The conference organised by the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) Civil Society Organisations՚ Group in the University College Cork, 30 June 2026.
Report to the Board and Members of Zero Waste Alliance Ireland.
Introduction
On 30 June 2026, the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) Civil Society Organisations՚ Group hosted a high-level conference in University College Cork, in preparation for the forthcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The conference was attended by ZWAI members Olena Larionova and Janine Boscheinen, and was also attended remotely (online) by Jack O’Sullivan.
At a time when the EU’s sustainability policies are facing increasing pressure from several directions, the role of civil society has never been more vital. Hard-won commitments on environmental protection, the Nature Restoration Regulation, climate justice, societal resilience and other sustainability aspects risk being diluted or weakened at a time when they are most urgently needed.
In these complex and uncertain geopolitical times, Europe must strengthen its strategic autonomy and reduce its energy dependence on fossil fuels in order to achieve progress on its sustainability and social objectives under the EU Treaties. One of the best ways to achieve these aims is to invest wisely, massively and consistently in the energy transition and in a social and environmentally sustainable pathway. Civil society organisations (CSOs) and local communities are best placed to drive this change for the long term.
Civil society organisations, rooted in communities and guided by shared values rather than short-term interests, are uniquely placed to defend these ambitions and to reinvigorate the sustainability agenda with credibility, innovation and public trust beyond 2030. In addition to influencing policy, CSOs are best positioned to play a crucial role in fostering public acceptance, implementing policies and supporting personal well‑being, strengthening social cohesion and empowering people to shape their own futures.
The conference addressed the role of CSOs in advancing the sustainability agenda and the pivotal role of (local) communities in the endeavour to make European societies greener and more resilient.
Programme
The conference was opened by Professor John O’Halloran, President of University College Cork (UCC), who welcomed the participants and highlighted the university’s commitment to addressing global sustainability challenges through research, education and engagement with local communities.
He informed us that the University is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and becoming zero-waste certified by 2030. Through research and education, UCC is focused on addressing the most pressing global sustainability challenges and on working with communities and stakeholders to help shape a more resilient and sustainable society.
John O’Halloran said that UCC is honoured to host this prestigious event, and to welcome partners from across Europe to engage in these important discussions. He spoke about George Boole, professor of mathematics at the university, originator of boolean algebra, which provided a form of logic on which all present-day computers are based. George Boole’s wife was Mary Everest Boole (Mount Everest was named after a member of her family !); she was also a mathematician, and their youngest daughter, Ethel Lilian Voynich, was a novelist, a musician, and a supporter of several revolutionary causes. She is best known for her novel “The Gadfly”, which became hugely popular in her lifetime, especially in Russia, as Ethel was well known in Russian émigré circles. It was therefore most appropriate that this meeting was being held in the “Boole Room”.
2.1 Session 1 – The strength of the EU’s sustainability agenda and its future
The first guest speaker was Mr Christopher O’Sullivan, Irish Minister of State for Biodiversity, who stressed the importance of funding for nature conservation and restoration, starting with nature restoration activities on public land, and supporting people to restore nature. He spoke about how consensus had been achieved by a very thorough and detailed stakeholder engagement, which included a nationwide public consultation process. He said that a bottom-up approach works best, and that Governments must listen to Civil Society.
He also said that continuing to secure funding for the LIFE programme is one of the most important actions we can take to protect the environment, and this level of funding from the EU budget must be maintained, despite attempts being made to reduce it.
Christopher O’Sullivan said that one of his aims as Minister was to ensure that Ireland is well prepared to implement the EU Nature Restoration Law. He said that “Delivering on the Nature Restoration Law is my top priority as Minister for Nature. I am currently working with colleagues across Government to put the necessary resources and support in place so that Ireland is ready to grasp this once-in-a-generation opportunity and ensure we can all share in the benefits of a healthy, thriving natural environment”.
He referred to the work of the Independent Advisory Committee, set up to advise the Government on how to best implement a Nature Restoration Law in Ireland, and this committee had made three priority recommendations, fundamental to the success of the Nature Restoration Plan, and these are:
1. To fund nature restoration;
2. To restore nature on public lands as a priority; and,
3. To support farmers, fishermen and foresters.
Most importantly, local communities throughout Ireland should be enabled to use their own resources and knowledge to restore nature.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––
After the Minister had addressed the conference, Mr Cillian Lohan, President of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), spoke about how he felt privileged to be a student at UCC, at a time when very few Irish families could afford to send their sons or daughters to university.
Civil Society, he said, is also in a position of privilege, a situation which we should use to help nature and the environment. Achieving consensus is the way Civil Society Organisations operate – consensus is in their DNA ! Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are making strong connections back to communities all across Europe – from Larnaca to Cork, via Brussels ! And we are now preparing for the first meeting of the European Council under the Irish Presidency – and this meeting will be held in Cork tomorrow !
Cillian Lohan said that the task of establishing a Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform was greatly helped by the strong support given by Frans Timmermans when he was an EU Commissioner.
The speed of climate change is far ahead of what has been predicted in the climate models, and a review by the European Commission (or was this by the European Environmental Agency ?) a few years ago found that Europe will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He also reaffirmed the Group’s longstanding commitment to sustainable development and called for renewed ambition as Europe looks beyond the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He stressed that sustainability remains essential not only for environmental protection, but also for economic prosperity, democratic resilience and strategic autonomy. Public engagement and countering negative narratives on the energy transition are key.
Next year in Vienna there will be meetings about the current SDGs and he hopes that the Civil Society Organisations’ Group would be able to participate.
Cillian Lohan spoke about how the European Green Deal and the current Nature Restoration Regulation had been attacked and misrepresented, and a flood of disinformation promoted by some actors was being used by them in their attempts to weaken the legislation. We have to push back strongly against these attacks, and show that the Green Deal, the LIFE programme were essential to ensure the protection of the natural environment.
“It is okay to not reach all the targets, but it is not okay to lose them”, he said, emphasising that reaching goals can be hard but worth fighting for. He said that “The aim of this conference was to give fresh momentum to the European sustainable development agenda – at a time when sustainability policy is coming under increasing pressure, despite being urgently needed. Our event also highlighted the role of local communities and civil society organisations in designing, implementing, and monitoring sustainability measures that make our communities more resilient”.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The second guest speaker was Mr Frans Timmermans, former Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, and one of the architects of the European Green Deal. His keynote speech was the highlight of the conference – he presented sustainability as far more than an environmental objective, describing it instead as a comprehensive strategy for Europe’s future prosperity, resilience and security. One of his other powerful messages was that the European Green Deal is also a freedom and security agenda.
Referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Frans Timmermans explained that Europe’s dependence on imported fossil fuels has created strategic vulnerabilities. He argued that accelerating renewable energy, energy efficiency and circular resource use is essential not only for achieving climate targets but also for strengthening Europe’s sovereignty, reducing dependence on authoritarian regimes and protecting democratic values.
Two of the authors of this report, one of whom is Ukrainian and other an active supporter of Ukraine’s fight to retain European democratic values against continuing attacks by a hostile autocratic State, found that this perspective was particularly meaningful and important. Russia’s war on Ukraine, including the physical military campaign in Ukraine itself, the attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the widespread disinformation war being waged by Russia against Europe as a whole, have clearly demonstrated that energy security, climate policy and geopolitical stability are deeply interconnected. Europe’s transition towards sustainable energy systems therefore represents both an environmental necessity and an investment in long-term peace, resilience and independence.
Another key theme of the address by Frans Timmermans was the importance of maintaining public trust throughout the transition, and he stressed that climate policy can succeed only if it is embedded in social policy. Citizens must experience tangible benefits through lower energy costs, improved housing, healthier communities and greater economic opportunities. Without social justice, climate policies risk losing public support.
Frans Timmermans also emphasised that civil society was instrumental in making the European Green Deal possible. Youth movements, local organisations, NGOs and engaged communities created the political momentum that enabled ambitious European climate legislation; and he specially mentioned the “Fridays for Future” movement, started by school students who protested every Friday; and this “school-strike movement became worldwide. He warned that weakening civil society ultimately weakens democracy itself, and therefore ensuring a high level of continued civic participation is essential for Europe’s future.
At some point in the recent past, political sentiment changed, and he suggested that the principal catalysts for this change were the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Before that time, we had a broad majority in the European Parliament; only the extreme right were against the Green Deal, and they tried to portray it as elitist. To some extent there was an element of truth in this, as the Green Deal gave the greatest financial support to those persons with the biggest carbon footprint, helping them to reduce their carbon emissions. But it did not help those who could not afford electric vehicles or other ways of eliminating fossil fuels from their lives.
Currently there is a group of MEPs in the Parliament who oppose the current programmes which are intended to move the EU towards more sustainability. There is also an ongoing backlash against supporting NGOs or funding programmes such as the EU LIFE programme. Worldwide, there is a move towards authoritarianism, and we have to make sure that this does not happen to us in Europe – democracy itself is at stake.
If we want to resolve social housing, look at what is being done in Austria.
Energy and climate also featured strongly in Frans Timmermans’ speech. He reminded us that for the last 12,000 years, global temperature has averaged 14 degrees C, but now we are at plus 1.5 deg. C, and heading quickly towards an increase of 2.0 deg. C, putting approximately 1 billion people at risk. Will they stay where they are? No!
Currently, we depend on traditional forms of national electricity grids which are not appropriate; to replace them we need small local community grids, empowering people to connect to each other. If we want people to take their future energy into their own hands we have to give them agency, and this is best achieved by ensuring that the opportunity exists to enable groups of people to interconnect with each other, so as to exchange electrical energy.
The European Nature Restoration Regulation, and the wider theme of nature restoration itself, also featured prominently throughout Frans Timmermans’ uplifting presentation. He described biodiversity protection as an investment rather than a cost, explaining that healthy ecosystems improve food security, climate resilience and public health, while supporting local economies.
Finally, he encouraged communities to become active participants in Europe’s energy transition through local energy cooperatives, renewable energy projects and stronger community engagement, giving citizens greater ownership over their energy future.
In response to questions after his address, Frans Timmermans said that the Green Deal, which was made seven years ago in 2019, should be seen as a product of its time, and he agreed that it needed improvement and a different approach now. While the Green Deal was a huge success, it had the defect of mainly strengthening and improving the lives of only those people who already were in powerful positions and were upper class. It must now be stated that it lacked the right measurements and tools to improve and secure the lives of the people on low incomes who are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. He emphasised that the Social Climate Fund, which was designed and intended to help make the green transition fair and inclusive, must support the European Green Deal. He said that the Social Climate Fund should support vulnerable people and small businesses who are most affected by rising energy and transport costs, as Europe moves towards climate neutrality. The fund aims to ensure that no one is left behind in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
In response to a question about the Social Climate Fund, Frans Timmermans said that, in his opinion, it is much too small. He added that we are very good in the EU to create new priorities, but too slow to take away old priorities; and the example he gave was how farmers in Europe are still strongly supporting and fighting for agricultural policies which benefit only the agro-chemical companies and not the farmers themselves.
He also pointed out that revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in Europe are huge (ETS-1 and ETS-2), but we do not know where and how the Member States are spending this money. In his view, 100% of this entire revenue stream should be spent on housing.
He was also asked how NGOs should exercise their lobbying power, to which he responded that becoming involved with local government is one of the key actions which they could take; and he said that with local knowledge, local communities have the strength to influence the bigger political parties. Local government should be empowered, and should become trusted. He added the advice: “NGO’s please don’t give up! Your voices are heard”.
In the current economic system, capital earns more than labour, and this has to change. There is also a huge inequality between industry and NGOs – industry has millions of Euro to spend on lobbying, while NGOs are funded to a minimal extent.
Currently there is a deregulation agenda which is threatening most current EU Directives and Regulations for sustainability. The “Omnibus Package” approach is a dangerous path, and he argued that cutting environmental protection is not a solution; and he asked: “What are we defending if we cut social funds?”. He ended his speech by pointing out that when Ukraine joins the EU, there will be no food insecurity, as this country could feed all EU member states.
2.2 Session 2 – Panel discussion: Civil society at the steering wheel of the sustainability agenda
The panel discussion entitled “Civil society at the steering wheel of the sustainability agenda” brought together experts from the fields of sustainable development, public health, youth engagement and environmental advocacy to explore how civil society organisations can continue to contribute to EU policymaking and implementation.
The discussion was moderated by Ms Anna Schoemakers, Member of the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group.
Mr Enrico Giovannini, Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) spoke in a video message.
Ms Mary Codd, President of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) stated that climate health, planetary health and global health should be considered as a single health issue, and she referred to the Columbia University One Health programme which she described as a collaborative, transdisciplinary, and multisectoral approach which acknowledges the connection between the health of animals, people and the environment.
She said that we need a similar integrated, unifying approach which can sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems, while recognising that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent. But, she pointed out, humans are decision-makers; and it is human activity which has changed land use to such a great extent.
She added that, during the Covid-10 pandemic, local communities helped with contact tracing, and many people volunteered to help at vaccination centres.
Ms Diandra Ní Bhuachalla, EESC Youth Delegate to COP 2023-2024, said that when we think about Civil Society, we think about people and about power. The role of Civil Society is becoming increasingly important, and Civil Society represents all of us. “Fridays for Future” brought us hope; young people are constantly trying to figure things out. Informal conversations are important. There are so many interconnections and cross-overs which can help us move from consultation to co-creation, to a future where we can have the peace which we need and want.
Ms Karen Ciesielski, CEO of the Irish Environmental Network, of which Zero Waste Alliance Ireland is a member, highlighted the indispensable role of civil society organisations in connecting citizens and policymakers. She said that “We bring local knowledge, practical experience and public trust into conversations that can otherwise feel remote or technical. We help connect communities to decision-making and keep long-term environmental and sustainable development goals in view, even when the political climate is difficult. In order to have strong civil society networks and institutions, we need them to be sufficiently funded and supported, with clear pathways for engaging with decision-makers”.
She said that Civil Society organisations can act as a bridge between people and policymakers. In Ireland, we have developed through the Citizens’ Assembly a type of deliberative democracy. The first Citizens’ Assembly on biodiversity produced 159 recommendations which had the potential to dramatically transform Ireland’s relationship with the natural environment.
In the European Parliament’s pivotal vote on the Nature Restoration Law, in February 2024, 11 of Ireland’s 13 MEPs voted in favour of the legislation. Only two Irish MEPs voted against it.
Karen Ciesielski also referred to the report of the Independent Advisory Committee (also mentioned by Christopher O’Sullivan), set up to provide advice to the Government on the development of Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan’ (NRP). The report provided 46 policy recommendations and 48 article-specific recommendations; and the process of consultation also involved NGOs (including the Irish Environmental Network) taking part in a dialogue with the Government agencies. This collaborative approach worked.
She said that the principal problems encountered were the lack of funding for environmental NGOs and the attacks made on Civil Society organisations by powerful and well-funded industry lobbyists.
2.3 Session 3 – Q&A
The Q & A session generated a wide range of questions, including some raised by the ZWAI members present.
The first intervention came from one of the international representatives present, who said that he had met with the Irish Environmental Forum, and he learned that there is ‘something rotten in the State of Emerald”, with 14 legal cases against Ireland in the Court of Justice of the EU.
Karen Ciesielski agreed that this was an unfortunate reality, there were too many infringement cases against Ireland, and she felt that this was due to poor enforcement and lack of resources, and that Ireland relies too much on the EU for ensuring compliance with the law.
Mary Codd added that it was very difficult to get evidence embedded in policy – policy changes don’t happen even if good evidence of the need for a change is presented. To achieve any kind of a change in policy takes consistency, courage, endless patience and determination. She said that it can take 12 – 14 years to get a policy changed. For example, the ban on smoking in public places, for which Ireland was a leading advocate and the first European country to implement such a ban, took 13 years of effort against the lobbying by the tobacco industry !
Another questioner reminded the meeting that the Green Deal was driven and made possible by the “School Strikes” which Frans Timmermans had mentioned earlier; but now she was concerned that many young people were voting for a “strong leader” and moving towards right-wing political views.
Diandra Ní Bhuachalla said that she had spoken with many young people at COP28; the message they gave her was that they wanted to be seen as professionals, and the European Youth Forum wanted their voices to be heard.
Brian Ó Gallachóir, Associate Vice President of Sustainability and Director of the Sustainability Institute at UCC, asked what should be the role of the universities, to which Diandra Ní Bhuachalla responded that that Civil Society organisations need to have data which they can use, which can be measured, and research in universities to produce this type of data is very important. However, the research needs to be more cross-cutting and intersectional.
Karen Ciesielski agreed that research was essential, Civil Society organisations, especially environmental NGOs, rely heavily on evidence, especially peer-reviewed research reports, to make a case for policy changes; and Mary Codd added that universities have a responsibility to reach out to Civil Society.
Olena Larionova (Zero Waste Alliance Ireland) contributed to the discussion by presenting the hemp economy as a practical pathway towards achieving Europe’s sustainability, climate and resilience objectives. Building on the conference themes of freedom, strategic autonomy and circularity, she outlined how industrial hemp offers an integrated solution that simultaneously addresses climate change, sustainable construction, regenerative agriculture and rural development.
She highlighted that hemp-based construction materials such as hempcrete provide carbon storage throughout a building’s lifecycle while supporting healthier indoor environments and reducing emissions from the construction sector. Beyond construction, a thriving hemp economy could strengthen regional economies, create green jobs, diversify agricultural production and establish resilient local supply chains based on renewable biological resources.
Olena further argued that the hemp economy can also contribute to Europe’s broader concept of freedom – freedom from carbon-intensive construction systems, dependence on imported raw materials and fossil-based industries. By investing in bio-based value chains, Europe has the opportunity to enhance both environmental sustainability and economic resilience. She emphasised that achieving this vision requires supportive European policies which would reduce regulatory barriers, encourage innovation, strengthen market confidence and recognise hemp as a strategic resource within the European circular bioeconomy.
The discussion generated positive interest and reinforced the relevance of bio-based materials within future European sustainability strategies.
Janine Boscheinen (Zero Waste Alliance Ireland) asked about current approaches to social housing, mentioning Solarpunk and Degrowth concepts as resources of hope and civil action. Solarpunk is a movement and an aesthetic which envisions a hopeful, sustainable future where humanity and nature coexist harmoniously. Degrowth is a socio-economic theory advocating for a planned reduction in global energy and resource consumption, in order to respect the Planet’s ecological limits while at the same time improving human well-being and ensuring social justice.
She drew attention to the very high living costs in Ireland (especially the cost of housing and education) are very hard to manage, especially for younger people. Just to survive in this high-cost environment is taking all their energy, so that they are struggling to find enough energy to volunteer for creating and leading the changes which are so necessary and important, and to question the actions of those people who are in power. As Frans Timmermans has said: social housing and providing for basic needs should be the next most important topic on which to focus. She specifically addressed her question to Karen Ciesielski about specific actions, by urging that “we don’t need new buildings, we need affordable ones”.
Karen Ciesielski replied that the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) is working on this issue, but it is a very big topic and not possible to answer directly, to which Janine agreed. Karen added that Ireland does need more house-building at present, but that social housing is a complicated topic, a point on which Janine disagreed.
A final statement from a member of the audience was “It is beautiful to see this panel on stage. We can see that talent has no gender.”
2.4 Conclusion
The concluding remarks were made by Mr Cillian Lohan, President of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the EESC, who summed up the conference by stating that it was a rich and inspiring event. Having hope, talking and dialogue were important but were not enough. We can envision the kind of society we want – a fairer, brighter future – but we do not always agree on how to reach that goal; everyone in this room will have different approaches for reaching that goal.
He stated that the goal should be the object of what we focus on, but we also need to change direction occasionally, and to admit that previous pathways have been wrong. Unfortunately we are very unforgiving in Ireland, and people are not ready to admit making mistakes. We need to change this attitude and to become more mature as a society. If a politician makes a mistake, we are better off when this person admits it, and offers a better solution. Current times are making a “culture of mistakes” very hard to establish, but developing such a culture is necessary for growth.
He ended his speech by saying that what we need to have is a variety of people included in charting a way forward, and we also need hope, though hope is not enough without action. Both go hand in hand. And we need to remain committed to achieving our goals.
Janine Boschenen
Olena Larionova
Jack O’Sullivan
Zero Waste Alliance Ireland
Report prepared by Janine Boschenen, Olena Larionova and Jack O’Sullivan