On the 24th November, Friends of the Earth Europe will hold a conference at the North Rhine-Westphalian EU representation in Brussels to discuss the opportunities for a stronger role of resource efficiency in current European policy processes.
Europe is using more of the planet’s minerals, metals, forests, fuels, land and water than ever before. With 2.5 tonnes per capita per year, it is the continent with the highest net-imports of resources, which makes it the most import-dependent region of the world. This demand for resources is linked to environmental damage and social injustices – from land grabbing and toxic pollution to water shortages and the destruction of fertile land and the seas.
Resource efficiency can not only contribute to the urgently needed reduction of resource use in Europe, but also helps to save money and create jobs. With this in mind, is the Circular Economy Package doing enough to maximise Europe’s benefits? Will other policy processes, such as the land as a resource communication provide another push to the resource efficiency agenda? And what opportunities lie in the review of the Europe 2020 strategy?
Speakers at the conference will include:
Janez Poto?nik – former Commissioner for the Environment
Karl Falkenberg – Director-General, DG Environment, European Commission
Evita Stanga – Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU
Meghan O’Brien – Research Fellow, Wuppertal Institute
Werner Bosmans – Resource Efficiency Coordinator, DG Environment, European Commission
Philippe Lamberts – MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Stephan Lutter – Research Fellow, Vienna University of Economics and Business
Patrick ten Brink – Senior Fellow and Head of Brussels office, Institute for European Environmental Policy
Constanze Adolf – Director Brussels Office, Green Budget Europe
Barbara Helfferich – Director, European Anti-Poverty Network
You can see the agenda here, and if you plan to attend please register here.
