Launch of the World Bank report “Squaring the Circle: Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition”

The overlapping geopolitical, economic, and environmental crises currently impacting the world economy highlight the urgency to address surging rates of natural resource consumption. Decoupling of material consumption from welfare creation through a transition away from the prevailing linear “take-make-use-waste’ economy lies at the basis of a new development and growth model.

The European Union is today a global leader in spearheading the circular economy (CE) transition. The EU can play a key role in promoting resource efficiency within and beyond its borders, share lessons learnt and the opportunities arising from CE transition. Developing countries that are already being impacted by the fallout of the current linear model need to be central to the global transition towards a more circular economy.

A new World Bank report titled Squaring the Circle: Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition reviews Europe’s experience in spearheading CE policy. It identifies key features in the EU policy landscape that have been successful in driving the circular transition but also existing barriers to future progress and key measures to overcome them. Despite the progress achieved, squaring the circle of the transition, and breaking away from linear systems will require a far-reaching suite of CE policies.

Co-organized by the World Bank and CEPS, this launch event on 6 December 2022 from 11:30 – 13:00 CET will discuss the key existing constraints and the policy domains where ambitious action will be needed in the coming years to further boost the CE agenda both within and beyond the EU borders.

Draft programme

11:00 – 11:30 Registration
11:30 – 11:45 Welcome

• Vasileios Rizos, Head of the Energy, Resources and Climate Change Unit, CEPS
• Gallina Vincelette, Country Director for the European Union, World Bank

11:45 – 12:05 Keynote: Squaring the Circle: Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition

• Andrea Liverani, Lead Specialist, Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy, World Bank

12:05 – 12:35 Panel Discussion
Moderator: Vasileios Rizos, Head of the Energy, Resources and Climate Change Unit, CEPS

• Helena Braun, Member of the Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans Cabinet, DG CLIM, European Commission
• Stefano Soro, Head of Unit, Green and Circular Economy, DG GROW, European Commission
• Anders Ladefoged, member of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) Steering Group, European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
• Valérie Boiten, Senior Policy Officer, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Martijn Lopes Cardozo, CEO, Circle Economy

12:35 – 12:55 Q&A

12:55 – 13:00 Concluding remarks

• Gallina Vincelette, Country Director for the European Union, World Bank