Sustainable Development

The Working Group on Sustainable Development consists of  representatives from different national and regional advisory bodies which have longstanding experience on the issue of sustainable development.

Through communication and coordination, as well as the combined knowledge, expertise, and resources of its members, the working group is able to address a number of relevant issues with regard to the development and implementation of sustainable development policies in the European area.

The Working Group is currently Chaired by:

Arnau Q                              gabor site

Arnau Queralt-Bassa       Gábor Bartus


Upcoming Events

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Past Events

Third EEAC/ESDN EU Presidency Exchange
18 November 2022 - 18 November 2022

The EEAC Network, together with the colleagues of ESDN, has established recurring exchange cycles with delegates from the Council Working Party on the 2030 Agenda and delegates from the European Commission. These exchanges aim to support inter-collegial exchange on Europe’s sustainability challenges. During the latest exchange in Brussels on November 18th, Delegates from the different organizations discussed the Voluntary Review that the EU will provide to next year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum, the work of the Council Working Party on the 2030 Agenda and the upcoming global SDG Summit.

Public Webinar: Implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: Opportunities and Challenges
13 October 2022 - 13 October 2022

The EEAC Network, together with the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FRDO-CFDD), the German Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), and the Department of Sustainable Development from Romania invite you to the joint webinar “Implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: Opportunities and Challenges”. The webinar will take place on October 13th, 2022 from 11.00am to 12.30PM CEST. Please click here to register.

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive 

A provisional political agreement on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has been reached at EU level. By implementing the CSRD, the EU intends to make ambitious but standardised and accessible sustainability reporting mandatory for more than 50,000 companies across EU Member States. After the official adoption of the CSRD at EU level (end of 2022), EU Member States will have eighteen months to integrate the CSRD into national law. The way in which Member States implement the Directive is expected to influence the extent to which the objectives of this European proposal are actually achieved.

The Webinar

During the webinar, we will therefore invite a panel of high level experts to address the following issues: 1) Which aspects need to be taken into account to ensure that the ambitious goals of the CSRD can actually be achieved? 2) What leeway do the Member States have in the implementation process, and how big a risk is this? And 3) How can we learn from the implementation of the CSRD’s predecessor, the Non-Financial Reporting Directive?

The webinar aims to provide guidance and recommendations for action in the final phase of the implementation of the CSRD, so that the transformative potential of the new Directive can be fully achieved. To this end, both EU and national experts will contribute.

The speakers 

We are pleased to have contributions from a variety of international policy makers, including: Tom Dodd, Team Leader, European Commission, DG FISMA, Karen Hofmans, General Adviser for Economic Regulation at the Federal Public Service Economy (Belgium), Jan Witzmann, Head of Section for Accounting Law and Auditing Lawat the Federal Ministry of Justice (Germany), and László Borbély, State Councilor, the Romanian Prime Minister’s Office – Department of Sustainable Development (Romania).

You can access the recording of the webinar HERE.

Documents for Public Webinar: Implementing the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: Opportunities and Challenges:

Programme
EEAC Policy Briefing
27 June 2022 - 27 June 2022

The EEAC Network hosted a briefing for colleagues from national and regional advisory councils on sustainable development on Monday June 27th 2022. 30 Colleagues from 11 EU Member States were updated by Eurostat on their recently published report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context.

In order to place the findings of the EuroStat report in the right context, three European experts shared their reflections on the state of SDG implementation in the EU. On behalf of the European Economic and Social Committee, Maria Nikolopoulou shared her views. MEP Barry Andrews also shared his reflections, taking a more political angle. Civil Society was represented by SDG Watch Europe’s coordinator Jeffery Moxom.

The briefing took place in compliance with Chatham House Rule.

Documents for EEAC Policy Briefing:

Programme
Peer Learning Event
14 June 2022 - 14 June 2022

The EEAC Working Group on Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the colleagues of the ESDN, organised the 7th Peer Learning Platform, which took place in Brussels, Belgium on 14 June 2022.

The title of this Peer Learning Platform is “Voluntary National Reviews: Challenges, Successes and Lessons Learned” and the goal of the session was to offer national level and EU level policymakers the chance to exchange and learn from countries that have already done their second VNR. The Platform also focused on the European Union’s VNR for 2023.

Documents for Peer Learning Event:

Agenda
Event Summary
New podcast on EU Taxonomy
13 June 2022 - 13 June 2022

Today, the fourth and final episode of the podcast series Sustainability Made in Europe has been uploaded. The fourth episode focuses on the EU taxonomy, has been put online. In the podcast, the adoption of the first part of the EU taxonomy in the area of climate protection is classified politically and in terms of content by Antje Schneeweiß, managing director of the Arbeitskreis kirchlicher Investoren (AKI) and member of the Platform on Sustainable Finance, Kristina Jeromin, managing director of the Green and Sustainable Finance Cluster Germany, and Alexander Bassen, RNE council member and professor of business administration at the University of Hamburg.

In the first three episodes, high-ranking experts contribute their knowledge and experience from the negotiations on the European Green Deal, the draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDD) and the draft of the planned Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). With a mix of interviews and background information, the European Green Deal, as well as EU sustainability policy in general, is examined from different angles.

The podcast series is a joint project of the Belgian Sustainability Council (FRDO-CFDD) and the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), under the umbrella of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC). Click here for the four episodes of the podcast series.

New podcast on the draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
31 May 2022 - 31 May 2022

The third episode of the podcast series Sustainability Made in Europe: A Policy Podcast on Finance, Reporting & Governance is launched! This third episode focusses is available, focusing on the draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

In the podcast, Sven Gentner, Head of Corporate Reporting, Audit and Rating Agencies at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DF FISMA), and Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, Professor of Business Administration, in particular Capital Markets & Corporate Governance at the University of Hamburg and member of the German Advisory Council on Sustainable Development (RNE), discuss the draft directive from a political and content perspective.

Previous episodes

In the first two episodes, high-ranking experts contribute their knowledge and experience from the negotiations on the European Green Deal and the draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDD). With a mixture of interviews and background information, the European Green Deal as well as EU sustainability policy in general is examined from different perspectives. Click here for the first three episodes of the podcast series.

Next episode

Another episode on EU taxonomy will be published in the coming weeks.

New podcast on the Due Diligence Directive
25 April 2022 - 25 April 2022

The second episode of the podcast series Sustainability Made in Europe: A Policy Podcast on Finance, Reporting & Governance has been published on Spotify and Anchor.

Following the first episode, in which high-ranking experts set the scene, introducing the EU’s ambition to push the concept of sustainable finance, the focus of the second episode is on the proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The directive is analyzed by Anna Cavazzini, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens/EFA Group. Rachel Widdis, Professor of Business and Human Rights, adds her academic perspective to the current initiative.

Two more episodes – on the EU Taxonomy and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) – will be released in the coming weeks. The podcast series is a joint project of the Belgian (FRDO-CFDD) and German (RNE) Councils for Sustainable Development under the umbrella of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC), implemented and hosted by Colin Bien from Masters of Change.

New podcast: Sustainability made in Europe
22 March 2022 - 22 March 2022

On the 22nd of March ’22 the first episode of a new EEAC podcast series ”Sustainability Made in Europe: A Policy Podcast on Finance, Reporting & Governance” is launched on Spotify and Anchor. The new podcast series debates major dynamics at the EU-level and presents expert views and backgrounds.

The first episode

In the first of four episodes, high-level experts such as Sandrine Dixson-Declѐve, Co-President of the Club of Rome and Udo Bullmann, member of the European Parliament, contribute their knowledge and experience. With a mix of expert interviews and contextual background information, this episode will provide a multi-perspective view on the European Green Deal and the EU’s sustainability policy in general.

The next series of episodes

In the following three episodes, the interviews with experts from politics, academia and business will focus on the EU Taxonomy, the draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the recently published draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, which aims to ensure human rights and environmental protection along global value chains. The goal of the podcast series is to make complex sustainability issues accessible to a broad audience while also providing in-depth expert knowledge.

Background

The issues of sustainable finance, reporting and corporate governance are getting more and more attention in the European Union. Several regulatory initiatives have been published and have sometimes led to fierce debate. The new podcast series titled Sustainability Made in Europe: A Policy Podcast on Finance, Reporting & Governance picks up on these debates at the EU-level on various sustainability topics. Experts from academia, business and politics provide valuable insights into the most important legislative initiatives. The podcast series is a joint project of the Belgian (FRDO-CFDD) and German (RNE) Councils for Sustainable Development under the umbrella of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC), implemented and hosted by Colin Bien from Masters of Change.

Webinar: Wellbeing: a new yardstick for economic performance and welfare
15 February 2022 - 15 February 2022

The EEAC Network, together with the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), organized the joint webinar “Wellbeing: a new yardstick for economic performance and welfare”. The webinar took place on February 15th 2022.

A new yardstick
GDP growth has been a yardstick for economic performance and welfare and is considered essential for achieving a number of key objectives, including eradication of extreme poverty and adequate financing of social programmes. However there is growing consensus that it is limited in its ability to capture many critical dimensions of human life.

There has therefore been a shift internationally to look beyond GDP, to focus on measures that capture people’s living conditions and quality of life, as well as the state of the environment. Governments are increasingly utilising a well-being approach for policy prioritisation, policy making and evaluation. Such a well-being approach can reframe a Government’s approach to understanding, measuring and contributing to social and environmental progress.

The webinar
The joint EEAC-NESC webinar focused on this international shift towards a well-being approach to policy making. Specifically, the webinar focused on A) the added value of the well-being approach, B) Buy-in to the well-being approach, and C) implementing a well-being framework and the barriers faced.

Speakers
We had contributions from a variety of international policy makers and scientists, including Carrie Exton, Head of Well-Being Data Insights and Policy Practice, OECD, Minna Halme, Professor of Sustainability Management, Aalto University School of Business/ Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, and Jennifer Wallace, Director, Carnegie UK.

The session recordings are available here

Documents for Webinar: Wellbeing: a new yardstick for economic performance and welfare:

Programme
The added value of a well-being approach for our societies, by Carrie Exton (OECD)
Getting buyin_The public, policy system, and politicians, by Minna Halme (EPSD)
The implementation of wellbeing frameworks What barriers are there by Jennifer Wallace (Carnegie)
Internal workshop
17 January 2022 - 17 January 2022

A group of ten advisory councils on environment and sustainable development e-met in the context of the EEAC Working Group on Sustainable Development to discuss sustainability priorities at EU level. The meeting was held in prelude to a collegial exchange between the EEAC Network, the ESDN and representatives from the rotating EU Presidency and European Commission.

Online policy briefing: Developments with regard to SDG implementation at EU level
6 July 2021 - 6 July 2021

The implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were prominent on the European agenda in June 2021. Not only launched Eurostat its report entitled  “Sustainable development in the European Union. Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context”, also the Council of the EU reaffirmed strong EU commitment to the implementation of the SDGs.

Following these developments, the EEAC Working Group on Sustainable Development organized an online policy briefing. The session provided participants with the monitoring report’s findings, and put the Council conclusions in the context of the report’s findings.

We were pleased that Ms. Mayer (Eurostat), Ms. Humphries (WWF EU), and Ms. Lindblom (ESDN) shared their insights during the briefing.

Documents for Online policy briefing: Developments with regard to SDG implementation at EU level:

Presentation by Ms Mayer (Eurostat)
Programme
Tentative Programme
Webinar: Corporate sustainability reporting: recent developments
17 June 2021 - 17 June 2021

The Belgium Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FRDO-CFDD), the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) and the EEAC Network organized a webinar entiteled:  “Corporate sustainability reporting: recent developments”. The webinar took place on June 17th.

Background

Since the launch of the European sustainable finance action plan, the financial sector is asking for improved information on the exposure of companies to sustainability risks. Diverse stakeholders think that companies should better account for their social and environmental impacts. Moreover, companies facing increasing transparency requirements consider that the related reporting costs are too high.

The EU Commission’s proposal for a new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the proposal for an EU sustainability reporting standard-setting should address these various expectations and concerns.

Aim of the webinar

To give you further information about these initiatives and to highlight their implications for the financial sector, for stakeholders of sustainable development and for enterprises, the FRDO-CFDD, RNE and EEAC organized the webinar. The morning session focused on the EU reforms for sustainability reporting, and the afternoon session focused on their practical implications at the national level.

Over 150 people particiapted in the session on June 17th. Follow-up documentation and presentions will be made available on the website soon.

Documents for Webinar: Corporate sustainability reporting: recent developments:

Updated Programme
Tentative Programme
Online policy briefing: the agenda of the Portuguese EU Council Presidency
17 February 2021 - 17 February 2021

The Minister and the Secretary General of the Ministry for Environment and Climate Action of Portugal will provide an EEAC-exclusive policy briefing on the agenda of the Portuguese EU Council Presidency.

Portugal took over the Presidency of the European Council on January 1st 2021. The Portuguese Presidency organized its programme around five main pillars: A) Resilient Europe; B) Social Europe; C) Green Europe; E) Digital Europe; and F) Global Europe. In the e-presentation the ‘Green Europe’ pillar will be centre-staged.

The Presidency has an ambitious agenda, including the finalization of the EU climate law, approval of the EU’s Circular Economy Strategy and a successful wrap-up of the negotiations on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. A packed Presidency agenda that needs to be delivered amidst the challenges of the covid19-pandemic.

Documents for Online policy briefing: the agenda of the Portuguese EU Council Presidency:

Tentative schedule
Economic instruments to enhance sustainable development
26 January 2021 - 26 January 2021

While having pledges, strategies and ambitions in place, the EU and its Member States still struggle to meet the SDGs and the related targets. This leaves Europe with a void. A void between ambitions and reality on the ground. In the EEAC background paper, the authors dedicate their attention to a specific issue that might play a role in this void: the use of economic instruments to enhance sustainable development.

With the valuable inputs of five EEAC member bodies, the background paper touches upon the fundamental benefits of economic instruments to enhance sustainability.

During the presentation of the report by Prof. Bartus (NFFT), the following questions took center stage: A) What prerequisites need to be met to deploy such instruments successfully? B) why are most European countries struggling to do so? And C) what basic principles need to be applied to move towards a more successful use of these instruments?

You can find the background paper enclosed to this message.

Documents for Economic instruments to enhance sustainable development:

ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS TO ENHANCE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Financing the green transition in times of economic recovery
18 September 2020 - 18 September 2020

A two-day (online) seminar was organized on financing the green transition in times of economic recovery.  The event was a joint initiative of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FRDO-CFDD) and the European Commission, in collaboration with the European network of Advisory Councils on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development  (EEAC Network), the European Investment Bank and the Belgian regional sustainable development councils.

Focus

The Covid19 has shaken Europe and the world to its core. To help repair the economic and social damage, kick-start European recovery, and protect and create jobs, the European Commission has proposed a major recovery plan for Europe, Next Generation EU. Reforms as well as significant investments, both from the private and public sector, are at the heart of this plan, which builds on Europe’s growth strategy, the European Green Deal, to a more sustainable, digital, fair and resilient Europe.

What was addressed 

The EU has already taken several initiatives to facilitate the financing of the green transition. We will take stock of these, as well as the particular challenges and opportunities in Belgium, during a two-day seminar.

The following questions were on the agenda:

  • 18 September: What are the EU initiatives to facilitate green transition financing in times of economic recovery?
  •  25 September: How to address the green transition financial challenges and opportunities in Belgium in times of economic recovery ?

Who contributed

Speakers included: Jean-Pascal van Ypersele (UCL), Arnau Queralt-Bassa (EEAC), Veerle Nuyts (EU Commission), Emmanuel Buttin (EU Commission), Thomas Verheye (EU Commission), Michèle Lacroix (EFRAG), Philippe Lamberts (MEP), Sirpa Pietikäinen (MEP), Pierre-Emmanuel Noël (EIB), Xavier Vanden Bosch (EU Commission), Yelter Bollen (Arbeid en Milieu, Fairfin), Pierre Vanheuverzwijn (Pacte national d’investissements stratégiques), Agnès Giner Lloret (Sowalfin), Pierre Hermant (Finance Brussels), Johan Reynaert (PMV), Jan Verheeke (Minaraad).

Documents for Financing the green transition in times of economic recovery:

Tentative Programme
Webinar Report by FRDO-CFDD
Online Policy Briefing on the HLPF 2020
27 August 2020 - 27 August 2020

The meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) in 2020 was held from Tuesday, 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. This included the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 14 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. The theme was “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development’.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic adjustments to the format and programme of HLPF 2020 were made. All meetings were held virtually, including all side and special events. In the light of this unprecedented situation, Dr. Beisheim (SWP) provided the EEAC member councils with her insights on the aim of this year’s HLPF, and answered questions about the effectiveness of the forum as well as about the possible impact of this year’s HLPF on Sustainable Development policies at European and national level.

Documents for Online Policy Briefing on the HLPF 2020:

Presentation by Dr. Beisheim
Policy Briefing on on the agenda of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union
2 July 2020 - 2 July 2020

Germany will commence its Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1st 2020. Rarely have there been so many sustainability related topics on the agenda – plus the opportunity to put the billions of euros earmarked for the coronavirus recovery to transformative use. Therefore, expectations seem high.

However, due to the Covid19 crisis Germany will not be able to execute its previously stipulated Presidency agenda. This raises the question what changes the Covid19 crisis might bring to the agenda, and what the possible risks and opportunities of these changes are. Furthermore, the focus will be on the Presidency’s ambitions regarding issues such as climate change, digitalization, environmental policies and the complex Multi Annual Financial Framework negotiations.

Karsten Sach, Director General International and European Policy at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety will provide insight into the Presidency’s agenda during an EEAC exclusive policy briefing. The briefing aims to inform EEAC members about the focus of the German Presidency of the European Council, with special emphasis on issues related to climate change and environmental and sustainable development policies.

EEAC Wóring Session on the European Green Deal
13 February 2020 - 13 February 2020

The EEAC Network organized a working session on the European Green Deal in Brussels on Thursday February 13th, 2020.

During the one day working session, EEAC members engaged with think-tanks and other EU oriented organizations to learn how these organizations perceive the ambitions and proposals included in the European Green Deal.

Experts from – among others – IDDRI; IEEP, EESC-SDO, and EPC shared an overall assessment of the Green Deal’s content and potential, as well as more sector specific analyses.

Please find an summary of the working session below.

Documents for EEAC Wóring Session on the European Green Deal:

EEAC Working Session Outcome Summary
Programme of the Working Session
UN Global Festival of Action
3 May 2019 - 3 May 2019

The EEAC Network co-organized, together with GIZ, a workshop at the U.N. Global Festival of Action 2019. The interactive workshop focused on multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs), in which stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, civil society and academia cooperate on equal footing in order to implement the SDGs.

Partnerships are crucial for reaching the SDGs – that is widely acknowledged. However:
A) How can we actually make partnerships work (set-up and composition; governance and financing)?
B) When is forming partnerships a suitable approach, and when not (reasoning; legitimacy; characteristics)?

The aim of this session was to:
1. Share practical experience, knowledge and tips as well as further contacts and opportunities to create new partnerships and improve existing ones for participants of the session
2. Create the space and spirit where not only best practices but also ‘failures’ can be shared and discussed.
3. Learn about the experiences with MSPs among Global Festival participants in order to enrich the know-how of the organizing parties.

The Festival

The Festival provided a dynamic and interactive space to showcase the latest innovations, tools and approaches to SDG advocacy and SDG action. It brought together leaders from governments, local authorities, international organizations, civil society, activists, young advocates, the creative industry and the private sector– to scale up the impact of their work and strategize joint actions, whilst motivating new organizations and individuals to join the movement and take action for the SDGs.