AUTHOR: Peyton Daley
The IEEP is excited to welcome three new members to the organisation’s Strategic Advisory Council. Environmental experts Chiara Martinelli (CAN Europe) and Luc Bas (CERAC), and communications specialist Claudia La Donna (Hanover) have joined the panel of respected scientists, policymakers, and academics.
IEEP established the Strategic Advisory Council to provide insight and inspiration from knowledgeable and respected individuals and guide IEEP’s research priorities, engagement initiatives and communications planning. These new additions to the advisory body will help shape IEEP’s strategy and outreach in the coming years.
Chiara Martinelli is the current director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting against climate change. Consisting of over 200 members, 40 countries, and 4 offices, CAN Europe works to connect environment and development organisations to promote sustainable climate policies across the continent and raise awareness through joint lobby campaigns, information exchange, and coordinated development of NGO strategies.
Chiara Martinelli said: “I am delighted to join the IEEP Strategic Advisory Council. In the current EU political context, it is crucial to strengthen the contribution of civil society organisations to feed the debate with ambitious and science-based messages and to hold EU policymakers accountable for continuing to deliver the urgently needed action to drive the transition towards a climate-neutral, fossil-free and socially just European continent.”
Her extensive experience in international development will help IEEP expand its network of sustainability think tanks and streamline its policy recommendations for a green transition.
As the current Director of Belgium Climate and Environment Risk Assessment Center (CERAC), Luc Bas advises the National Security Council, providing recommendations to government partners and working to communicate environmental risks and solutions to a wider audience. He formerly served as the Head of Coordination, Networks and Strategy at the European Environmental Agency.
Luc Bas said: “IEEP has a strong reputation for providing recommendations in an ever complex and volatile policy environment based on sound evidence. Its independent contributions will be terribly needed to continue and accelerate the EU sustainable pathway that started with the EU Green Deal.”
Luc’s expertise in business, governance, and outreach aligns perfectly with the IEEP’s strategic goals for 2023-2027, which include embedding new economic thinking based on planetary boundaries into national, regional, and global markets and addressing the negative external impacts of SDG policies beyond EU borders.
Claudia La Donna is an accomplished public affairs adviser passionate about the green and digital transition. She currently heads the public affairs agency Hanover’s Brussels team, providing high-level strategic advice and advocacy strategies targeting EU policymakers. With twenty years of professional experience in public affairs in Brussels, she has worked in various positions in consultancies, in-house roles, and within the European Commission.
Claudia La Donna said: “I am thrilled to join the Institute for European Environmental Policy as part of its Strategic Advisory Council. I firmly believe in the vital role and immense value that organisations like the IEEP play at this crucial juncture, as businesses prepare to implement the ambitious Green Deal and look ahead to Europe’s new priorities. The IEEP serves as a strategic guide and interlocutor for the private sector, helping navigate this evolving landscape and progress on the path of the green transition.”
Claudia has supported many corporations, trade associations, and industry alliances in anticipating and mitigating regulatory risks and seizing regulatory opportunities at the EU and national levels. She now advises Hanover’s clients on a range of EU environmental initiatives, including eco-design, packaging and waste, batteries, single-use plastics, and broader issues of circularity and sustainability. Claudia’s insight can help the IEEP effectively communicate evidence and recommendations to policymakers and stakeholders.
Other esteemed members of the Strategic Advisory Council include Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Independent Consultant and Co-President of The Club of Rome; Sirpa Pietikäinen, Finnish Member of European Parliament; Andrea Kohl, Former Acting Director and EPO Programme Director at the WWF European Policy Office; Christian Hey, Director for Climate, Sustainable Urban Development and Biodiversity at the Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Agriculture and Consumer Protection; David Stanners, Former Programme Head at the European Environment Agency and current IEEP UK Board Member; Derek Osborn, Former IEEP Board Member; Nick Molho, Head of Climate Policy for Aviva Investors; Petros Fassoulas, Secretary General of the European Movement International; Ralph Hallo, Founder and Director of Brussels Strategics.
Our societies are currently being challenged by a multitude of driving forces, such as the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and increases in costs of living, which divert attention away from existential threats represented by global warming, biodiversity loss, unsustainable food production, and economic activities exceeding the ecological limits of our planet. As the world is now entering the decisive phase for tackling many of these problems, especially with the first Plenary of the newly elected European Parliament determining who will lead legislation in this critical time, IEEP must streamline its work to maximise its impact in national, European, and global policymaking.
In the coming years, the contributions of the Strategic Advisory Council will be significantly beneficial in transforming IEEP, widening the scope of its activities by connecting with the industry, NGOs, and consumer organisations and proactively presenting its research results and policy recommendations to the EU and beyond.
