Europa Nostra contributes to the EIB Board Seminar with Civil Society 2024 and meets high-level representatives of the EIB in Luxembourg
Europa Nostra joined more than 70 representatives from 50 civil society organisations who gathered at the European Investment Bank (EIB) headquarters in Luxembourg on 15 October for the EIB Board Seminar with Civil Society 2024. The Europa Nostra delegation included the Vice-President Guy Clausse, the Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, and the Heritage and Climate Action Advisor Andrew Potts.
The annual event is an opportunity for the EIB to listen to civil society. This year’s seminar focused on the theme “Overcoming the barriers to achieving a safe and sustainable future”. According to the EIB, the theme was selected to highlight the critical role it plays in supporting climate action and environmental sustainability worldwide.
Great exchange of views at the @EIB Board Seminar with Civil Society representatives.
Active engagement with key stakeholders is one of my top priorities during this first year on the job.
Your insights are vital to ensure that our projects are #MakingADifference on the ground. pic.twitter.com/r54TMjqE38
— Nadia Calviño (@NadiaCalvino) October 15, 2024
Both Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović and Andrew Potts intervened throughout the day on the need for the EIB to finance projects that incorporate culture-based climate action. Such projects could complement existing, high profile EIB initiatives aimed at supporting nature-based solutions for flood reduction, food and water security and climate adaptation.
Exchanges with high-level representatives from the EIB and its Institute
Europa Nostra representatives also had the opportunity to meet with the EIB President Nadia Calviño and to discuss with her the role of culture heritage. Fruitful discussions were also held during the seminar with the EIB Vice-Presidents Kyriacos Kakouris and Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle.
Excellent day in #Luxembourg at @EIB Annual Dialogue with #civilsociety: great opportunity for @europanostra as proud partner of @EIBINSTITUTE led by @sdustdar, to meet with President @NadiaCalvino, VP #AmbroiseFayolle & VP @KyriacosKa and discuss ways to intensify cooperation. pic.twitter.com/2ptnZNyadZ
— Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović (@SneskaEN) October 15, 2024
During these exchanges, parties expressed their appreciation and support for the partnership between the European Investment Bank Institute and Europa Nostra under the 7 Most Endangered Programme. The EIB Institute is the founding partner of the 7 Most Endangered Programme, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023.
The EIB Institute was represented at the 2024 seminar by its Director and Head, Shiva Dustdar. She took over at the EIB Institute in 2022, the first woman to lead this key pillar of the EIB Group’s community and citizens’ engagement. Europa Nostra representatives held a far ranging and warm dialogue with Shiva Dustdar in the margins of the seminar.
EIB Board Seminar with Civil Society 2024
The seminar’s morning programme included a session on “Supporting a new and sustainable green economy in the EU and beyond.” The session began with a keynote by Jos Delbeke, holder of the first EIB Chair on Climate Policy and International Carbon Markets at the European Institute Florence (EUI). Resulting discussions revealed a diversity of opinion about whether cultural heritage was predominately a barrier or an enabler of green transformation. These exchanges highlighted both the need for heritage advocates to continuously address the role of culture in climate action and also the value of their engaging in diverse forums such as the EIB seminar.
Credits: Europa Nostra
Later in the day, civil society organisations raised a number of important issues with Board members, including the European Investment Bank’s support in the areas of bioenergy production and financing for critical raw materials. Discussions included a focus on how the EIB implements and monitors its Environmental and Social Standards. Europa Nostra representatives stressed the need to examine sociocultural impacts.
A forthcoming revision of the EIB Group Climate Bank Roadmap (2021-2025) may provide an opportunity to advance many of these discussions.
Representatives from a very large mix of civil society organisations with diverse interests, including international and local NGOs, think tanks, research and academic institutions and trade unions contributed to the discussions. This seminar is a key pillar of the Bank’s stakeholder engagement and the only forum where the Board of Directors meets with external stakeholders.
