The EU and Leadership Towards a Sustainable Future

This second module of the LEAD Europe Programme is designed to respond to the need for leaders in all sectors to understand how they can engage with EU decision-making processes, and influence EU policy for better outcomes. It builds upon the London module by scaling-up from the national to the regional perspective and building an understanding of complex international realities.

In 2011 the Brussels module will take place 4-9 September at our training venue, the Notre Dame du Chant d’Oiseau.

Read the highlights from the most recent module in Brussels, 6-10 September 2010.

Please find out more about recent LEAD Europe training programmes and browse the Highlight Reports. Link to 2008 and 2009

Can you help drive European leadership?

In recent years Europe has defined a role for itself as a global leader on action towards building a low-carbon sustainable future. At the Bali Conference of Parties on Climate Change in December 2007, Europe stood apart from other major industrialised regions such as the US, Canada, Australia and Japan in pushing for a global agreement on climate change action.

In its policy strategy going forward the EU has identified energy policy as a critical building block towards a sustainable future, an area where Europe can show real leadership and innovation. The EU has set targets for a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020, and a 20% increase in EU energy provision from renewable sources.

To translate these targets into action and make them achievable Europe is dependent on commitment and leadership within individual member states. Leaders need to come from across the spectrum of interests in Europe in order to ensure full representation and public endorsement of EU energy policy towards a low carbon future.

Masha Kutelova, Associate in the Regional Initiative for Sustainability & Environment, Colliers International, Cohort 15 about the Brussels Module:

“The EU is in a quite challenging situation, in terms of global repositioning, and requires a new and more sustainable approach to resolve the lost identity and position.“

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The Brussels Module Learning Journey

LEAD creates unique learning journeys with a number of key components. Through interactions with guest speakers, peer learning within a diverse group of participants, skills development sessions, and a London-based case study, participants will build up and enhance their knowledge and skills for engaging different stakeholders around shared goals to bring about substantial and lasting change.

In Brussels the module brings participants together from across Europe to:

Explore how Europe is modelling leadership towards a more sustainable future and the challenges and opportunities going forward.
Assess the impact of EU decision-making and policy implementation specifically.
Investigate how different interest groups such as business, civil society, lobbyists, activists and ordinary citizens influence EU decision-making .
Develop negotiating skills through a large group simulation within an EU context.
Build networks and connections with the EU institutions and Brussels’ professional community.
Explore personal leadership capacity and what it takes to be an effective leader.

By the end of the Brussels Module participants will have:

A greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities for European leadership towards a low carbon, sustainable future.
Explored how they and their organisation can intervene within EU processes to drive for sustainability.
Developed the core negotiation and influencing skills that they will need to influence decision-making.
Developed a greater sense of their individual ability to be an agent of change in the European context.