The main topic of the Council meeting, "greening the economy, creating jobs and social security", needs to be urgently discussed in a European setting within the context of the ongoing economic and ecological crisis. The Green New Deal, which stands for the creation of prosperity and well-being for all within the physical limits of our planet, will form a key part of this discussion.

GEF will contribute to these discussion by promoting some of its recent publications and by organising a series of workshops related to its core work in 2012. 

GEF events at Council meeting 

On Friday 11^th May, from 14:00 to 15:45, GEF will organise a workshop on the European Citizen's Initiative (ECI). Two of these initiatives - one on a nuclear-free Europe, and another on an European basic income - will be presented during the workshop by their organisers. The aim is to discuss the particular challenges organisers are facing in using the ECI instrument and to identify Green expectations from the use of the ECI. There will be three speakers in total: Gerald Haefner, Greens/EFA MEP and co-organiser of this workshop, Klaus Kastenhofer, Director of Global 2000 and organiser of the "Europe Free Nuclear" ECI, and one more speaker to be confirmed. 

Also, on Friday 11^th May, from 14.00 to 15.45, a workshop on the EU Energy Policy will be held. This will examine some of the most recent developments in EU energy policy, and will debate how the Greens should respond to these. Speakers will be Grzegorz Wiśniewski from the EC BREC Institute for Renewable Energy, Anne Grete Holmsgaard, Director of Biorefining Alliance, and Claude Turmes, MEP. 

Thirdly, on Saturday 12 May, from 16.00 to 17.45, the Green European Journal will host a panel discussion titled "Surviving Austerity". Coinciding with the 2^nd edition of the Green European Journal, which will discuss this issue, this debate will bring together green thinkers and actors who are working on this topic from multiple perspectives. One of the speakers will be Laia Ortiz Castellvi, a Green politician from Catalonia. Other speakers will be confirmed. 

For more information about the Council meeting and registration go to the event's website.