Sustainability and Society Forum

Global trends in energy and the construction of a sustainable and inclusive future were some of the topics under discussion at the international meeting being held in Matosinhos

The Salão Nobre of Matosinhos Town Hall was the venue for the major international summit "Sustainability and Society Forum", an initiative organised by the Global Media Group (GMG) in partnership with Galp, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, INATEL Foundation, BEL Group and Matosinhos Town Hall, which aims to debate ideas, mobilise energies and propose policies to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future.

The opening of the event was in charge of Domingos Andrade, editorial general-director of the Global Media Group, and Luísa Salgueiro, Mayor of Matosinhos.

Domingos Andrade referred to this forum as the stage of "a collective mission around sustainability" stating that this initiative is "only one more in a vast group of others that have been developed by GMG, which has promoted dialogues around sustainability in several areas of the country".

The Mayor, Luísa Salgueiro, stressed the importance of future and sustainability issues being thought about together with the media, private partners and public bodies. "Hence the relevance of our gathering here today with representatives from the European, national and local levels to discuss the future path in this area in a commitment to jointly align ourselves with all the sustainable development objectives", she stressed.

Luísa Salgueiro made a summary of the various measures and actions that Matosinhos has been implementing in recent years with a view to environmental sustainability "which have earned it widespread recognition at national and European level", highlighting the goal set with a view to carbon neutrality in 2030, but also many other actions with a sustainable focus, particularly in terms of transport and mobility, in the strategy of active reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in water management policy, in the construction of green spaces, or in energy advice to the population through the Matosinhos Energy Hub branch.

The Mayor also highlighted the fundamental role of citizens and the population "who should be actively involved in this path of seeking a sustainable growth and future. We are proud to be the protagonists of the exchange of ideas, discussion, reflection, and planning", she added. More than 20 national and foreign experts, from politics to energy, architecture to finance, economics to innovation, are participating today and tomorrow in this Sustainability and Society Forum, which is divided into three thematic panels: "Global trends in energy", "Building a sustainable and inclusive future" and "Goals and policies for a sustainable Europe".

During the morning, the panel on "Global trends in energy" listened to Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, and Jos Delbeke, from the European University Institute (Climate Policy), followed by the panel debate with Jorge Vasconcelos, president of New Energy Solutions, Hugo Espírito Santo, Partner of McKinsey & Company, José Carlos Matos, director of INEGI, Nelson Lage, president of the Agency for Energy and moderated by Rosália Amorim, director of Diário de Notícias.

Filipe Silva, Galp's CEO, and Duarte Cordeiro, Minister of the Environment and Climate Action, were responsible for closing the morning's work.

During yesterday afternoon, the panel "Building a sustainable and inclusive future" took place, and Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, closed the forum.

Today, May 12, Marco Galinha, CEO of Global Media Group, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal, will open another day of conference that will have several highlights, with highlight to the participation of Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize.