President von der Leyen launches Green Economy Team Europe initiative in the Philippines
During her visit to Manila today, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President Ferdinand Marcos from the Philippines launched the Team Europe Initiative on Green Economy under Global Gateway, with a Team Europe contribution of €466 million.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Global Gateway, the EU's investment strategy for the world, will support the Philippines on its path to a sustainable future. We will invest in the transition to a circular economy and the generation of green energy. And we will also provide expertise, training and tech transfers, because this is the way to empower local communities, and that is what the EU cares about. ”
The Team Europe Initiative on Green Economy will develop an industry-led alternative model to the current plastic waste management approach, leading to more sustainable plastic value chains and a reduction of plastic waste and marine litter.
In close cooperation with the Philippines authorities, the initiative will help to develop a circular economy policy, in particular tackling plastic waste, to complement the national strategy to combat marine litter.
A policy dialogue platform at government level will promote the circular economy, renewable energy and energy efficiency. There will be capacity building for the Department of Energy and other key stakeholders to support the clean energy agenda. New private energy sector investments focusing on the mitigation of climate change will be identified.
The Team Europe initiative
This Team Europe initiative brings together the European Commission, France, Spain, Germany and Finland. Austria, Netherlands and Sweden will contribute with expertise and technology transfer.
The Team Europe contribution to the Initiative is €466 million. The EU budget is bringing €64 million (60 million from the Green Economy programme and €4 million from EFSD+ Blending). EU Member States will contribute the remaining funding and will also contribute with expertise.
The Team Europe initiative will work with a range of stakeholders including local governments, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, environmental, trade and industry associations, and consumers, who all play a role in reducing plastic waste and in combatting marine litter.
It will support the development of green policies, including the National Circular Economy Strategy. On marine litter, for example, the initiative will support the streamlining of existing primary and local legislation and include capacity building for central and local government institutions.
The Initiative will also support the development of an information system for the collection and reporting of data as well as awareness raising activities.
The possibilities for development of new sanitary landfills and alternative means of waste treatment, such as co-processing of waste in cement plants and waste-to-energy, will also be explored.
The initiative will create better conditions for the private sector investment and innovation, focusing on supporting businesses of all sizes to have greener supply chain and production processes.
The innovative programme will use comprehensive tools to improve waste management and modes of production and consumption, and will be implemented by Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, United Nations Development Programme, International Finance Corporation (World Bank) and Expertise France.
Following the announcement by President von der Leyen, this project will also be showcased at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on 25-26 October 2023.