Programme

16:30 Registration opens

 17:30 - 17:45 Opening remarks

• Evelyne Huytebroeck, EGP Committee Member, Brussels local councillor, former regional minister of environment, energy and urban renovation, Belgium (video)
• Arild Hermstad, Oslo vice-mayor, Co-Spokesperson for the Miljøpartiet De Grønne, Norway (video)

17:45 - 18:00 Keynote speech

18:00 - 19:15 Plenary Session "Cities for the future"

Climate change is the challenge of our time and requires brave and ambitious visions, concrete decisions and projects involving all citizens, young people, and economic and social partners across Europe.

How does the global climate march movement affect the visions and decisions of politicians in charge of key areas of transformation, ranging from urban planning and mobility to the energy transition?

At the same time, new technologies and other ways of communicating are becoming important tools for visualising urban transitions, and they can also encourage citizen participation in the project for a more sustainable city.

Changemakers will present their plans for the greener, more sustainable but also fair and inclusive transition of our cities.

Moderator: Evelyne Huytebroeck, EGP Committee Member, Brussels local councillor, former regional minister of environment, energy and urban renovation, Belgium

Speakers:

• Gunita Kulikovska, founder and CEO of VIVIDLY app, VR technologies for urban planning, Latvia (video)
• Penelope Lea, climate activist, Norway (video)
• Nicola da Schio, researcher in urban ecology at the VUB, Belgium (presentation) (video)

09:30 Registration opens

10:00 - 10:20 Keynote speech (room Hallen)

Une Aina Bastholm, Co-Spokesperson for the Miljøpartiet De Grønne, Member of Parliament, Norway (video)

10:20 - 12:00 Plenary Session "Green successes" (room Hallen)

Successful ideas, strategies and policies for green urban transformations relating to different policy areas for local governments will be shared by and discussed among local councillors and city officials from all over Europe.

Moderator: Michal Berg, EGP Committee Member, Czechia

Speakers:

• Benni Leemhuis, Groningen councillor, Netherlands (presentation, video)
• Claudia Niessen, Eupen mayor, Belgium (presentation) (video)
• Sanna Vesikansa, Helsinki deputy mayor, Finland (presentation) (video)

12:00 - 14:00 Interactive networking session and lunch (room Hallen)

Moderator: Michal Berg, EGP Committee Member, Czechia

14:00 - 15:30 Plenary Session "Communication strategies on green transformation in cities" (room Hallen)

Most Europeans are concerned about climate change and support action by their local, national and European governments. However, strategies used to communicate about green policies can greatly influence the level of support for these projects and citizen involvement. What are some of the Greens' best practices for communicating about green policies that have already been  implemented and how can they be improved?

Moderator: Saraswati Matthieu, Ghent Green Group leader, Belgium

Speakers:

• Hanna Marcussen, Oslo vice mayor, Norway (presentation) (video)
• Petr Lebeda, senior project manager for cities, Institute H21, Czechia (presentation) (video)
• Barbara Neuroth, deputy mayor of the 4th district in Vienna, Austria (presentation) (video)
• Gerhard Jordan, councillor of the 21st district in Vienna, Austria (presentation) (video)

15:30 - 16:00 Break

16:00 - 17:30 Parallel workshops

• Training: Campaigning & Apptivism (room Hallen) (video) (presentation)

• Training: Citizen platforms and local authorities (room Mezzaninen) 

• A charter for the Smart City by the Green European Foundation (room FormLab) 

17:30 - 17:45 Closing remarks (room Hallen)

Mar Garcia, EGP Secretary General, Spain (video)

19:00 Excursion to a car-free city centre with Hanna Marcussen, Oslo vice mayor, Norway