Community-led initiatives and the European Green Deal: Towards transformational local development policies

The director of ODRAZ and member of the EESC participated in a discussion round with public policy actors on the local implementation of the European Green Deal and the role of community-led initiatives, in which Laurence Graff, DG CLIMA (advisor for the European Climate Pact); Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Lódz (European Committee of the Regions – CoR) and MEP Benoît Biteau, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament, also participated. Some of the highlights of Lidija Pavić-Rogošić’s intervention are:

• At the EESC, we know that the move towards a climate-resilient and sustainable society is largely driven by bottom-up initiatives led by citizens, communities, local authorities, consumers and innovative businesses. The EESC therefore calls for the re-empowerment of as many people as possible to play a positive role as active citizens, maximizing the availability of investment, new lifestyles, consumption patterns and sustainable technology for all people, groups and regions in the transition process.
• The EESC facilitates discussion groups with civil society. A practical example of cooperation is the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, a joint initiative of the EESC and the European Commission, which provides a space for a wide group of stakeholders to exchange good practices and ideas and create valuable networks in the circular economy domain.
• Another example refers to young people. In our opinion “Towards structured youth engagement on climate and sustainability in the EU decision-making process”, we pointed out that young people should be included throughout the entire institutional process. We are organizing youth round tables, and the next one is planned for this Wednesday with commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, who will engage with youth representatives on the topics of food security and sustainable food systems.
• The Rural Pact is another example of a structure that aims to engage actors at EU, national, regional and local level to support the Long term vision for EU rural areas.
• We are now working with the European Commission and other rural partners to create a governance model for the Rural Pact that involves local authorities as well as local businesses, private and not-for-profit, working with local democratic and social partner structures to ensure that local voices are heard and that long-term the EU’s vision for rural areas can be successfully implemented.
• The Pact will learn from experiences with the best of LEADER and CLLD, and each EU Council presidency should promote the Pact concept during their presidencies.

The event have triggered conversations about 10 theses on what truly transformational local development policies could look like, and how community-led environmental and climate actions can be strengthened through the European Green Deal, with a focus on different initiatives such as the Rural Pact and European Climate Pact as well as existing methods and frameworks such as LEADER/ Community-led local development (CLLD). The results of the consultation process on public policies, which was carried out by the ECOLISE network together with its partners, were presented. The process began on September 28, 2022 as the starting point for a broader advocacy campaign in 2023.

More at: https://communitiesforfuture.org/event/policy-consultation-process-kick-off-lets-build-a-united-voice-for-community-led-initiatives/

Several good practices that contribute to transformational changes/joint action/local development were also presented:

• project Sustainable Housing and Biodiversity: Living well within planetary boundaries/The need for changed human-nature relationships (Ecodorp Boekel, The Netherlands)
• Public sector support for community-led initiatives: project Boost Eco-Citoyen (ADEME Project, France)
• Regenerative cultures and transformative social innovation: Community Climate Coaches project & Communities 4 Climate Action (Ireland)
• The bioregional approach (Bioregional Learning Center, UK)

Some 130 participants actively participated in the discussion while working in smaller groups on the following topics: society, politics, ecology, economy. Lidija Pavić-Rogošić co-moderated the conversation on the topic of society and reported on the results during the plenary session.

Why this gathering?

Since June 2022, ECOLISE, together with various partners, has embarked on a policy positions process of community-led initiatives towards the European Green Deal. This initiative is built around the central question, “the European Green Deal: What’s in it for community-led initiatives?” and invites various stakeholders to take part in the policy consultation process to provide a better understanding of the potential and needs of community-led initiatives as change agents, showcasing pathways towards a regenerative society.

Community-led initiative’s reinforcing and inspirational role in our collective response to the climate and ecological crisis are featured in Communities for Future, an integrated Europe-wide programme launched in 2020 together with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), RIPESS and RURENER, and in the presence and endorsement of EU Commissioners, MEPs and ECOLISE members. Communities for Future shows how local communities and networks across Europe can provide concrete steps and solutions towards transformative change including energy communities, community-supported agriculture, locally-led climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As the European Green Deal remains the key policy tool for the transition to a well-being economy within the planet’s limits, it is high time to initiate a convergence of communities to policy makers and enable much-needed collective action from the community.  

#EESC #EGSO #CLLD #EuropeanGreenDeal