Programme

10:00 | Introduction

• Maurizio Reale, President of the Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)
• Piroska Kállay, President of the Permanent Group on Sustainable Food Systems (PG), and co-rapporteur of EESC opinion on Towards a holistic strategy on sustainable rural/urban development

10:15 | Setting the scene

Moderated by: 

• Maurizio Reale, President of the Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)

Speakers:

• Marta Gomez San Juan, Senior Bioeconomy Expert, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO): circular and bioeconomy strategies towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
• Luc Vernet, Farm Europe: innovative solutions to keep the European Union's position as a world leader in sustainable rural businesses
• Agata Kotkowska, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission (DG ENV): the European Union political framework

Debate with Members

10:50 | Coffee break

11:05 | Reviving rural areas through circular bioeconomy approaches: concrete examples and recommendations for EU policy makers

Moderated by: 

• Isabel Caño Aguilar, Vice-President  of the Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)

Speakers:

• Maider Gómez, Project Coordinator, BRILIAN – Promoting the transition to bio-based economies in rural areas | European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform
• Alexandre Morin, AC3A, regional partner in SCALE-UP - Concepts, tools and applications for community-driven bioeconomy development in European rural areas
• Holger Gerdes, Ecologic Institute, Project Coordinator of SCALE-UP - Concepts, tools and applications for community-driven bioeconomy development in European rural areas

 Debate with Members

12:00 | Leverages to foster sustainable rural/ urban development and communities' approaches based on circularity and bioeconomy: the role of governance and partnerships

Moderated by: 

• Arnaud Schwartz, Vice-President  of the Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)

Speakers:

• Paweł Chmieliński, Food Systems Thematic Working Group, BIOEAST – Central and Eastern European Initiative for Knowledge-based Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture in the Bioeconomy, Head of the Department of European Integration, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences 
• Gábor Bartus, Secretary General, Hungarian National Council for Sustainable Development
• Kristina Gyosheva, CCRI-CSO (Circular Cities and Regions Initiative) 
• Anja Fortuna, Program manager, Rural Youth Europe

Debate with Members

12:50 | Conclusions 

Moderated by: 

• Piroska Kállay, President of the Permanent Group on Sustainable Food Systems

Speakers:

• Tsjerk Terpstra, Policy officer for Environmental Sustainability, DG AGRI, European Commission
• Maurizio Reale, President of the Sustainable Development Observatory (SDO)
• Piroska Kállay, President of the Permanent Group on Sustainable Food Systems