Experts from politics, business and research met at the Circular Valley Forum in Wuppertal on 16 November. Among the guests were the Minister Presidents of North Rhine-Westphalia and Flanders, Hendrik Wüst and Jan Jambon, who signed a cooperation agreement between the regions on the topic of the circular economy.
Over the next five years, the German federal state and the region in Belgium want to Sharing knowledge, launching pilot projects, training specialists and jointly apply for funding. The agreement is expressly open to other countries and regions. The Netherlands is seen as one of the ideal next partners.
NRW Minister President Wüst emphasised how important a cross-border approach is. No country can achieve a circular economy on its own; size is crucial to its impact. NRW and Flanders form the largest industrialised conurbation in Europe and are therefore very well suited to kick-starting cooperation in the circular economy. „We want to show that it can be done,“ said Wüst. The decisive factor here is that Climate protection and the preservation of prosperity together. The Circular Valley Forum is doing important pioneering work for such a sustainable economy.
Flanders brings a lot of experience to the collaboration. The region has set itself the goal of „reduce our “material footprint" by 30 per cent by 2030. „It is invaluable that we are now joining forces,“ said Flemish Prime Minister Jambon on Thursday. North Rhine-Westphalia and Flanders would become the circular centre of Europe and work together to close the material cycles „as far as possible“. With a view to Belgium's EU Council Presidency in 2024, Jambon explained that the circular economy will be an important topic. For example, a conference on the circular economy is planned for 17 April.
The signing of the agreement between NRW and Flanders was the first highlight of the Circular Valley Forum. More than 1000 decision-makers discussed the extent to which the Transformation towards a circular economy The participants included other top representatives from the world of politics, numerous board members and CEOs from established companies and important scientific institutions. Other top representatives from politics, numerous board members and CEOs from the established economy and important scientific institutions were also present. The guests were also inspired by 14 international start-ups that presented their ideas for the circular economy at the forum's DemoDay.
Source: Circular Valley
