Lauris Skenders, education department project manager, from Gulbene Municipality, Latvia
A Latvian view on the EU Green Deal
European Green Course.
The European Union has set itself the very ambitious goal of becoming a climate-neutral continent by 2050. To do this, it will carry out a series of initiatives that will protect the environment and boost the green economy.
The European Green Deal is our plan to make the EU’s economy sustainable. We can do this by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and making the transition just and inclusive for all.
The European Green Deal provides an action plan to
– boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy;
– restore biodiversity and cut pollution
Reaching this target will require action by all sectors of our economy, including :
– investing in environmentally-friendly technologies
– supporting industry to innovate
– rolling out cleaner, cheaper and healthier forms of private and public transport
– decarbonising the energy sector
– ensuring buildings are more energy efficient
– working with international partners to improve global environmental standards
The EU will also provide financial support and technical assistance to help those that are most affected by the move towards the green economy. This is called the Just Transition Mechanism. It will help mobilise at least €100 billion over the period 2021-2027 in the most affected regions.
We are certainly aware that this direction will also have a significant impact on the European Union’s youth policy. It is not clear at the moment: slogans, goals and directions for the development of youth policy in Europe, but one thing is clear is that we will also be moving in the direction of the Green Course field to promote the EU’s great goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
