Parma, Oct. 8, 2025 - The University of Parma participated in Angers in the first EU GREEN Conference of the Parties (COP1), a strategic meeting promoted by the EU GREEN Alliance to foster collaboration between Universities, Cities and Regions on issues of sustainability and climate action.
The event, hosted by the University of Angers, brought together more than one hundred participants including institutional representatives, professors, professors, students, and sustainability experts from the nine partner universities and their respective territories. COP1 precedes the annual meeting of the Board of Rectors, Senate, and EU GREEN Executive Committee.
For the University of Parma, the Rector Paolo Martelli, the Pro-Rector to the EU GREEN Network Giorgio Pelosi, the Rector's Delegate for Coordination of EU GREEN Work Packages Marco Bartoli, the Federica Poli and Barbara Gherri, former Rector and professor Paolo Andrei, the head of the O.U. International Relations and EU GREEN Alessandro Bernazzoli and Vagia Niki Stergioula, while the Emilia-Romagna Region and the City of Parma were represented by Nicola Dall'Olio and Gianluca Borghi, Councillor for Environmental Sustainability, Energy and Mobility, respectively.
Representing Unipr students were Giacomo Maria Cerreto, Vice-President of the Student Council, and Francesco Carpena, President of the Parma branch of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN ASSI).
The COP1 was an important step towards the sustainable transformation of campuses and territories, in line with key European strategies-from the European Green Deal to the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which supports 112 European cities on the path to climate neutrality by 2030. They included Parma along with Angers, Gävle and Wrocław. The representatives of the four cities presented the activities respectively initiated in the Smart Cities area.
The meeting also facilitated a direct discussion between Rectors, Mayors, regional representatives, members of the EU GREEN Student Council and researchers/researchers, with the aim of aligning academic and territorial strategies and building a common vision for a sustainable future.
During the day there were working tables, workshops, and networking sessions dedicated to:
- Sharing good practices
- Promoting universities as living labs for sustainable innovation
- Discussing the role of education, research, and student participation in achieving climate goals
- Working on the draft of a common charter for sustainable cooperation between universities and territories.
CoP1 marks the beginning of a collaborative journey that will continue through the second Conference of the Parties (COP2), scheduled for October 2026. On that occasion, the universities and institutions will present concrete projects and joint applications for European funding, integrating female students and students and researchers into the real challenges of Cities and Regions.
