The EU Green Deal: From Vision to Actions

On 11 December 2019, the European Commission presented its Green Deal, an ambitious roadmap towards a climate-neutral EU by 2050, including policy and legislative proposals, the development and modernisation of financing instruments, and with a focus on a just and inclusive transition for all. A few weeks later, the Covid-19 pandemic struck Europe, with devastating impacts on the fundamental structures of our societies and highlighting vulnerabilities of our economic and social systems. In the eye of the hurricane, services of general interest have provided safety nets to many citizens and enterprises.

The EU Green Deal placed a strong emphasis on investment and the financing of the green and sustainable transition. The EU response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was articulated around a revamped MFF and the Next Generation EU, provided a boost in funding opportunities to turn the crisis into a transformational opportunity.

While changing our approach to the EU Green Deal, the pandemic is also providing a golden opportunity to bring our societies into the future. The event will focus on the role of SGIs in this process, as well as the financial instruments being developed at EU level to achieve the climate ambitions of the EU Green Deal in the aftermath of the pandemic.