As with the first edition, also this time the EEAC Network contributed to the preperations of IEEP’s EU Green Deal Barometer report. The new report reveals the scepticism of sustainability experts regarding the implementation status of the European Green Deal in the short term, but some cautious optimism post-2024. Based on insights from over 300 experts, the Green Deal Barometer provides recommendations for taking forward the implementation in the current crisis. Read More (you will be re-directed to the IEEP website).
This year, the EEAC Annual Conference entitled: ‘The Critical Decade of Action: Mobilising Sustainability Transformation in Europe’ took place in Helsinki on September 14th and 15th 2022.
The conference was hosted by Finland’s three independent science panels, the Finnish Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, the Finnish Climate Change Panel and the Finnish Nature Panel.
The two-day conference brought together experts from academia, civil society, the private sector and government to discuss the next steps for facilitating the much-needed transformation in the critical decade of action. We heared interesting keynote speeches and engaged in workshops and parallel sessions, including on the following themes:
- Joining forces for sustainability transformation
- Europe’s global responsibility in combating climate change
- Mid-term policy actions needed against the biodiversity crisis
Read More
Eeva Furman, Chair of the Finnish Expert Panel on Sustainable Development (Sustainability Panel) and Board member of the EEAC Network, will step down from the Panel and the EEAC Network’s board to take up her position as Secretary General of the Finnish Commission for Sustainable Development from 15 August 2022 onwards.
Nature is declining at an alarming rate in the Netherlands. According to the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli), the biodiversity crisis is as serious as the climate crisis. Robust nature is crucial for the quality of life in the Netherlands. People depend on nature for their health, for clean drinking water, for healthy food and for clean air. In its advisory report Nature-Inclusive Netherlands, the Rli calls on the Dutch Government to reverse the decline of nature and to ensure its recovery. Such efforts will only succeed, however, if the authorities commit to nature everywhere and for everyone. Read More
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.
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.
We have the pleasure of inviting you to the 30th anniversary conference of the EEAC Network in Helsinki, Finland, on the 14 –15 of September 2022.
Finland’s three independent scientific advisory panels – The Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, The Finnish Climate Change Panel and The Finnish Nature Panel – are hosting the event. The theme of the conference is The Critical Decade of Action: Mobilising Sustainability Transformation in Europe.
Please consult the draft programme HERE & make sure to REGISTER or get more information on the conference webpage HERE
The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) published a short English-language summary of its statement on the expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany.
Onshore wind energy is one of the pillars of the energy transition. Germany can only reach its climate targets if onshore wind is developed much faster. However, in the last few years the expansion has almost stalled. The statement “Climate protection needs tailwind: Towards a reliable expansion of onshore wind energy” shows how challenges can be met.The most important reason for the faltering expansion of wind energy is that too few areas have been designated and secured in spatial planning. In addition, some German regions (Länder) have set distances between wind turbines and residential areas that cannot be justified in terms of protecting residents. The lack of standards in nature conservation and species protection leads to legal uncertainties. In general, the planning and approval procedures for wind turbines are error-prone and lengthy. Regions in which wind energy is used also benefit too little from the energy transition. This has an impact on local acceptance. There is also a need for change in the area of funding. Read More
Today, 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. Read More
