Ursula von der leyen green deal

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Friday called for the creation of an African Green Deal which, like the European Green Deal, would be the “centrepiece” for Africa’s recovery.

Speaking in a recorded message at the opening session of the EU-Africa Forum on Green Investment in Africa, Ursula Von der Leyen called the European Green Deal the “new energy for growth and the centrepiece of recovery” of the European Union (EU).

As such, the leader of the EU executive believes that “the same can be true for Africa” through the creation of “an African Green Deal for a stronger and more prosperous Africa”.

“The green transition is not just a necessity to fight climate change. The green transition is the biggest economic opportunity of our times and can be the engine of our recovery, simultaneously in Europe and in Africa,” she stressed.

Von der Leyen gave the example of renewable energy which, “right now, is cheaper than most other energy sources and creates more jobs”, noting that, with the “right investment”, it could “drive Africa’s growing industry”.

“The potential of the green economy in Africa is huge: from waste management to climate-smart agriculture, green investment can fuel Africa’s recovery,” he continued.

Highlighting some “important initiatives” such as the African Alliance for the Circular Economy and the African Green Stimulus Programme, the president of the European Commission said she intends to discuss with African governments “how Europe can be Africa’s partner” in these projects.

In this sense, Von der Leyen addressed the joint work between the EU and the European Investment Bank that aims to “cover the risk of green investment in Africa, either by private investors or by governments of African countries.

She concluded her speech by stressing that “green investment is a common European and African interest” and it is now time “to discuss how to mobilise it further, especially ahead of COP26 [United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021] and the EU-Africa Summit”.

COP26 will be the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference and is scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 1 and 12 November 2021.

The date of the next summit between the African Union (AU) and the EU, meanwhile, since it was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, remains undecided.

Europe’s role in the transition to a green economy on the African continent is the theme of the EU-Africa Green Investment Forum, which today brings together European and African policymakers, private sector and civil society representatives.

The forum closes a month of dialogue between Europeans and Africans on sustainable development and green investment promoted by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU with the holding of 23 virtual conferences, called “Green Talks”, which started on 24 March from Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

The European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral in 2050.

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The European Green Deal

The Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen presented on 11 December 2019 the European Green Deal, a plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal is a new growth strategy to make the EU's economy sustainable and create sustainable industry and transport, without leaving anyone behind. A European Climate Law will have an aim to turn this political commitment into a legal obligation.

The Green Deal is a step towards a more holistic and integrated approach to address climate and environment-related challenges. It also attempts to mainstream environmental policy by bringing together, and improving, several existing policies, initiatives, and funding programmes dedicated to addressing sustainability and climate change.

Green Deal call for proposals

The European Commission has launched the Horizon 2020-funded European Green Deal Call which addresses the biggest climate issues and aims to protect the ecosystems and biodiversity. The call will also support the EU recovery by creating innovation opportunities to solve the ecological challenges.

The call tackles eight thematic and two horizontal areas. Due to the urgency of the current challenges, this Green Deal Call differs from previous Horizon 2020 calls: it aims for results in short period with a perspective of long-term impact. The actions focus on rapid scalability, dissemination and uptake.

As the Green Deal call is of interest to several ERRIN working groups, a project facilitation workshop has been organised on the Area 6: Farm to Fork. Following the growing interest, a space for expressions of interest in joining a consortium has been created and more similar events will be organised in the coming months.

Green Deal call for proposals - ERRIN noticeboard

Space for connecting members who are interested in applying for the Horizon 2020-funded European Green Deal Call.

The European Climate Pact

An opportunity that emerges from the Green Deal proposal is the European Climate Pact, which aims to engage citizens and communities in action for the climate and environment. The Commission will promote pledges (public commitments) and support initiatives with knowledge/capacity-building to raise awareness and build understanding of climate change. The European Climate Pact will be launched in November 2020.

The Pact offers a great opportunity to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the green transition embracing this ecosystem approach, which is close to the ecosystem thinking that ERRIN has been strongly advocating for in Horizon Europe: a multi-actor collaboration that would lead to a joint commitment towards decarbonisation. 

ERRIN has gathered inputs from members on their expectations towards the Climate Pact and developed a contribution proposal. The document has opened a dialogue on how ERRIN and the members can become an important partner in this initiative and led to an ongoing discussion on their active role.