MRA director Esther Rommel signs ‘Circular Cities Declaration’ in Brussels

MRA-director Esther Rommel, deputy of the province of North Holland, during a working visit to Brussels on April 17, 2024 on behalf of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region (MRA) signed the ICLEI ‘Circular Cities Declaration’. ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability Europe) is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments in more than 125 countries. The participants are committed to sustainable urban development. They do this, among other things, by influencing sustainability policy. The MRA recently became a member of this network.

MRA director Esther Rommel, representative of the province of North Holland and Peter Defranceschi, Head of the Brussels Office of ICLEI. Photo via metropoolregioamsterdam.nl

Leader in climate neutrality and sustainable urban development

Esther Rommel: “I am happy to sign the declaration on behalf of MRA. With the signing, MRA has become part of a powerful, united group of cities and regions. Together we contribute to raising awareness of the political, social, ecological and financial benefits of a circular economy, and we want to be a leader in the field of climate neutrality and sustainable urban development.”

Knowledge and inspiration

Prior to the signing – on Monday and Tuesday 15-16 April – an MRA circular economy delegation paid a valuable working visit to the EU institutions in Brussels. During this working visit, the delegation exchanged knowledge and inspiration. For example, the delegation has informed itself of the state of play on current MRA-EU files and strengthened its relations with European networks and other metropolises.

MRA delegation

The delegation consisted of substantive experts in the field of sustainable construction and area development, buyers and specialists in raw material flows. Such as a circular textile cycle.
The visit was organized by the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area directorate, Public Affairs. The delegation took part in the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF2024) and spoke with the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union (PVEU), the European Commission, and with a number of European networks and metropolises.

Delegation: from left to right. Marten Boels, Raw Materials Director MRA, Laura van der Doorn, Trainee MRA Sustainability, Milan Bijl, Director Circular Purchasing MRA, Julie Noorman, Trainee MRA Public Affairs, Najat Azogagh, Strategic Advisor MRA Public Affairs, Merel Stolker Director Circular Area Development MRA & Stan van den Berg , Strategic Advisor MRA Building and Living. Photo via metropoolregioamsterdam.nl

WCEF2024

It happened during the working visit World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF2024) place. The WCEF2024 is an annual event organized by Finland (Sitra) and partners. Leaders from different sectors come together to address and solve global circular economy challenges. The MRA delegation took part in various workshops.

Visit PVEU: European force field

The delegation was received at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union (PVEU) by Environment Attaché Daan Cortenbach. Mr Cortenbach discussed the most important EU issues, where he also explained the Dutch position for each MRA-EU theme and outlined the European force field.

Role of cities and regions in concrete actions

The discussion with the European Commission focused on current and future EU legislation. Ms Emmanuelle Maire (Head of Circular Economy, Directorate General Environment) discussed environmental legislation and Mr Mikael Garellick (Senior expert, Directorate General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) explained the EU vision and policy regarding textile. Both recognized the important role of cities and regions in translating legislation into concrete actions. They emphasized that the coming period will be crucial for implementing circular economy legislation and taking advantage of the opportunities it offers to cities and regions in Europe. The delegation took the opportunity to report to the committee on circular priorities and projects in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region.

European metropolises and networks

Finally, there were meetings with various European networks (ICLEI, CCRI/ACR+, Housing Europe, House of the Dutch Provinces (HNP), U!REKA) and metropolises such as Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki and the Paris region. Various best practices were shared and follow-up agreements were made to explore collaborations.