Climate change has long since arrived in Europe and can also be felt in the Danube region – whether in private households, public institutions or companies. The EU wants to take countermeasures and has presented the Green Deal, a master plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics,
Climate change has long since arrived in Europe and can also be felt in the Danube region – whether in private households, public institutions or companies. The EU wants to take countermeasures and has presented the Green Deal, a master plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics, Labour and Tourism, in turn, has joined forces with partners to launch a campaign to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement the Green Deal.
Since all countries and regions in Europe are affected by global warming and its consequences, they all have an interest in finding a common solution. There is a broad political and social consensus among European countries to accelerate the path toward greenhouse gas neutrality and to actively advocate climate protection. The resulting European Green Deal envisages, as a central component of EU climate policy, reducing net emissions of greenhouse gases in the EU to zero by 2050. Furthermore, reconciling successful climate protection and a sustainable economy, because making this transformation economically, ecologically and socially compatible is a challenge.
Across the Danube Region, companies are now faced with the task of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality while remaining competitive. SMEs in particular, which account for a large part of the economic power in the Danube Region, have an important role to play: due to their top performance in innovation, they can enable and drive the implementation of the Green Deal. At the same time, however, they often have little time and resources for strategic reorientation.
Digital pilot through the Green Deal
This is precisely where a new initiative in Baden-Württemberg comes in: as part of a collaboration between the Ministry of Economics, Labour and Tourism, the Enterprise Europe Network – the EU Commission’s network for supporting businesses and innovation – and the innovation consultancy Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, SMEs are to be supported on their way to climate neutrality as part of the “FIT FOR THE FUTURE” information campaign. The website greendeal4kmu-bw.de, which acts as a “pilot for SMEs through the European Green Deal”, serves as a central point of contact.
Here, SMEs receive an overview of the EU’s plans and measures in connection with the Green Deal as well as information on concrete starting points for change processes in their own businesses. In addition, the website breaks down Green Deal measures for practical use and provides information on advisory and funding opportunities. The offer is supplemented by events for SMEs on various aspects of the Green Deal.
“The transformation to more sustainability affects all companies, regardless of size, sector or region.”
Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economics, Labour and Tourism, explained the background of the initiative: “The transformation to more sustainability affects all companies, regardless of size, sector or region. With our campaign, we want to show our SMEs concrete options for action and thus support them in implementing the Green Deal in their own companies.”
Support offers like this are intended to help make the Danube Region fit for the future. If you know of similar practical examples of support for companies in implementing the Green Deal from other regions in the Danube Region, Ms Carmen Hawkins (carmen.hawkins@ wm.bwl.de), coordinator of Priority Area 8 of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, would be pleased to hear from you.
