IN LONDON: The European Union’s (EU) annual environment conference took place earlier this week in Brussels, to examine how restoring ecosystems can help boost competitiveness while supporting innovation and jobs.
EU Green Week 2026 focuses on building a nature-positive economy, bringing together policymakers, business executives, environmentalists, investors, scientists, farmers, innovators, and civil society.
Over the two-day event, speakers and participants focused on regenerative and profitable farming models, financial tools, restoring nature at scale, regenerating soil, greening cities, tackling rural decline through nature-based development, and how businesses are integrating nature into economic strategy and risk management.
Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Jessika Roswall says Green Week this year focuses on healthy ecosystems being the foundation of resilient, competitive economies.
“When we invest in them, we are not choosing nature over growth; we are choosing the kind of growth that lasts,” Roswall says.
This news comes amid World Environment Day (5 June), during which the mining industry is being called upon to supply critical minerals needed to power electrification and renewable energy systems, while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of extracting them.
This year’s theme for World Environment Day focuses on climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme’s global campaign calls on the world to step in, move further, and help steer a world already in motion.
As previously reported, the industry’s decarbonisation efforts are occurring alongside rapidly growing demand for copper. EY reports that to meet the world’s electrification goals, around 115% of additional copper needs to be mined over the next 30 years.
Youth dialogue
EU Green Week also extends beyond Brussels, as throughout June 2026, hundreds of partner events are taking place across Europe, as well as Türkiye, China, and the US.
A key moment of the week will be the Youth Policy Dialogue, where young people from across Europe had a direct exchange with commissioner Roswall on their expectations for Europe’s environmental future.
The dialogue covered key challenges including how to protect biodiversity and ecosystems, how to bridge conflicting perspectives, how to scale up local initiatives, and how to ensure public and private investments.
Insights gathered will feed into ongoing EU environmental policy discussions, including implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, and the forthcoming Circular Economy Act.
The program also includes the annual LIFE Awards, which celebrates excellence in nature and environmental protection, climate action, and sustainability.
The LIFE program is the EU’s funding instrument for environmental and climate action. Since its inception 34 years ago, the €5.4 billion ($8.8 billion) program has funded around 6,500 projects and has an established budget of €2.3 billion in 2025–27.
Nine finalists competed for the top prize in three categories — nature protection and biodiversity; circular economy and quality of life; and climate action.
The LIFE Award for Nature was awarded to LIFE Danube floodplains which have restored and managed threatened and degraded Danube floodplain habitats.
The LIFE Award for Circular Economy and Quality of Life was awarded to LIFE Turn to e-circular which built awareness of a circular economy for household electrical and electronic equipment in Slovenia.
Meanwhile, the LIFE Award for Climate Action went to LIFE WetLands4CLIMATE which shows that properly managing, restoring, and conserving Mediterranean wetlands is an effective way to mitigate climate change and preserve biodiversity.
Egyptian Vulture New LIFE won the LIFE Citizens’ Prize, after receiving the highest public vote in an online poll. The five-year, €5.8 million project halted the decline in the Balkan population of Egyptian Vultures and mounted an awareness campaign, reaching 25 million people in 14 countries.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: European Commission