By the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, chose our conference Empowering consumers on climate change for the first of his "Green Dialogues", which he announced during his hearing before the European Parliament's committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food safety for the post of European Commissioner for the Green Deal in October.

The conference organised by the Civil Society Organisations' Group was attended by around 140 people, including national and European representatives of civil society organisations and European policymakers. The event included the launch of an EESC-commissioned study on The cost of climate change on households and families in the EU. It also highlighted the role of consumers and the need for an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable and inclusive green transition, requiring targeted policies and cooperation among all stakeholders.

Opening the event, Séamus Boland, President of the Civil Society Organisations' Group, said that the Group had welcomed Mr Šefčovič's announcement of green dialogues. "You have honoured us by selecting our conference for your first green dialogue."

Mr Šefčovič said that he plans to hold green dialogues on a regular basis to cultivate and strengthen public support for the European Green Deal. "We want to show that we not only have the legal solutions, but we also listen and care, and are always ready to work with stakeholders to find balanced solutions. These solutions will help us tackle climate change, be socially responsible and help create high-quality jobs in Europe. Your Committee, with your group, is an excellent forum for these dialogues."

Read on to find out more about the debates. The conclusions and recommendations from the conference are available on the EESC website.