​At the recent Mons Summit of Regions and Cities, held on March 19, Andries Gryffroy engaged with a panel on the prospective developments of the Green Deal, joined by a diverse group of locally elected officials from across the EU.

Based on current realities from the ground and emerging trends, the session has put forward key ideas on how regions and cities can better participate in the European Green Deal to ensure it becomes a real compass for sustainability and people’s well-being.

Andries Gryffroy, member of the Flemish Parliament, recalled that the Green Deal will achieve its objectives only if regions and cities are fully involved in the policy and decision-making process. Moreover, he pointed out that regions are different from each other and that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the solution.

"The Green Deal must be built from the bottom up, says Andries Gryffroy. Regions and cities cannot be just implementers, they need to be part of the decision-making process and fully involved from the outset. Moreover, we cannot treat regions in the same manner because they are all different in their assets and challenges. The future Green Deal should be flexible enough to take into account those specificities, he concluded".