Climate planning for 2050 has become a core strand of debate in the European Union. Focus has shifted to a potential revision of the EU's long-term climate objectives within the context of a new 2050 strategy, which is to be submitted to the United Nations under the Paris Agreement by 2020. In parallel, all EU Member States must develop national strategies of their own, albeit with little central guidance and no overarching structure in place for collaboration.

The conference "Planning for 2050", organised by Ecologic Institute, will take place on 23 May 2019 in Brussels. It takes stock of the experience with long-term climate strategies gained in Europe and presents lessons learnt as well as challenges encountered in different Member States – and seeks to connect them to the EU's own overall 2050 vision. It is based on insights, conversations and contacts made through a set of dialogue meetings held under the "Climate Recon 2050" project, which brought together policymakers and technical experts involved in long-term strategies from around the EU. A conference brochure, summarising insights from the Climate Recon 2050 project, is available online.

On Wednesday, 12 December 2018, Ecologic Institute, Energiaklub, and Negawatt hosted a side-event at the COP24 on behalf of the project ClimateRecon 2050 to present specific examples of long-term climate strategies in Europe.

In the EU, the aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use energy more efficiently. This webinar presented a number of key topics connected to a role that district heating plays in achieving decarbonisation of economies and energy systems. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.