish Group for Green Growth have a turnover of 300,000 million euros and nearly one million jobs.
In this regard, Federico Ramos, in a meeting with the media in Brussels, recalled that the Spanish companies of this Group, which represent more than half of the Ibex 35, have signed the declaration because “they believe that it is their responsibility to reduce emissions and because with these policies employment and economic activity can be created”.
“Technological development that implies a reduction in emissions, the transition to a low-carbon economy, is a duty for governments and also for companies as an opportunity to create employment and activity,” Ramos stressed.
He concluded that “one of the great challenges of this century is climate change, the reduction of emissions, the conservation of the environment and having a well-positioned business sector in this area is strategic for Spain”.
PRESENTATION TO CURATORS
During the day, the Secretary of State met with the commissioners for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete; of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella; of Commerce, Cecilia Malstrom, as well as with the Vice President for the Promotion of Employment, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Jyrki Katainen.
Ramos also presented this initiative to the executive director of the European Union’s Green Growth platform, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, as well as to various European Commission officials in the field of Foreign Affairs, Structural Funds and Regional Policy, Trade and the Environment.
