The course seeks to analyse the opportunities offered by the circular economy and the European Green Deal for local and regional administrations, and to provide those responsible for drawing up and/or implementing public-sector policies with tools to speed up the transition towards such an economy.

Along with Alexander Boto, other Ihobe staff members such as José María Fernández (Head of the Circular Economy Area) and Xabier González (Head of the Sustainability Area) will also be participating. Ihobe is a publicly-run environmental management company answerable to the Basque Government Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment.

Apart from Ihobe, this year's UPV/EHU summer courses will feature other top-ranking speakers such as Stefano Soro, Head of the Circular Economy at the European Commission, European Environment Agency coordinator Daniel Montalvo and the heads of the public sector organisations driving this paradigm shift in the Basque Country.

Registration is now open but places are limited.

Opportunities arising from the circular economy in the post-pandemic scenario

When the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic was at its height, the European Commission adopted its new Circular Economy Action Plan as part of the European Green Deal. A circular economy puts less pressure on natural resources, making it easier to attain the 2050 climate neutrality target and halt biodiversity loss.

To continue moving towards an increasingly circular economy, last year the Basque Government approved the Basque Country 2030 Circular Economy Strategy, which seeks to reinforce competitiveness, job creation and sustainability in the region

The Basque Country has been working successfully on the circular economy for some years. Since 2000 the Basque economy has grown by 26% but consumption of materials has dropped by 25% and the amount of municipal waste sent to landfill is down by 56%.

But the main challenge of this new strategy lies in encouraging the cooperation and engagement of all actors (businesses, administrations and the general public). A great many people working in public administration have given their support to this model: they realise that they have a major role to play in creating the conditions required for it to work and are aware of its potential benefits for the areas that they manage.

Based on this premise, the UPV/EHU summer course will analyse the policies for the design and development of the European Green Deal from the European and regional viewpoints; it will set out the key methodologies and tools for the deployment of the Deal; it will present specific strategies and practices for integrating the Green Deal and the circular economy into governance in different tiers of public administration; and it will outline the opportunities entailed by aligning public-sector policies with the European Green Deal in the post-Covid scenario.

For more information on the programme and on how to register, see the course website.