EXPO2025 Theme Weeks

Programme details

With contributions from European Green Capital winners and Japanese city pioneers, the dialogue will explore how cities across continents are tackling pressing issues — such as reducing single-use plastics and transforming public spaces — and the role of both local initiatives and national regulators in driving change. The session will underline the real benefits of green urban policies: enhanced quality of life, efficient resource use, stronger community ties and a more supportive business environment.

In the second part of the session, the spotlight will turn more directly to the New European Bauhaus — a European movement that fuses sustainability, aesthetics and social inclusion. As the NEB aims to open up to participants beyond the EU, architects from Europe and Japan will join Commissioner Roswall to discuss how sustainably built architecture shapes greener cities and improves the daily lives of citizens.

In the spirit of the NEB and practical sustainability, this exchange will also ask how can small-scale projects contribute to broader urban transformation? And where can Europe and Japan converge in their visions for sustainable design and architecture?

Building resilient and green cities through international collaboration
Moderator: Jean-Eric Paquet, EU Ambassador to Japan
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, European Commission
Margot Roose, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn
Takeharu Yamanaka, Mayor of Yokohama City, Japan
Hideyuki Yokoyama, Mayor of Osaka City, Japan

Designing sustainable futures – The New European Bauhaus in practice
Moderator: Marcos Ros Sempere MEP, Co-rapporteur on the New European Bauhaus
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, European Commission
Shigeru Ban, Architect
Albert Edman, Head of Development, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

Cast

Moderator

Jean-Eric Paquet

EU Ambassador to Japan

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Marcos Ros Sempere

Member of the European Parliament

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Speakers

Jessika Roswall

Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, European Commission

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Margot Roose

Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Estonia

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Takeharu Yamanaka

Mayor of Yokohama City

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Hideyuki Yokoyama

Mayor of Osaka City

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Shigeru Ban

Architect

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Albert Edman

Head of Development, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden

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The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week

Green cities and better ways of living thorough sustainability and aesthetics - the New European Bauhaus

Cities are central to the green transition, serving as laboratories where environmental policies deliver tangible results for citizens.
This session, framed by the New European Bauhaus (NEB), will explore what makes a city truly green: circular economy practices, nature-based solutions, sustainable architecture, and adaptation to climate challenges. Commissioner Roswall’s portfolio areas—water management, resilience, and circular economy—will feature alongside inspiring examples from European Green Capitals and pioneering Japanese cities. The dialogue will address reducing single-use plastics, rethinking public spaces, and the interplay of local initiatives and national regulation. In its second part, the session will focus on the NEB as a movement linking sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion, highlighting Europe–Japan collaboration in sustainable design and architecture.

  • 2025.09.22[Mon]

    13:3015:00

    (Venue Open 13:15)

  • Pavilion
  • * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
  • * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.

OTHER PROGRAM

The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week

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