Académie Notre Europe #4 – A Green and Sustainable Europe

Académie Notre Europe #4 – A Green and Sustainable Europe

Date / Place : 09 January 2026, at Europa Expérience.

Background:

The fourth session of the Académie Notre Europe will focus on the European Union’s ecological and energy transition. It will (re)visit the adopted legislative texts making up the European Green Deal, as well as explore how youth mobilisation and civil society action can lead to concrete progress. The session will then examine the measures adopted by the EU to drive its ecological and energy transition, as well as the concerns about potential challenges to this action. Finally, the session will offer a broader perspective on global warming, addressing issues of global governance and the alignment of EU action with international dynamics, notably those driven by the United States and China.

Timeline:

How, as young people, can we engage in the fight against climate change? What are our differences, and above all, how can we build bridges to make environmental engagement more accessible to everyone? These were the questions addressed by Laure Niclot during her intervention. A member of the European Economic and Social Committee and in charge of popular ecology issues at the NGO MakeSense, she shared her experience and reflections on today’s forms of climate engagement. She reminded participants that the ecological transition cannot succeed without social justice, nor without recognising forms of engagement that are often invisible but very real.

Next, Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, Head of the Energy Centre at the Jacques Delors Institute, explained how the EU is attempting to address a complex trilemma in the fields of energy and climate: balancing sustainability, energy security and competitiveness. While the EU introduced an ambitious regulatory framework in 2019 — the European Green Deal — the agenda is now shifting more towards competitiveness. Yet moving away from fossil fuels remains a strategic choice for Europeans, for our businesses, and for security reasons as well: Trump cannot stop the sun from shining, any more than Putin can stop the wind from blowing, he notably reminded us.

Corinne Le Quéré, climate scientist, Professor of Climate Change Science (and contributor to IPCC reports), and former President of France’s High Council on Climate, joined the session remotely from the UK to discuss environmental policies at a global level with the Academy’s members. She noted that greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing more slowly in recent years, even though current trajectories still point towards +2.5 to +3°C of warming. She also highlighted the effectiveness of decarbonisation policies and financing for more environmentally sustainable solutions, drawing for example on the UK’s energy transition. Nevertheless, the key challenge remains acceleration: going beyond the minimum commitments set by certain international treaties and scaling up efforts in the deployment of renewable energies, electrification, low-carbon infrastructure, and more.

The afternoon was dedicated to the writing of a Citizens’ Convention on Climate – Youth, led by Alice Moscovici, Research Fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute and specialist in European industrial and energy policies. This participatory workshop will invite participants to engage in citizen deliberation, collectively reflecting on the levers of climate action and the political choices it entails. The session later concluded with a synthesis and closing discussion, allowing participants to review the main lessons of the day and open perspectives for engagement and action.

What is the Académie Notre Europe?

The Académie Notre Europe is the Jacques Delors Institute’s year-round youth programme, launched by Enrico Letta to provide a platform for learning, dialogue, and exchange on European affairs. Dedicated to young people aged 16 to 35, it draws on the Institute’s expertise and network of leading policymakers and academics to foster a deeper understanding of the European Union and strengthen active European citizenship.