The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform: a success story
The workshop will be an informal opportunity ahead of the official opening of the WCEF to “warm up” the audience and offer a flavour of how the circular economy transition works in Europe.
The EU Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) has been a successful initiative to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Discover the challenges overcome and how the initiative successfully offers a wealth of best practices for policy makers, businesses, academia and civil society, and translates dialogue into cooperation. The aims, structure and deliverables of the platform will be illustrated by those who make it work: two EU institutions and 24 representatives of the ECESP’s Coordination Group.
Target audience (max. 150 participants*): all participants of WCEF2024
*Please note that workshops are not livestreamed, and they are only available for those in-person participants who have registered to take part in them.
This workshop is part of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference 2024 (ECESC) which brings to WCEF2024 a dedicated track showcasing Europe’s progress.
Programme
Opening
Ladeja Godina Kosir
Founder and Director, Co-Chair of ECESP
Circular Change
As the co-chair of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in Brussels, Ladeja is recognised globally as an authority on the circular economy. She is an inspiring speaker and lecturer, and a member of numerous international circular economy councils, expert groups and juries. Ladeja has co-authored the circular economy road maps for Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Chile. Collaborating with teams worldwide, from Nordic countries to Latin America, she is active in several think tanks, including Chatham House, and contributes to scientific publications. Ladeja's achievements include being a finalist for the Circular Leadership Award 2018 (Davos WEF) and being featured as #EUwomen4future by the EU Commission in 2020.
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Freek van Eijk
CEO
Holland Circular Hotspot
Freek van Eijk leads an independent platform that facilitates the transition to a circular economy at the international level by bringing together government authorities, knowledge institutes and businesses. He is co-chair of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP). Furthermore, he is an adjunct professor at the LUISS Business School. He is one of the more senior EU experts in waste management and the circular economy, and has been described as a “mover and a shaker”. Previously, he served for over a decade as director of strategy and public affairs at multinational SUEZ, as a board member at the Dutch Waste Management Association, and as a sherpa of the EU Innovation Partnership on Raw Materials.
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The ECESP from 2017 to today
Paola Migliorini
Deputy Head of Unit
European Commission
Paola Migliorini has been working on circular economy policies at the Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment since 2012. She has coordinated the policy development and the implementation of the two circular economy action plans adopted by the Commission in 2015 and 2020. Currently, she focuses on the circular economy for textiles and plastics and on the EU Ecolabel. Paola has great interest in best practices on sustainable consumption and production from innovative businesses and public authorities. She has experience in European institutions and the private sector. Her motto is "explain, listen and make it happen".
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Instructions for group work
María Rincón Liévana
Team Leader, Circular Economy
European Commission
María has been working on circular economy policies for the past 6 years and currently leads the unit in charge of implementing Europe’s circular economy action plan. She also works on the circular economy of textiles. After finishing her master’s at the College of Europe in European political and administrative studies, Maria worked in the representation of Andalucía to the EU in Brussels, in charge of policy areas including digitalisation, the economy, finance and the circular economy. At the Directorate-General Environment in the European Commission, Maria has discovered best practices in sustainable consumption and production, disseminated among eco-innovative businesses and public authorities. She is keen on learning more about new business models in markets for secondary raw materials. Maria also holds a degree in law and a master’s in diplomacy and international relations.
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Alice Senga
Administrator, ECESP Secretariat
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Seasoned communications expert Alice holds a master's in digital communication, which she complemented by EU environmental policies and law studies. She has worked in the social economy field for four years and is now part of the team managing the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform’s (ECESP) secretariat at the EESC. Over the years, she worked and facilitated policymakers and stakeholders in various configurations, including high-level events such as the platform's annual conference and the #EUCircularTalks concept.
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Anna Cameron
Head of Sector
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
Anna Cameron's first career was as mayor of a historic town in the Eifel region of Germany. She joined the EESC in 2019, and is now leading their work on climate, sustainability and the circular economy. She co-ordinates the secretariat of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, managing the triangular relationship between the EESC, the European Commission and circular economy stakeholders on the ground to push for more circularity in the EU and beyond.
