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About the EU News:

The GIMED Green Impact Med project aims at boosting the development of green and eco-innovative entrepreneurs in 5 Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia) by  creating the required environment and improving knowledge base to better access finance and markets, creating jobs and driving the green and circular economy in the region.

With an important investment in green and circular economy committed through the European Green Deal, the European Union is today the frontrunner to become the first carbon neutral economy by 2050. With the aim of keeping you updated on the Union’s strategy to become a more resource-efficient and competitive economy, we will publish a monthly EU news  to share useful news about the for our GIMED community.

GIMED July EU NEWS

The European Green Deal as  EU's main recovery strategy:

End of May, the European Commission has put forward its proposal for a major recovery plan[1]. The coronavirus has shaken Europe and the world to its core, testing healthcare and systems, our societies and economies and our way of living and working together. To ensure the recovery from this pandemic is sustainable, even, inclusive and fair for all Member States, the European Commission is proposing to create a new recovery instrument, Next Generation EU, embedded within a powerful, modern and revamped long-term EU budget. To protect lives and livelihoods, repair the Single Market, as well as to build a lasting and prosperous recovery, the European Commission is proposing to harness the full potential of the EU budget. Next Generation EU of €750 billion as well as targeted reinforcements to the long-term EU budget for 2021-2027 will bring the total financial firepower of the EU budget to €1.85 trillion.

Complementing national efforts, the EU budget is uniquely placed to power a fair socio-economic recovery, repair and revitalize the Single Market, to guarantee a level playing field, and support the urgent investments, in particular in the green transition, one of the key’s  to Europe's future prosperity and resilience. Relaunching the economy does not mean going back to the status quo before the crisis but bouncing forward. Therefore, the European Green Deal will be an essential pillar for the EU’s recovery strategy. This recovery strategy will massively invest in priority areas such as:

• A massive renovation wave of buildings and infrastructure and a more circular economy, bringing local jobs;
• Rolling out renewable energy projects, especially wind, solar and kick-starting a clean hydrogen economy in Europe;
• Cleaner transport and logistics, including the installation of one million charging points for electric vehicles and a boost for rail travel and clean mobility in our cities and regions;
• Strengthening the Just Transition Fund to support re-skilling, helping businesses create new economic opportunities.

This recovery plan shows an unprecedented capacity of solidarity by the EU: Europe has done in two and a half months more than in the four years that followed the financial crisis; this is the result of an enormous political consensus, because the proposal shows solidarity, clear goals and is in line with the main EU strategic priorities, in particular the Green Deal.

These massive investments must trigger a new European economic model: more resilient, more protective, and more inclusive. All these requirements lie in an economy built around Green principles like those underlying our GIMED project, creating green impact through training and coaching a new generation of green entrepreneurs, helping them to switch from a linear business model, - a take, make, waste model,-  to a circular business model. What is needed for the future of Europe and its neighbours is a rapid move from linear to circular flows through a combination of extended product life-cycles; intelligent product design and standardization; and reuse, recycling and remanufacturing. Eco-innovation and Eco-design are cornerstones of this change that is needed. New companies and start-ups, one of GIMED’s main focuses are essential drivers of the new and emerging business models needed for the transition towards a green and sustainable economy.

Indeed, the transition to a climate-neutral and green economy, the protection of biodiversity, the transformation of agri-food systems, and the development of  circular business models have the potential to rapidly deliver jobs, growth and improve the way of life of all citizens in the EU, the Mediterranean and worldwide, and to contribute to building more resilient societies.  

The political will and consensus are there today. Making the EU recovery plan “green” has a huge potential to build back the European economy and contribute to creating a new prosperity model. There is need to prepare Europe for the future, and design recovery plans, both at the local, national and at the EU level, combining the fight against climate change and the development of a green and circular economy,  to be  the core of this economic strategy to recover from the recent crisis. These new funds, added to those funds supporting pioneer projects like GIMED  need to become green actions and green investments that will change the life of citizens and contribute to the quick recovery of the EU economies and societies and at the same time make Europe and its neighbor’s economies greener and more sustainable.

The GIMED community is ready for this challenge.