Co-Creation of strategic parameters to strengthen the role of communities in the European Union

Hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Network for Community- led initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability (ECOLISE), Raphael worked on the co-creation of strategic parameters to strengthen the role of local communities in the European Union. He supported the strengthening of the role of permaculture initiatives, transition networks and ecovillages to achieve a bottom-up approach for the sustainable transition through decentralized community-based actions. These grassroots movements are vital to the Green Deal and the fair and just transition the that the global civilization wants to achieve. Raphael has helped to form the holistic and systemic approach that is needed to tackle planetary crisis, caused by our extractive and destructive economic system, such as biodiversity loss and pollution. To recognize that everything is connected and that humans are a part of nature and not separate from it, is essential to enable regeneration in the natural world and in social, economic, and political systems. v Lastly, he also he provided deep insight on other underlying problems such as political apathy or distrust on the side of community-led initiatives which could lead to the creation of major roadblocks in the implementation the European Green Deal. He noted that trust between policy makers and communities in democratic processes needs to be re-established, also with the help of adequate decentralized funding pools.