ESDN Conferences

A look at the history of the ESDN reveals that annual conferences have played a prominent role in facilitating networking between European SD practitioners and policy advisors. This section of the website provides a one-stop-shop documentation of all ESDN Conferences so far. Please click on one of the conferences for more details:

Ghent 2010: Towards an Economy compatible with Sustainable Development Principles

Prague 2009: Options and Opportunities for the future EU Sustainable Development Strategy

ESDN Conference 2008 - Coordinating SCP and CSR policies with Sustainable Development Strategies. Paris, 29 June-1 July, 2008

The ESDN Conference 2008 was hosted by the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning, in the context of the French EU Presidency, on 29 June – 1 July 2008 in Paris. The conference explored two themes, namely public policies and governance issues on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The two topics were subject to welcome addresses by the French General Commissioner for SD and the Slovenian Minister for Growth; several keynote presentations by high-level representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Environment Agency; and three panel discussions. Additionally, the conference participants discussed the themes in different working groups. At the end of the event, the ESDN co-chairs presented a review and outlook of ESDN activities.

The conference took place on the premises of the French Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Museum of Natural History), a historic venue surrounded by a large park in the centre of Paris.

Below please find the full documentation of the ESDN Conference 2008.

Programme and proceedings

Conference Programme (PDF, 135 kB)
Conference Proceedings (PDF, 190 kB)
List of Participants (PDF, 138 kB)

Discussion paper

Discussion Paper (PDF, 391 kB)

Documentation of keynotes and panel sessions

Sunday, 29 June 2008

• Wolfram Tertschnig & Daniel Wachter (ESDN Steering Group): UEFA EURO 2008^TM Sustainability Strategy PDF (1,08 MB)

Monday, 30 June 2008

• Welcome by Michèle Pappalardo (General commissioner for SD, France) MP3 (4,4 MB)
• Welcome by Žiga Turk (Minister for Growth, Slovenia) MP3 (3,9 MB)
• Timo Mäkelä (DG Environment): The SCP/SIP Action Plan and the EU SDS PDF (2,48 MB) MP3 (6 MB)
• Ronan Uhel (European Environmental Agency): SCP policies in Europe PDF (608 kB) MP3 (4,6 MB)
• Richard Howitt MEP (European Parliament Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility) MP3 (8,8 MB)

Tuesday, 1 July 2008

• Reinhard Steurer & André Martinuzzi (ESDN Office): CSR Policies in the EU-27: How Member States facilitate CSR PDF (1,54 MB) MP3 (6,2 MB)
• Working group results on SCP and CSR Policies PDF (213 kB) MP3 (26,8 MB)
• Wolfram Tertschnig and Elisabeth Freytag (Chairs of the ESDN Steering Group): Review and outlook of the ESDN PDF (344 kB) MP3 (4,6 MB)

Berlin 2007: European Sustainability Berlin 2007

Salzburg 2006: Sustainable Development goes Mozart

Windsor 2005: EU sustainable development networking event

Kinsale 2004: Comhar Conference

Vienna 2003: Sustainable Development in an enlarged Union

The Hague 2002: National Strategies for Sustainable Development: “Facts, Faces and Future Challenges”