Sustainable meeting arrangements during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU significantly reduced emissions

The sustainable solutions adopted for meetings held during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union have helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 30% compared to the average meeting arrangements during Council presidencies. The most effective solutions included centralising meetings in Helsinki, deciding not to hand out gifts and avoiding producing materials only for the Presidency.

The Prime Minister’s Office commissioned an assessment to compare the meeting arrangements of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU with so-called average meeting arrangements that do not take into account the sustainability dimension.

Key ingredients: circular economy, no-gifts policy and centralised meetings

No traditional presidency gifts have been handed out to meeting participants during the Finnish Presidency. Instead, the money reserved for the gifts will be used to offset greenhouse gas emissions from flights to presidency meetings in Helsinki and Brussels.

Concentrating all meetings held in Finland to Helsinki has meant lower emissions associated with travelling to meetings. In addition, the Finnish Presidency encouraged meeting participants to use public transport whenever possible. The buses used to transport meeting participants ran on renewable diesel, which produces less emissions than conventional diesel.

During the Presidency, efforts have also been made to avoid single-use items. For example, the wood and plywood products and textiles used in interior decorations and venue signage will be reused at other events after the Presidency, and some of the items will be donated to recycling and upcycling workshops run by the City of Helsinki. The aim in the meeting arrangements was to favour digital solutions over paper and plastic.

Keeping number of meetings down has significant impact on emissions

As a whole, Finland has managed to reduce the carbon footprint of the Presidency by as much as 70%, by reducing the number of meetings compared to previous presidencies. Some 130 meetings have been arranged during Finland’s Presidency, and usually there may be more than twice as many. Fewer meetings equals less emissions caused by travel, transport, accommodation, food and the production of meeting materials.

The calculations on emissions of the Finnish Presidency were prepared by Gaia Consulting based on estimates of emission levels. Accurate data were not available on all emission sources, and some of the calculations were supported by assumptions such as concerning the use of public transport.

Summary of calculations of greenhouse gas emissions during Finland's Presidency of the Council of the EU

Questions and answers

It is estimated that a total of 717 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents have been emitted during Finland’s Presidency, which corresponds to a return flight of some 2 000 people from Helsinki to Brussels. During an average presidency, some 2 405 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be emitted, which corresponds to almost 7 000 return flights from Helsinki to Brussels. During Finland’s Presidency, there have been 70% less emissions than on average. The carbon dioxide emissions from air travel were calculated by using the Carbon Emissions Calculator of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
For the purposes of the calculations, data were collected on the meeting arrangements for the Finnish Presidency and the meetings arrangements for an average presidency. Data were collected on accommodation, travel, energy and water consumption at meeting venues, catering, gifts and materials. The average presidency used as reference does not represent any particular presidency, but is an average of the arrangements during recent years.
The calculations on greenhouse gas emissions of the Finnish Presidency were prepared by Gaia Consulting based on estimated emission levels. Accurate data were not available on all emission sources, and some of the calculations were supported by assumptions such as concerning the use of public transport. In any case, the results show that sustainable arrangements can help to reduce emissions.
The sustainable solutions adopted at the meetings reduced emissions by around 30%. The following solutions proved to be most effective in terms of reducing emissions:
- centralising meetings in only one venue
- producing as little material as possible only for the Presidency
- making use of digital applications
- choosing not to give out gifts
- considering sustainability in catering, for example by using tap water, favouring local and organic food, and serving vegetarian and fish dishes
Efforts were made to take sustainability into account in all aspects of the arrangements, but there is always room for improvement. For example, we were not able to monitor food waste as accurately as we had hoped, so we did not reduce it as much as planned. In addition, it was not possible to utilise renewable energy in the meeting arrangements.
Each presidency will make its own decisions on the implementation and arrangements. The Finnish Presidency has actively communicated its own sustainable solutions. The forthcoming presidencies have shown interest in Finland’s approach, but the exact implementation is up to them to decide.
The Presidency refers to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Council takes decisions at official meetings held in Brussels and Luxembourg. The appropriateness of the meetings to be held during the Presidency was considered according to the Presidency agenda and, therefore, the number of meetings was carefully planned to support the work of the Council.