EESC Sustainable Development

🌍Global biodiversity goals need local action. Last night at #COP17, our EESC-CoR side event convened civil society, regions and biodiversity actors to discuss how to turn ambitions into results on the ground. 🔑The key? Investment, participation and local solutions.

Our EESC delegation to #COP17 is on the way to Yerevan! Meet: ▪️EESC Member Arnaud Schwartz ▪️Youth delegate to COP Axel Eriksson They will be in Armenia to push for a stronger role for civil society and youth in transforming global biodiversity commitments into action.

🛜 Digital services, but poor connection. 🚗 Transport policy, but no alternative to the car. Where you live changes how policies work for you. @eesc.bsky.social member Kerli Ats brought that message to last week's #RuralTransitionLabs event in a discussion on a fair rural transition.

🌍 This afternoon at the #EESCPlenary our opinion on the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System will be debated and put to a vote. 🗳️ A timely and important discussion on a topic high on Europe’s agenda! Watch the debate live (after 17:00): 👉 link.europa.eu/3DYXbv #EUETS #CarbonPricing

For resilient food systems, we need everyone at the table. 🤝Farmers. Workers. Businesses. Consumers. Communities. Local authorities. On #WorldFoodDay, we highlight the role of civil society in shaping sustainable food systems and advancing the #SDGs.

🌾How can we reward farmers for delivering healthier soils and greater biodiversity? At the @euractiv.com debate, Joe Healy presented the @eesc.bsky.social's approach to regenerative agriculture: support farmers through the transition & recognise measurable environmental improvements.

Rural proofing starts with a voice in the room. Our member Kerli Ats brought organised civil society’s perspective to the #RuralCivilDialogue. 🏛️A high-level discussion with top policymakers and civil society representatives, on reconnecting EU policy to rural realities.

📢 @eesc.bsky.social NAT section member Nicoletta Merlo presenting today at the #WorldFoodForum in Rome, Italy 🔸the goals and achievements of the EESC Youth Group 🔸the key messages of the opinion on the Generational renewal strategy #WFF

⚖️How can empowering women farmers build more resilient agrifood systems? At #CFS54, @eesc.bsky.social member Maria Nikolopoulou will discuss turning commitments into action at a side event 🗓️ 21.10.2026 | 8:30 am CET ⏲️ Austria room, FAO Rome + online

"How will this policy affect people in rural areas?" This is the question we want policymakers to ask from the start. 📍At the 6th Croatian Rural Parliament, our member Lidija Pavić-Rogošić presented why.

📺 Watch the @eesc.bsky.social NAT section meeting live: link.europa.eu/wbP87j 🌍 Climate. Food. Oceans. Farming. One sustainable future! Today at the @nat-eesc.bsky.social section meeting the civil society brings real-world solutions into EU policymaking.

🥕The #RightToFood is about more than hunger. It means access to affordable, high-quality, and sustainable food, in food systems that are fair and stable for people and producers alike. Follow our debate on Wed 8 Oct, 16:00-17:30, on turning concepts into practice.

👋This morning, Commissioner @wopkehoekstra.ec.europa.eu met youth organisations to discuss key climate policy priorities for young people in the run-up to #COP31Türkiye. 🌍Youth voices are key to ambitious and fair #ClimateAction. A video recording will be available soon, stay tuned!

🚨Faced with crisis, are our food systems resilient enough? Between wars, climate crises and trade disruptions, we must discuss how the EU can safeguard its agri-food supply chains and access to critical inputs Follow our hearing on Wed 7 Oct, 10:00-13:00, to learn how

Rapporteur of @eesc.bsky.social opinion on #CircularEconomyAct Cillian Lohan and the advisor Ladeja Godina Košir speaking at Circular.ie: Circularity Communicated Conference 2026 with @rediscoveryctr.bsky.social Check the quotes and link below👇

👋Commissioner @wopkehoekstra.ec.europa.eu hosts the Youth Policy Dialogue on #COP31 on 1 October, 9:00-10:30 CEST. 🎥Join the live webstream and hear young voices shaping the EU climate agenda ahead of #COP31Türkiye With @climateeurope.bsky.social @ec.europa.eu @youthforum.bsky.social

🔥Wildfires don’t stop at borders — and neither should solutions. The Iberian Congress in Ciudad Real united stakeholders from Spain and Portugal to talk about: 🔸The @eesc.bsky.social's wildfire opinion, with Luis Mira 🔸EESC priorities, with Josep Puxeu #Wildfires #Climate #CIAF26

🌍11 years ago today, the world adopted #Agenda2030 and the #SDGs. As 2030 nears, it’s time to look beyond. 📝We are starting work on a “By and Beyond 2030” opinion, asking what comes next and how we can keep #SustainableDevelopment at the heart of Europe’s future.

🌲🔥Rapporteur Luís Mira presented the EESC opinion on #WildFire risk management at the Coimbra Higher School of Agriculture. ☝️Prevention must come first - with stronger EU coordination, response, recovery and independent funding.

🕊️Simplification must not come at nature’s expense 🌳Our Member Arnaud Schwartz underlined at @ec.europa.eu's Reality Check event that we need more impact, not less ambition for the Birds & Habitats Directives. #Nature #Biodiversity

🌍Solutions for a nature-positive economy are already here ♻️At IUCN's Nature By Design, Ms. Murafa championed a circular, regenerative bioeconomy—rooted in a renewed relationship with nature and biodiversity, and powered by civil society #CircularEconomy #Biodiversity #COP17

🌱 @nat-eesc.bsky.social President Stoyan Tchoukanov reaffirmed at SafeHabitus event the @eesc.bsky.social’s call for action on generational renewal in agriculture: 🔹 stronger commitments 🔸a well-funded CAP 🔹guaranteed support for young farmers 🔸stronger tools for farm incomes and investment