Our environment forum supports cities in their efforts to bring about a better environment and work towards achieving sustainable development by sharing knowledge and expertise

Forum activities

1. EU policy

Working within our environment forum, our members are formulating practical and innovative ways to integrate environmental considerations into local decision making and urban planning processes.

Our environment forum also works with the EU institutions and national governments to ensure that European environmental legislation and programmes can be implemented successfully at local level, in order to both improve the urban environment and protect the global environment.

The forum targetes mainly EU institutions through position papers, statements and lobbying letters, as well as individual meetings, participation in events and more.

The main policy issues in which the EEF is involved are:

• EU air quality policy review
• EU Clean Energy Union package (including e.g. Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive, Renewable Energy Directive, waste-to-energy, eco-design)
• EU waste policy review and circular economy package
• EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and Habitat and Birds Directives
• EU measures on environmental noise, including the REFIT of the Environmental Noise Directive
• EU water policy review, including the revision of the Drinking Water Directive
• Smart Cities (in cooperation with the EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum)
• Urban agenda: five of 12 topics are related to the environment

2. Membership and networking

With a view to increase geographical balance, the EEF will further intensify its efforts to involve Southern and Eastern European cities more. This will include efforts to increase synergies between EU-funded project work, the forum and its working groups.
We will continue to act in partnership with a range of stakeholders, such as public authorities, environmental agencies, NGOs and civil society, as well as private companies and academia.
 

3. Connecting with projects

The EEF is involved in various EUROCITIES project activities, such as the New Integrated Covenant of Mayors on Climate and Energy, GuiDanCe and the Green Digital Charter. The EUROCITIES projects team also monitors relevant EU funding calls and provides members with funding forecasts, funding briefs and opportunities to find project partners.

Read more.

 

2019 priorities:

1.Sustainable, affordable energy

• Continued advocacy work on relevant Energy Union policy initiatives
• Exchanging good practices on local actions for energy that is sustainable (low greenhouse gas emissions, low or no air pollution, sustainable energy sources) and affordable energy (to mitigate energy poverty).

2. Clean air 

• Continued advocacy work on relevant air quality EU related initiatives, including emission standards and type approval
• Exchanging good practices on local actions air quality measures such as low emission zones and innovative transport solutions 

3. Circular economy

• Continue advocacy work on the circular economy package.
• Exchanging good practices on local circular economy actions, including waste management and improvements on products, such as reuse facilitation, repair cafés, etc.

4. Healthy, green city

Exchanging of good practices on:

• water related issues such as water scarcity (including potential advocacy work as a result of the revision of the Drinking Water Directive), climate change adaptation, micro pollutants and plastics
• green, nature-based urban solutions including biodiversity,
• noise related issues.

Forum meetings 2019

3-5 April 2019: Genoa (Italy)

23-25 October 2019: Oslo (Norway)