Making the EU budget work for people and planet - citizens' project awards

In cooperation with Elisabeth Schroedter MEP, Member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance

Spending plans are currently being drafted to allocate the next round of Cohesion Policy funds for the period between 2014-2020. To coincide with this process, Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe are bringing together the participants from a series of contests held in Bulgaria, Latvia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, where participants were asked to propose sustainable EU funds investment opportunities to benefit their countries and citizens.

The contest criteria specified that project ideas should have the potential to contribute to sustainable regional development by addressing areas like energy, transport, consumption, waste management or urban development.

The Brussels event creates a forum for contest winner to present their ideas to European institutions, national representations responsible for the EU funds and to the broader public via European media outlets.

During the event we will present the best projects and the expert recommendations from project evaluators in order to begin a discussion with decision-makers about how to translate these grassroot initiatives for better-spent EU funds from ideas into action.

Download the full agenda (pdf)

Speakers include:

The winners of national contests

Elisabeth Schroedter, Member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, the European Parliament

Andreas Von Busch, Deputy Head of Unit of the Competence Centre Operational Efficiency, DG Regional Policy, European Commission

Erich Unterwurzacher, European Commission, DG REGIO, Unit for Operational Efficiency and Central Europe – tbc

Ludo Holsbeek, Flemish Government – Department of Environment, Nature and Energy, Belgium

Eniko Csoma, Head of Environmental Development Department, Ministry of Rural Development, Hungary

Kristina Dely, Head of European Affairs, Energy Cities

Markus Trilling, EU Funds Campaign Coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network/Friends of the Earth Europe

Alda Ozola, Latvian Green Movement

Ondrej Pasek CEE Bankwatch Network

Anelia Stefanova, Campaigns Director, CEE Bankwatch Network