About the EU Circular Talks

The EU Circular Talks is an exchange concept of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform. It aims to encourage stakeholders to interact and discuss the circular economy topics in the platform.

Stakeholders initiate the topics themselves. These can take multiple forms of online events; workshops, seminars, debates or Q&As. These are followed by discussions directly via the platform's communication channels. The #EUCircularTalks uses all the communication channels to inform the community and foster the debate on the circular economy. The results of each EU Circular Talk is summarised and published on the ECESP platform.

The Workshop

The transition towards a circular economy can be a game changer for Africa's development. A circular economic continent would:

• Ensure a secure and healthy supply of food-knowing that the food sector has the greatest potential for reaching climate goals and biodiversity;

• Allow the building of sustainable housing and infrastructure;

• Reform raw material supply chains and use circular finance opportunities to develop sustainable growth and jobs.
  Governance is crucial to empower the transition, an essential component to harness the energy to deliver results. Besides, setting up circular economy hubs would play a pivotal role in the circular transition.

This session will focus on the role of network governance - building a coalition of partners willing to contribute to transformational changes - in implementing the circular economy roadmaps at the national and local levels. One of the main objectives of the session is to present and discuss the role of transition brokers in accelerating circular initiatives. These intermediaries (also hub leaders) coordinate the circular transition with different actors (e.g., industry, local governments, research and educational institutes and civil society). The transition brokers can fulfil various functions to set up the network governance, from helping to build circular initiatives to upscaling them by linking successful local cases to national policy and agenda setting.

The African continent has tremendous potential to build solid network governance and identify hub leaders because inspiring circular economic solutions are already here. The exchange of existing best practices and the "out of silos" thinking are essential elements. The main challenges of establishing the circular economy hubs are the need for ambitious targets, indicators and long-term financial support from governments and businesses.

Draft programme

• Welcome and introduction
  Ladeja Godina Košir, ECESP co-chair - Circular Change

• Introductory remarks,
  María Rincón Liévana, DG ENV, European Commission
  Anders Ladefoged, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

• Prof. Jacqueline Cramer, Utrecht University, Member of the Amsterdam Economic Board, Board Chair of Holland Circular Hotspot and former Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment

• How circular economy hubs can spark the transition and contribute to climate goals?

  • Chris Whyte - African Circular Economy Network

  • Kgauta Mokoena, Chief Director for Chemicals and waste Policy - S.A dept. Environmental Affairs

• Case studies

  • Development of interconnected regional circularity centres throughout Europe for a better collaboration across borders, Michael Laermann - Ecopreneur

  • Deborah Edward - Circular Business Platform Lagos

  • Keiran Smith - Mr Green Africa

  • Françoise Bonnet, ACR+

• Panel discussion + Q&A

• Conclusions & closing remark

  • Freek van Eijk, ECESP co-chair - Holland Circular Hotspot

You can register HERE.