Taking Action for the Global Goals: Young leaders discuss solutions to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in the European Union.

An international delegation of over 40 JCI members from 10 European countries gathered in Brussels to learn more about sustainable development in the European Union and offer solutions to advocate for and advance the Global Goals.

From September 29th to October 3rd more than 40 JCI Members from all over Europe met in Brussels for the annual JCI European Know-How Transfer (EUKHT) to gain insights into European decision-making and strengthen the network between young civil society representatives and European policy makers.

The program that was conducted under this year’s topic “Taking Action for the Global Goals” provided participants with the unique opportunity to meet European Commission officials, policy experts and European decision-makers to discuss the role and progress of the European Union with regard to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offer potential solutions on how civil society can contribute to this process. The first two days included intensive workshops and fruitful discussions with representatives from the European Commission as well as business and civil society organizations like the European Environmental Bureau, the European Youth Forum, Youth For Climate Brussels and Ecopreneur.eu. Thus, participants learnt about the European Commission’s strategy on the SDGs, approaches to foster social and sustainable entrepreneurship as well as circular economy models. During the second part of the program delegates accompanied Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to get an insight into the functionalities of the legislative body of the European Union and talk to their MEPs about community projects in their home countries and the social impact they are creating on the local level.

Former JCI member and MEP Siegfried Mureșan (Vice-Chair of the EPP Group) from Romania, who has been actively supporting the JCI European Know-How Transfer for many years, further emphasised the importance of a strong and united European Union in advancing sustainable development: “We support a more integrated Europe that is tackling current challenges like Brexit, climate change and environmental sustainability together. And we need the active involvement of the young generation to make their voice heard and stand up for a united and sustainable Europe.”

The JCI European Know-How Transfer is an annual program organised by JCI Europe that is open to young active citizens aged 18 – 40 from Europe. The registration for next year’s JCI EUKHT will open on April 1, 2020.

For more information about the European Know-How Transfer please visit www.jci.cc/eukht