Green Presidency

The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union as a ‘Green Presidency’

The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union attaches great importance to sustainability and environment protection. For many years, Austria has played a pioneering role in Europe in sustainable event management. As early as Austria’s previous Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2006, the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT) initiated a sustainable event organisation scheme under the title ‘Greening the Presidency’.

Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Green Events

Created in 2010, the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Green Events was the first certification system for sustainable events in Europe. The aim of the Austrian Ecolabel is to help

• reduce the environmental impact of events
• take into account the regional economy
• set new social and cultural trends
• use the public’s attention and media coverage to raise awareness

Sustainable event management during the Austrian Presidency

The 2018 Austrian Presidency is continuing this tradition by endeavouring to manage its events in a sustainable fashion. The Austria Center Vienna (ACV), the main presidency venue in Vienna and, as such, our permanent conference and media centre, offers excellent conditions for organising ‘Green Presidency’ events. The ACV has been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel. It has a holistic approach to event management which not only takes into account economic and social aspects, but also puts into practice comprehensive environmental measures, for example:

• 100% renewable energy
• solar thermal system
• LED lighting
• waste prevention and separation measures
• water-saving sanitary facilities
• excellent public transport connections
• electric vehicle charging stations
• a certified catering company offering seasonal, regional and organic products

In our guidelines we encourage attendees of events held under the Austrian Presidency to help make events sustainable. For instance, we recommend that you:

• use public transport to get to Austria
• stay in a hotel that has been certified as being environmentally friendly
• separate your waste in the conference centre using the containers provided
• use public transport or walk when travelling around locally
• in line with the e-presidency, use digital devices instead of paper

The Presidency Portal for Informal Events (PPI) – which is being used for the first time under the Austrian Presidency and provides delegates with all necessary documents – is an important contribution to sustainability.

The ‘Events for a Greener Europe’ – Green Events Austria Conference 2018 (5-6 July 2018) will take place under the Austrian Presidency. This international conference will look at environmentally-friendly event management and discuss European policies to strengthen the sustainable development of the sector.