Saturday, 4 June
10:00-11:30 (EEST)
Room: Lambda
Municipalities are often at the forefront of crisis and innovation, implementing measures that directly impact their citizens. The building and housing sector remains as one of the key areas which can both be shaped by local governments and is essential for a commitment to Greener and efficient energy future. With the aim of decarbonising current and future constructions, Green local councillors have been implementing climate-aware policies all throughout Europe.
This session will bring together local councillors and municipal representatives to share experiences and discuss concrete practices that can be implemented beyond national borders. The speakers will debate challenges faced and lessons learned in the path of creating a cleaner and more energy-efficient renovation and construction sector. The goal is for participants to draw inspiration from the practices and experiences and gather knowledge to apply to their local contexts.
Speakers:
 | Andrew Cooper, local councillor of Kirklees (UK) Andrew has been a Green Party Councillor since 1999 and has been re-elected 6 times. He was a member of the EU Committee of the Regions between 2015 and 2020 and developed the concept of Locally Determined Contributions which influenced the final statement at COP24 giving a greater role for local authorities. He initiated the UK's first first universally free insulation scheme in Kirklees which saw 40,000 homes insulated. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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 | Matthew Bach, Just Transition coordinator, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability Matthew leads efforts to foster a just transition in Europe at ICLEI – a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainability. He supports cities in integrating justice into their environmental policies and plans, and serves as EU Climate Pact Ambassador. Together with his team, he is working with cities to pilot Local Green Deal processes, and is developing a knowledge platform for sustainable and just cities. Matthew has over a decade of experience in sustainability governance and | |
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Fatim Diarra, Chair of the Helsinki City Council
Moderators:
 | Evelyne Huytebroeck, EGP co-chair She is a politician and a journalist born in 1958. She is member of the French-speaking Belgian Green Party ECOLO. She was a Member of the Brussels Parliament in 1989 - 2002 and in 2014 - 2019. In 2002 – 2004 she was President of ECOLO. In 2004 – 2014 she was Regional Minister of Environment, Energy, Social Affairs and Youth, as well as Vice-President of the Energy Cities network in 2010 - 2015. She is currently local councilor in Forest (Brussels municipality), President of the BRASS cultural centre and Chair of the Brussels Agency for Business Support. In November 2019 she was elected Co-chair of the European Green Party. | |
 | Michal Berg, Committee Member of the European Green Party Michal Berg is a former entrepreneur with a background in IT. He is a member of the committee of the European Green Party and since 2020 also co-chair of the Czech Greens. He has been a local councillor in his hometown of Vsetín since 2014. His topics on local level are climate, sustainable mobility, transparency of governance and youth participation. |
