October 2019 will mark one year since the launch of the 2018 updated European Bioeconomy Strategy, which put forward an action plan to develop a sustainable and circular bioeconomy. To mark the occasion, and to find out what is happening with local bioeconomies, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission will hold an event to take stock of progress and to find out what is planned for the next few years.
The conference will highlight the position taken by the EESC in its opinion on the Reflection Paper "Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030", which is due for adoption in September 2019. The event will provide concrete and constructive recommendations to the new European Commission and the new European Parliament.
The Summit will bring together governments, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations to develop ambitious solutions in six areas, including global transition to renewable energy and sustainable and resilient infrastructures and cities.
As in previous years, the EESC will be present at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), from Tuesday, 16 July, to Thursday, 18 July 2019. The HLPF is the United Nations central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The hearing will discuss the socio-economic causes of the rise of populism in suburban and rural areas.
The EESC’s Temporary Study Group on Sustainable Food, together with the Food Lawyers’ Network - FLN, invites you for an one-day conference on innovation in food. With high-levels speakers, including from the European Commission, and a multitude of expertise gathered in the conference room, there will be a focus on market access for regulated products, especially novel food and on science against food fraud as well as intellectual property for food including patents and data protection.
This public hearing will look at ways to implement the 17 SDGs by addressing social concerns in full synergy with environmental and economic ones, reducing social inequalities and more fairly distributing the burden of transformation towards a sustainable Europe.
The Civil Society Days 2019 will take place at a crucial moment for Europe, namely after the Sibiu Summit and the European elections and ahead of the constitution of the new European Parliament and European Commission.
Current pressures on our democratic systems are threatening fundamental values (respect for human rights, individual liberty, equality, the rule of law) and the civil society space within the European Union. The alarming consequence is an erosion of democracy and restricted civic space in several parts of the EU.
Against this backdrop and in consideration of the transformation processes the EU is facing, namely on economic, energy and ecological, social, and democratic and participatory level, this year's Civil Society Days will focus on two main pillars, Democracy and Sustainability, and will explore their links and interactions.
The adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 represents a turning point in the way the international community has decided to tackle global issues by bringing together economic, environmental and social dimensions in an integrated manner. The economy should be an enabler for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It is therefore time to reflect upon a possible transition to a new economic model, which allows both people and planet to thrive and prosper.
The NAT Section will hold a debate on "Circular Economy Strategies and Roadmaps: Cooperation and Inclusion" at its meeting of 23rd May.
