Guimarães hosted the Clean Growth Summit, an initiative integrated into the celebrations of Guimarães 26 – European Green Capital, which featured the presence of the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, and the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho. The program started with a visit to the Landscape Laboratory, followed by debates at Jordão Theatre.
The event was promoted by MEP Lídia Pereira, president of the European Parliament Delegation to COP31, with the support of several entities. The opening session featured interventions from the president of Guimarães City Council, Ricardo Araújo, the rector of the University of Minho, Pedro Arezes, Maria da Graça Carvalho and Lídia Pereira herself. Jessika Roswall delivered the keynote address on "Europe's Clean Growth Advantage: Turning Climate Ambition into Global Competitiveness."
The work unfolded around three major areas: "COP31 and Local Impact", dedicated to climate adaptation and territorial resilience; "Economy and Prosperity", focused on industrial competitiveness and energy transition; and "People, Communities and Collective Action", which addressed social mobilization and climate communication. Among the participants was a group of figures such as Manuel Caldeira Cabral, Assunção Cristas, Hugo Carvalho, Francisco Ferreira, Francisco Garcia, Luís Rebelo, Ana Paula Marques, Carlos Silva and José Teixeira.
The summit brought together different perspectives for defining the national and European priorities that will be under discussion at COP31, which will take place in Antalya, Turkey, between November 9 and 20. The resulting contributions will be integrated by Lídia Pereira in the preparation of European participation in the international conference, with the event functioning not only as an anticipation of COP31, but also as a space for debate and building proposals around climate action and sustainable growth.
