EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall met 13 young people from across the EU for a Youth Policy Dialogue during EU Green Week to discuss nature restoration and how investments in ecosystems can support resilience and the economy.
The discussion took place on the margins of the EU Green Week event and focused on restoring ecosystems — such as habitats that support wildlife and natural resources — and how this could relate to innovation, investment and local jobs, the European Commission informed in a release on Thursday.
Participants raised topics including biodiversity, pollinators and the bioeconomy, as well as “nature credits” and the circular economy.
Nature credits generally refer to schemes that assign a tradable value to actions that benefit nature.
Roswall also referred to the role of young Europeans in shaping policy by bringing ideas that link nature, the economy and society.
Part of a wider youth participation programme
The meeting was part of the European Commission’s Youth Policy Dialogues, which it described as an effort to integrate young people’s views into the EU political agenda.
The Commission said the dialogues are linked to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines for 2024–2029 and are intended to support youth participation and engagement in democratic life.
