(16 November 2016) – On November 8 and 9, representatives of seven ECOLISE member organisations attended a policy training event hosted by AEIDL in Brussels, which included meetings with senior EU politicians and officials who highlighted important opportunities for ECOLISE to contribute to EU climate policy making.
The training began with some introductory presentations from AEIDL staff on the EU policy making process, and policies and programmes of relevance to ECOLISE. Tony Long, the former Director of WWF Europe then provided some personal insights into EU policy making and strategies and approaches that ECOLISE could deploy to enhance its effectiveness.
The group then moved on to the Climate Action Directorate-General of the European Commission, where there was a presentation on practical tools for contributing to EU policy, followed by an open discussion, and finishing with an invitation to ECOLISE to submit views and opinions on the future EU strategy on climate action.
On the morning of the 9th, the group visited the European Parliament and met with MEP Benedek Javor. The final part of the training included a visit to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), where the group met with, among others, the President and Vice President of the EESC’s Sustainable Development Observatory.