The seminar will address the changing societies in the European Union and the interplay of freedom and security, and in particular look at the local perspective in Croatia. The aim is to stimulate the debate among activists, the political community as well as academia to discuss new concepts for fundamental changes needed in our complex world.
This is a closed event on invitation only.
Companies presenting themselves as mere digital platforms, such as Uber, Airbnb, Deliveroo, etc., are changing our economy in a rapid pace. These techno-economic disrupters not only change the way we produce or deliver services, but also lead to radical changes in the labour market, the availability and the organization of work. They question the existing regime of our national welfare states with a social security system build on full employment in stable and localized jobs.
The crucial question is how we will be able to re-embedded these new companies that tend to ignore legislation and deny the European social contract. This is more than an economic issue: more flexible and precarious jobs feed the growing insecurity in our society, which is a feeding ground for populists and national authoritarianism. So we need progressive answers that embrace the possibilities of digital platforms while at the same time empowering workers and their freedom and building new systems of social security.
13:00-13:10 Opening words (Aurélie Maréchal, Director Green European Foundation)
13:10-13:35 Keynote – The Need for a Green Transformation. Freedom and Security in Uncertain Times (Dirk Holemans, Director Oikos Denktank), followed by a Q&A
13:35-14:00 The Ethics of Things. Staying Human in the Robot Age (Jochanan Eynikel, Business philosopher Etion)
14:00-14:35 A Manifesto to Reform the Gig Economy (Antonio Aloisi, PhD candidate University of Milan)
14:35-15:10 Cabfair – We Can Do Better than Uber (Duncan McCann, New Economics Foundation)
15:10 coffee break
15:20-16:00 Panel debate –The European Dimension, moderated by Aurélie Maréchal
16:00-16:45 Panel debate – The Future of New Economy
16:45 Reception & Networking
The event is free of charge – to register, please fill in this form. For more updates, see the Facebook event.
As part of our ongoing transnational project on questions around green transformation and a post-growth society, we are hosting a workshop in Budapest to discuss new technologies and other ‘change-makers’, such as climate disruption, and how they contribute to an ongoing social-ecological transformation and the 4th industrial revolution fueled by disruptive technologies such as digitalisation or robotisation.
17:00-17:15: Welcome
17:15-18:00: Green transformation – freedom and security in uncertain times
Dirk HOLEMANS director, Oikos Research Center, Belgium
18:00-18:30: What makes the 4th Industrial Revolution different from the previous ones? What are the major dangers and the biggest opportunities?
KIS Miklós, journalist
18:30-19:00: Humans or profit comes first? How do politics and politicians help?
SCHMUCK Erzsébet, Member of the Hungarian Parliament, Politics Can Be Different
19:00 – 19:20: break, buffet
19:20 – 20:20: Forum with the speakers
20:20 – 20:30: Closing Remarks
Dirk Holemans director, Oikos Research Center, Belgium
The event will be provide simultaneous English-Hungarian interpretation throughout the programme.
It is free of charge, but subject to prior registration. For more information, please visit the Ökopolisz website.
The weekend conference will explore energy, food, transport and buildings solutions and change for a climate safe future.
Following the publication of a study outlining a sustainable local economic strategy based on more green enterprises and employment, the Green European Foundation will organise a workshop on Saturday, 28 October, from 12h15 to 13h15, with the support of Green House Think Tank and present this year’s further research as well as proposals on how to apply the model to the Sheffield City Region.
In this workshop we will provide space for debate about future of work – what type of jobs would be created locally by tackling climate change – including in energy, buildings, waste, food production in Sheffield City Region as case study. Furthermore, we will discuss the key ideas about zero carbon together with Aaron Thierry from Sheffield Climate Alliance.
To register for the conference at the Interdisciplinary Centre of the Social Sciences at the Sheffield University, please fill in this form.
Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing humankind. Global warming causes growing economic, social, and ecologic losses. The challenges we face cannot be overcome by solely raising consumer awareness or by encouraging the private sector to adapt cleaner production practices alone. What we need is a system that will enable decision-makers of all levels, from individuals to international institutions, to act as a coherent whole on the path to achieve the determined targets.
Green economy offers a conceptual, theoretical, and practical framework that will enable this transformation. This report features Green economy policy recommendations for the fields of urban policy, land use, and energy. The mission of this report is to look at EU climate change mitigation and adaptation and its best practices in the fields of urbanization, land use, and energy in light of Turkey’s current conditions.
The common characteristic of all innovative practices featured in this report, such as passive buildings, energy co-ops, community- supported agriculture (CSA), bicycle use for inner-city transportation, urban vegetable gardens, and regenerative agriculture, is that they create easy and widely applicable environmental and climate-friendly alternatives and provide new ways for private citizens to be directly involved in the economy and even generate income.
According to its citizens, immigration, terrorism, the economic situation and the state of member states’ public finances are the most important issues facing the EU. Less important, but still in the top 10, are unemployment and climate change. According to the latest Eurobarometer, a staggering 54% thinks that their voice doesn’t count in the EU. News about terror threats, refugee crises, budget cuts and corruption don’t paint a rosy picture of the reality we currently live in. Populists thrive on fear, human rights and freedoms are questioned and cynicism among citizens seems to be winning ground.
At the same time however, an ever-increasing number of citizens strike sparks in this seemingly dark tunnel, by developing social-ecological initiatives. To rebuild communities from the bottom up, to revitalize a more sustainable economy and to strengthen ties of solidarity and care, while governments struggle to manifest our common identity. Everywhere in Europe, hopeful democratic citizen initiatives emerge in fast pace. And knowingly or unknowingly, they are already making a difference, whether it be small or big, by building social and sustainable alternatives within the current neoliberal model of fear. Like swimmers against the tide, citizen movements get organised to take domains like production, finance, energy and care back in their own hands. So, join us for a walk through Europe and explore some of these exciting initiatives, because this is how citizens react to the policy of fear and austerity in our disrupted societies.
Digital version is Spanish is available to download here.
State aid rules, which govern when public authorities may grant assistance to selected undertakings, play a crucial role in determining the economic and environmental future of the EU. This report, commissioned by the Greens/EFA Group and authored by the E3G think-tank, outline a range of measures that would ensure state aid rules help Europe transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy.
As Europe prepares to make major investments in areas such as energy and transport in the coming years, state aid rules that create a level playing-field for different industries and phase out damaging subsidies for fossil fuels will benefit investors and the public alike.
This publication is available to read in English or German.
The memorandum “Sustainable Industrial Policy for Europe – Governing the Green Industrial Revolution” argues that industrialised production and consumption patterns lead the world to its ecological limits. Climate change, ongoing poverty, food and water shortages and the global economic recession can become driving forces of a Green Industrial Revolution. In Europe, a transformation process of old, as well as new, economic structures has begun, with a high potential of causing social conflicts. In this context, the study argues that a new approach to industrial policy by governments is essential to manage this fundamental change. Not having a sustainable industrial policy is not a political option.
The memorandum analyses, as a first step, the shortcomings of current industrial policies at the national and European levels, and subsequently highlights goals, guiding principles and measures of implementing sustainable industrial policies for Europe. Finally, it outlines an integrated monitoring and evaluation method assessing the state of industrial policy with regards to the pre-requisites of a shift towards sustainability.
The research has been realised by the Öko-Institut e.V (Institute for Applied Ecology), and published by the Green European Foundation in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The publication starts from the premise that although many European governments have taken over a discourse in line with the Green New Deal, there is long way to go to turn commendable political discourse into concrete political action. In this sense, the publication looks at key questions that need to be tackled in order to allow for a sustainable transformation of Europe’s economies.
Which sectors would drive the transformation and which sectors would be in most need of reform? Which transversal issues, such as gender relations or education, would have to be addressed as part of this transformation? These are questions that this publication deals with in detail. The aim is to highlight that there is an enormous latent potential to build a better future, which is not achieved due to unambitious policies within the European Union – at the national as well as the European level.
The Green New Deal rests on three pillars: the first is the re-regulation of unfettered financial markets to avoid the creation of another speculative bubble. The second pillar is the ecological and social transformation of our society through investment in climate protection and education, but also by an ecological industrial policy. The third pillar is the renewal of social balance between the North and South and between the rich and poor in the developed world.
GEF offers here a Russian translation of the book, which has been authored by German Green MEPs Reinhard Bütikofer and Sven Giegold (further details are available here).
EU regional policy continues to be based solely on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each region. As is now accepted by many, there are serious flaws with the concept of GDP, such as its emphasis on economic production over other factors such as social equality. However, how else can regional policy be decided, if not by the GDP of each region?
This publication comes to the conclusion that the usefulness of GDP means it will continue to play a major role in shaping EU regional policy. However, its shortcomings can be compensated for by taking into account other factors, such as health and social cohesion.
As the European Commission prepares to review regional policy for the 2014-2020 period, this publication makes the case for a more nuanced regional policy that ensures European money is put to the best possible use.
The economic turmoil and the financial crisis faced by most of the European Union Member States can represent an opportunity to address the needs of the time by embarking on the ecological transformation of current production and consumption models in our societies. This transformation of the economy will entail a transformation of Europe’s employment strategies. Many of the jobs, which are likely to be in demand in the future, may involve tasks and require abilities different from those being demanded today. This is why we have to discuss the needed changes to the labour force and to analyse the prerequisites for the creation of green jobs, as well as the characteristics of these jobs.
The Green European Foundation (GEF) has been working extensively for the past three years on a Green New Deal for Europe – a comprehensive response to the current economic, financial, social and environmental crisis. The Green New Deal puts forward a set of reforms at micro- and macro-economic levels aimed at ensuring high levels of prosperity and well-being. The creation of decent employment and re-thinking the role work plays in our societies are central parts of this response, and thus need to be thoroughly addressed. This is how the project, “Green Jobs from a Small State Perspective”, developed by GEF with the support of Ceratonia Foundation in Malta, came about.
The current collection of articles focuses on the Europe 2020 Strategy to create new skills and employment opportunities and its relevance for Malta, as one of the smallest Member States of the EU. As reforming the labour market, as well as creating new green jobs, is a resource intensive process, Malta was chosen as an example of a small state without extensive financial or natural resources that would facilitate this transformation. We find it a worthwhile case study that constitutes an example for other Member States.
There are numerous reasons to assess “work” in the context of the Green New Deal. Clearly, a central goal of the sustainable transformation of our economy is to create quality green jobs. However, if we want to ensure prosperity and a decent quality of life for all, within the physical limits of our planet, old recipes will not work.
Working time could play an important role in the system change that is required. Working less is likely to improve the quality of life for all, ensuring a better balance between work and leisure or family time. By giving priority to free time over productivity and consumerism, a collective reduction of working time could promote more sustainable consumption patterns, increase community involvement, and achieve a better distribution of roles between women and men.
This publication addresses the multiple issues that are involved when considering changes to working times. It also looks at some of the challenges when considering this policy instrument. For example, what vocational training is needed to avoid skill shortage; how to finance such changes; and how flexibility should be organised at the micro and macro level in order to ensure collective as well as individual benefits? This publication aims to start a debate on what changes should be introduced to working time in Europe.
Read the publication in English here.
Read the publication in German here.
Read the publication in French here.
The need to invest in a Green New Deal – a transformation to a more equitable and sustainable economy – is now more clear than ever. The current economic crisis is the result of short-term thinking and speculative investments, which have directly contributed to creating an unequal society and environmental harm.
The Green New Deal is a stark contrast to this. It is an essential change that will create an economy fit for today and for future generations. However, such a transformation will not come cheap. This report estimates that investment amounting to 3% of GDP per annum is required.
Given the state of many national budgets, it may not be possible for this investment to come directly from public funds. This report therefore examines how public and private capital can be leveraged to make the necessary investment in a Green New Deal.
Learn more about the Green New Deal at www.greennewdeal.eu.
A bio-economy is an economy that moves away from a damaging reliance on fossil fuels and instead is based on the sustainable use of natural resources. The concept is one that is growing in popularity, but it has also suffered setbacks, such as the continued controversy over the use of biofuels.
This publication is a response to the recent debate over the potential of a bio-economy. Green MEP Bas Eickhout outlines the history, the different types of bio-economy other than energy, and some of the concrete steps that the EU can take to develop a sustainable, just and regional bio-economy.
The study suggests that low growth rates are likely and that there is even fundamental uncertainty about future growth prospects. The challenge for European citizens and politicians is to accept this uncertainty and to create a society that frees itself from the shackles of looking at growth on its own – a society which focuses on other ways to ensure wellbeing and prosperity. This is what the study calls a “post-growth society”.
The key for the future is to develop a collective proposal in which the economy and society would no longer be dependent on the need for a sustained increase in GDP. Growth in GDP depends on many factors, including the extraction and use of many natural resources (e.g. oil, coal or gas). A big challenge for Europe and the world is the rapid depletion of available stocks of such resources.
Under pessimistic but plausible assumptions for the coming decades (concerning energy resources, the cost of renewable energy or lifestyle changes), growth is likely to be significantly reduced. “In a nutshell, our analysis shows that it is not so much a society’s economic growth that matters for prosperity, but rather the economic and social regime that creates more or less prosperity”, conclude the authors.
The so-called ‘carbon bubble’ – which refers to the overvaluation of oil, gas and coal mining companies because of the need to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources – poses a growing risk to our economies.
If we want to have a chance to limit global warming below 2°C and therefore avoid harmful climate change, the amount of fossil fuels that can actually be burnt is limited, and the majority of fossil fuel reserves would become stranded assets. Today, private companies own about a 1/4 of fossil fuel reserves. If a large part of these reserves cannot be extracted, that reduces the valuation of these companies and their ability to repay their debt. The carbon bubble therefore poses serious risks to the financial sector, given the financial institutions´ large exposures to oil, gas and coal mining companies through equity, bond, and loan portfolios.
This publication is also available in German, which can be found here.
Six years after the global financial, economic and debt crisis, Europe is still struggling with the consequences and trying to improve its economic situation. The relatively good position of the Federal Republic of Germany is the exception in a generally crisis-ridden environment. The devastating effects of the financial crisis of 2008 -2009 and the recession that followed have yet to be fully overcome. The aggressive monetary policy of the European Central Bank may have relieved the financial crisis but it has not boosted the real economy. The risks of deflation are now being discussed in view of the policy of low interest rates followed by the ECB.
At the same time, we are faced with the challenge of hastening the convergence of economics and ecology. Climate change and the crisis facing the world’s ecology demand an urgent shift away from an economic system that is based on the ruthless exploitation of natural resources. The European Union cannot resolve its financial and social crisis without economic growth. However, the old economic model is not viable for the future because it leads us deeper into crisis. The way out of this dilemma is a new, sustainable model for growth based on renewable energy, a high degree of resource efficiency and re-utilisation of valuable raw materials. This is, in fact, a green industrial revolution – no more, no less – which will dramatically reduce depletion of the environment and also lead to a new boom in green technologies, products and jobs. This requires innovation and investment on a large scale.
Expert Symposium: Financing the Green Transformation (Berlin, May 2014)
Concepts for an ecological orientation to European economic and financial policies were the focus of a conference held in Berlin at the beginning of May 2014 and organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Green European Foundation and the German Trade Union Federation (DGB). The key question was how to finance extensive modernisation of the economy in Europe according to ecological considerations. This requires re-regulation of the financial sector, which would lead to greater alignment with the real economy, and would offer sustained investment opportunities for private investors.
Europe has the opportunity to make ecological re-orientation the springboard for new creation of value. This requires steering capital flow that is searching for investment opportunities into areas suitable for investment. Solutions that satisfy these criteria are sustainable in two ways: from an ecological point of view, and from the point of view of a stable financial and economic system.
Key contributions to the publication
This publication is a collection of articles from participants at this conference as well as from other authors. In his introductory article, Gerhard Schick illustrates the connection between a greater focus of the financial world on the real economy and financing a green transformation; he then names the most important areas to promote green investment. Simon Wolf then raises the question of whether we need a policy for the financial sector even more than before, in view of the investment required for this green transformation, or whether green investments would flow automatically if we improved the general conditions for ecological economic activity.
The next four contributions primarily address the problems of financing the real economy in Europe. Thierry Philipponnat warns against a hasty reversion to more capital market financing as a response to a lack of bank lending; instead, the banking sector should be geared more towards the needs of the real economy. Andreas Botsch sees the main problem as being the paradox of savings and the drop in investment rates, and proposes the formation of a private equity fund that could be used to finance this ecological transformation. Benoît Lallemand explains why breaking up the large banks would have a positive effect on financing opportunities for both small and large companies and why the resulting financial system would also favour ecological projects. For Reinhard Bütikofer, the decisive key factor for economic recovery in Europe lies in a renaissance and eco-orientation of industry and he investigates financing opportunities beyond the banking sector.
The remaining articles discuss how to encourage green investment. In his interview, Karsten Löffler advocates green mainstreaming in the financial sector instead of promoting individual projects. Stanislas Dupré and Jakob Thomä identify three promising initiatives to dismantle the obstacles in the financial sector to reducing the carbon footprint of the economy. Mehrdad Payandeh explains his proposal for a European Marshall Plan which combines public investment and private investment to secure ecological modernisation. Ana Belén Sánchez analyses the current status of ecological transformation in Spain and the challenges of how to finance it. The contributions of Claudia Kemfert and Dorothea Schäfer, as well as Silvia Kreibiehl and Ulf Moslener, use the example of the energy transition in Germany to examine the question of how more private capital, especially from large institutional investors, can drive the transition of energy systems. Finally, Philippe Lamberts takes a look at the previous and future role of the European Parliament in promoting a green transformation.
The German version of the publication has been published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Read the German version here.
In 2015, John Hilary, the Executive Director of War on Want, an anti-war UK based charity, published a revised version of a TTIP dossier, The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: A Charter for Deregulation, an Attack On Jobs, an End to Democracy.
Now, GEF has translated the publication into Romanian! The dossier can be available to read here.
This publication is the first paper in a series of three papers, available in French and Spanish.
The second paper, “The Corporatist Economy and the Nanny State”, was published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and GEF in September 2015, is available here.
The third paper, “Beyond the Corporatist Economy: Impulses for a Green Economic Policy”, was published by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and GEF in September 2015, is available in English and Spanish.
