52nd Breakfast @ Sustainability's | 24 November 2026, 10:00–12:00 CET | Online (Microsoft Teams)
How can Europe renovate its historic buildings to meet climate targets while safeguarding their cultural value and identity? What trade-offs arise between energy efficiency, accessibility and heritage conservation — and how can policy frameworks better support integrated, place-based solutions?
These questions will be at the centre of the 52nd edition of ICLEI Europe‘s flagship Breakfast at Sustainability’s series, co-organised with Europa Nostra, taking place online on 24 November 2026, 10:00–12:00 CET. The event brings together representatives of EU institutions, cultural heritage organisations, energy-efficiency experts and local practitioners to examine how current policy frameworks support (or hinder) the dual objective of heritage preservation and climate neutrality at local, regional and European levels.
Why it matters
As European cities and regions strive to balance place identity, social cohesion, energy performance and resource efficiency, this event comes at a critical moment to reflect on how policy frameworks can better enable the sustainable transformation of the built environment. Discussions will explore how cultural heritage can serve as a resource for addressing multiple crises within the broader EU policy landscape, including the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), National Renovation Plans, the New European Bauhaus, the Culture Compass, and the recently published Joint Declaration “Europe for Culture – Culture for Europe”. The conversation will also address practical challenges on the ground — from regulatory constraints to financing and skills gaps — while identifying opportunities for more integrated, place-based and heritage-sensitive approaches.
This edition is jointly organised in the framework of two EU-funded initiatives: INHERIT, a Horizon Europe project developing integrated solutions for the sustainable, inclusive, resource-efficient and resilient renovation of cultural heritage, and the European Heritage Hub, a Preparatory Action led by Europa Nostra that brings together key heritage actors and networks across Europe to support the green, digital and social transformation of society. The event will serve as a platform to discuss, validate and refine key policy insights emerging from both initiatives, feeding into a joint Policy Brief with actionable recommendations.
Who should attend
The roundtable is designed for representatives of EU institutions, cultural heritage organisations, energy-efficiency experts and local and regional practitioners engaged in the renovation of historic buildings. It is particularly relevant for professionals working on multi-level governance and cooperation, financing and economic instruments for renovation, technical solutions and materials for heritage buildings, skills and capacity building, regulatory and standards frameworks, or digital tools for heritage management — the six thematic areas around which the discussion, and the resulting INHERIT Policy Brief, are structured.
Framework
Breakfast at Sustainability’s is ICLEI Europe’s established series of policy discussions on Europe, urban sustainability and local democracy. This edition focuses on the sustainable renovation of historic buildings and is linked to INHERIT’s policy recommendations and to the European Heritage Hub.
Practical information
- Date: 24 November 2026
- Time: 10:00-12:00 CET
- Format: Online, via Microsoft Teams
- Organisers: ICLEI Europe and Europa Nostra, in the framework of INHERIT and the European Heritage Hub
- Registration link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/2c4d9a1e-3397-48f2-aa65-2ba8638dee1c@0de12ae4-52f7-437d-880e-18bdf140de7e
Further details, the speaker line-up and registration information will be published in the coming weeks.