The economic crisis generated by the COVID19 is affecting the planet as a whole, with impacts on the economies of countries and cities. On this context, the European programme IUC – International Urban Cooperation is organizing a series of debates between international institutions and cities at both sides of Atlantic Ocean but with common interest in order to exchange, share and joint looking for solutions and new working lines. An example of cooperation at local level in which Eixo Atlantico takes part.
Currently, our economy that is strongly based on consumption, leads to high levels of use of natural resources, based on fossil fuels and generating high levels of CO2 emissions. This disruptive event comes at a time when in the European Union new environmental policies are underway that aim at the transition to a more sustainable economy. The Green Deal aims to transform Europe and accelerate the transition to a “clean” and circular economy, climate neutral.
Will economic recovery be an opportunity to rethink the prosperity model and build an economy around ecological principles? Can we accelerate the energy transition, increasing the efficiency of consumption and production from renewable sources? And how can we consolidate the circular economy as an alternative to the traditional model of linear economy of manufacture, use and rejection?
Eixo Atlantico, leader of EURE project will take part in this interesting debate in the figure of the Mayor of Viana do Castelo, Mr. José María Costa.
