Reports
Urban Water Management
The workshop Urban Water Management – Challenges of Implementation was organised by Gothenburg European Office, EurEau and Svenskt Vatten during the EU Green Week 2021. It was held on the 2nd of June 2021 and explored the challenges faced by municipal water companies in implementing the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD). We considered how to revise the UWWTD to help meet the zero-pollution ambition and increase coherence of EU water policy.
Other topics of discussions explored the challenges relating to stormwater management – and how better coherence between these directives could ease implementation in cities.
EU Policy and Urban Water Management - Challenges of Implementation
Nature Pedagogics
The workshop Nature Pedagogics – Making the Green Deal Real by Starting Young was organised on the 2nd of June 2022 as an official partner event of the EU Green Week. It explored how the three Nordic cities of Lahti (Finland), Aalborg (Denmark), and Gothenburg (Sweden) use nature pedagogy to foster a better relationship between humans and nature from a young age.
Nature pedagogy - Making the Green Deal Real By Starting Young
Youth at Risk
One of the overall objectives of the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027) is “to encourage young people to become active citizens and actors of positive change”. To achieve this objective, new methods sensitive to the specific needs of youth at risk are required. The Youth at Risk - How to prevent criminal engagement and promote youth empowerment through the European Social Fund workshop was created with the aim of exploring the concept of youth empowerment where the target group specifies youths at risk. The focus was on the perspective of societal inclusion as empowerment, with the added benefit of preventing criminal engagement through such initiatives, and how the new European Social Fund (ESF+) can support projects targeting these individuals.
Nordic University Days 2022
Nordic University Days 2022 took place 26th – 27th of September in Brussels, following the successful first event in 2019 and under the presidency of Iceland of the Nordic university association. The overall aim of Nordic University Days 2022 was to raise awareness of Nordic universities’ positions on EU research and education policy agendas, to position Nordic universities in the context of the European Research Area and the European Educational Area and to showcase their strength in relation to policy agendas such as the green and digital transition, climate sciences and citizen science.
Summary report - Nordic University Days 2022
Local Actors Driving the Greening of VET
The Local Actors Driving the Greening of VET (Vocational Education and Training) seminar was organised on the 6th of June 2023, as an official partner event of EU Green Week. During the seminar, we discussed the lack of green skills in the work force, something that is vital, but often overlooked in the climate debate. This year, being the European Year of Skills, provided an opportune moment to highlight what skills are needed for the green transition, while also linking two of the key priorities for this European Commission (2019 – 2024) – A European Green Deal and An Economy that Works for the People.
Summary report - Local actors driving the greening of VET
An Ambitious EU Chemicals Strategy
The roundtable discussion was titled An Ambitious EU Chemicals Strategy and a Broad PFAS Restriction – a requisite for urban water resilience. It was held on the 4th of June 2024 and focused on upstream (control at source) measures, the Polluter Pays Principle, and a broad restriction on PFAS chemicals. We considered how ensuring an ambitious implementation of the EU Chemicals Strategy can help meet the zero-pollution ambition and increase coherence of EU water policy, whilst ensuring that we have enough safe and affordable water to fulfil all of society’s needs.
Summary report - An ambitious EU Chemicals Strategy
Nordic University Days 2024
Nordic University Days 2024 took place on 23–24 September in Brussels, following the successful first two events in 2019 and 2022. This year, the conference focused on four themes:possibilities for the next programming period, informing and developing knowledge among Nordic Rectors about EU policy and programmes for research, education and innovation, raising awareness about Nordic universities’ interests in future EU policies and programmes for research, education and innovation policies, and providing a platform for networking with EU- policy and decision-makers.
Summary report - Nordic University Days 2024
Innovative cities, circular solutions
This EU Green Week Partner Event, organised on 2 June 2025, aimed to explore how cities across Europe are addressing urban waste challenges through projects and initiatives focused on waste reduction, resource efficiency and the creation of sustainable urban environments. By highlighting practical, on-the-ground experiences, the event showcased how local efforts are driving the shift towards more circular practices and approaches. With the EU Circular Economy Act expected in 2026, the event also provided a timely opportunity to reflect on key challenges, exchange insights on advancing circularity in urban contexts, and discuss how local actions can inform and shape broader policy ambitions.
Event report - Innovative cities, circular solutions: Tackling urban waste challenges