Environmental groups are set to gather in Berlin to talk about how the EU can help build a greener Europe.
‘Sailing the Winds of Change for Europe’s Environment‘ is this year’s title for the European Environmental Bureau annual conference. It will bring together leading politicians, policymakers and civil society actors to discuss ways of translating the mandate for change demanded by EU citizens into sustainable policies that safeguard prosperity and protect the environment.
Hosted together with the German Nature Conservation Association or Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR), the EEB’s annual conference will take place in Berlin on 18 November 2019.
The conference is occurring at a time of great crisis but also of great hope. On the one hand, the world is on the cusp of climate breakdown, ongoing mass extinction, environmental destruction and an ever-growing disconnect between humans and nature.
On the other hand, public appreciation of the unfolding crises and demands for urgent action have never been clearer nor louder. In Europe and across the world, youth have been striking for the climate and millions of citizens have made their concern for the environment clear by taking to the streets and through the ballot box.
This translated into the so-called ‘green wave’ during the recent European Parliament elections, prompting incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to launch her flagship European Green Deal.
Better horizons
Against this backdrop, the EEB’s annual conference, which is supported by the EU’s Life programme and the German environment ministry, will bring together key players from the European environmental movement with political decision-makers.
Together, they will discuss ways of setting Europe on a course towards becoming a sustainable society in which people and nature both thrive. Issues on the agenda include the EU’s role in safeguarding the natural world and human wellbeing, coming up with shared solutions to the common challenges facing the EU over the next five years, and how governments can set the agenda for a greener Europe.
Among the keynote speakers are MEP Pascal Canfin, who chairs the European Parliament’s environment committee, and Jochen Flasbarth, Germany’s state secretary for the environment. If you would like to find out more about the conference or wish to attend, please visit the conference website. Follow the Twitter hashtag #EEB19 for the latest news and views from the conference.
