A look at the history of the ESDN reveals that ESDN Workshops have played a prominent role in facilitating networking between European SD practitioners and policy advisors. This section of the website provides a one-stop-shop documentation of all ESDN Workshops so far. Please click on one of the Workshops for more details:
Since 2007, the ESDN has been organizing thematic Workshops in order to facilitate informal exchange of standpoints and experiences between ESDN Members. This section of the website provides a one-stop-shop documentation of all ESDN Workshops so far. Please click on one of the Workshops for more details. Some photo albums can also be found below.
The ESDN Youth Workshop 2025 is taking place on 12 - 14 October in Berlin, Germany!
The ESDN Youth Workshop 2025, taking place on 12–14 October 2025 in Berlin, will bring together around 30 UN Youth Delegates and National Representatives on Sustainable Development (SD) from across Europe to discuss issues most relevant to them. The overarching theme is: “Our Future Beyond 2030: Youth Visions for Sustainability & Security.”
The beyond 2030 discussion is just starting – it is a good time for youth to think about what their needs are and what they could contribute. One emerging theme is security, which is increasingly recognized as a vital dimension of sustainability. Traditionally, security has been defined in terms of military strength and institutional control. Today, however, it must also encompass ecological, social, economic, digital, cultural, personal, and global level. True security is not merely the absence of threats but the presence of conditions that allow people, communities, cultures, and nature to thrive.
This workshop invites youth to reflect on what sustainability and security mean for their future — and to transform personal insights into collective contributions for the post-2030 discussion. Closely linked to SDGs 13, 15, and 16, the program combines inner reflection, the Inner Sustainability Game, dialogue circles, “How Might We” questions, and structured policy labs with policymakers. Step by step, participants move from personal awareness to shared vision and concrete action, resulting in both a stronger sense of agency and a youth-led policy product.
Several ESDN members will also join the workshop to engage with the youth participants. As an outcome, the young participants will collaboratively draft a Youth Policy Note, summarizing their perspectives on the Future Beyond 2030.
The Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the ESDN organized the 2030 Agenda Stakeholder Forum in Warsaw on May 27th 2025!
The Forum was an international gathering of public administration and business, aimed at building synergies for sustainable development through experience sharing and dialogue on the challenges and needs of both parties.
With only five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, now is the time to accelerate actions and strengthen partnerships. More information, including the agenda, Discussion Paper, and presentations can be found below.
The Policy Note, which offers recommendations from Forum participants on the main theme, can be found here
Session 1: Balancing Reduction of Regulatory Burden Demands with EU Climate Ambitions: Finding Common Ground
Keynote Speech
Amanda Koefoed Simonsen, Partner and ESG Practice Lead in Copenhagen Changery, Denmark
Panel Discussion on Balancing Regulatory Burden and the EU’s Climate Ambitions – Introducing different perspectives
Moderatorated by Witold Strzelecki, Managing Director, Business & Science Poland Panellists
Panelists
- Antonina Maria Wozna, Directorate‑General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, European Commission
- Piotr Biernacki, Chair of Sustainability Committee of the Polish Association of Listed Companies, Member of EFRAG Sustainability Reporting TEG, ESG Reporting Partner at MATERIALITY Poland
- Kamil Wyszkowski, Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Poland, Poland
- Corina Murafa Benga, European Economic and Social Committee, Romania
ESDN Exchange Spaces on Good Practices between Government and the Private Sector fostering Competitiveness and Sustainability
Table 1: Aligning EU Regulations with Market Competitiveness and Sustainability
Amanda Koefoed Simonsen, Partner and ESG Practice Lead in Copenhagen Changery, Denmark
Table 2: Addressing Barriers to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Sustainability – European perspective
Corina Murafa Benga, European Economic and Social Committee, Romania
Table 3: Addressing Barriers to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in Sustainability – stakeholder perspective
Agnieszka Ozimkowska, Sustainability advisor for SMEs in Enterprise Europe Network Łukasiewicz – WIT, Poland
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Marcin Olszewski, Internalization advisor in Enterprise Europe Network Łukasiewicz – WIT, Poland
Table 4: Leveraging Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development: ESG Standard – digital tool supporting companies report
Karolina Opielewicz, Polish Chamber of Commerce, Poland
Table 5: Sustainable Public Reporting: Opportunities and Challenges
Sydney van der Post, ESDN Advisory Board Member and Policy Officer – Sustainable Development Goals, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
Table 6: Basque’s SDG and Agenda 2030 Strategy focuses on sustainability and competitiveness
Asier Aranbarri, Director for Social Innovation and Agenda 2030, Basque Government, Basque Country
Table 7: Economic Initiative – Sustainable Styria – Supporting SMEs in being more sustainable
Gernot Vorraber, Member of the Specialist Team for Sustainability Coordination in Department 14, Water management, Resources and Sustainability at the Office of the Regional Government of Styria, Austria
Table 8: Digital Tools to reduce Administrative Effort in Sustainability Reporting
Victoria Diekkamp-Reimann, Head of German Sustainability Code, Germany
Table 9: Education and Capacity Building for Sustainable Transition
Luminita Bălălău, Director, Department of Sustainable Development Strategies, Programs and Projects, Government of Romania
Table 10: Speeding up - Implementation of Acceleration Zones for renewable energy sources in Czechia
Anna Pasková, Director – Department of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of the Environment, Czechia
Table 11: Synergy for Sustainable Development – Joint Actions of Business and Administration
Eric Mulholland, European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) Executive Coordinator, Austria
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Agnieszka Jabłońska, Senior Expert, Sustainable Economy Department, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Poland
Table 12: Impacts of Sustainability Reporting on Young Entrepreneurs – Entrepreneurship as a form of activism
Isaac Jyväsjärvi, ESDN Youth Network Member and Member of the Finnish National Youth Council, Finland
