The EU Commission aims to scrap proven regulations for genetically modified plants. We addressed the false sustainability claims of the GMO-industry and raised awareness of the huge problem of patent claims on all “New Genomic Techniques” (NGT).

We kickstarted an EU-wide petition for transparency and strict regulation that collected more than 420 000 signatures. Due to this pressure from citizens, Austria’s conservative-greens government has taken a clear position supporting strict regulation and labelling and has forged alliances with other governments.

Our system, and the capitalist paradigm of ‘growth’, clearly shows its limits. It is time to explore other alternative paths and to propose economic, political, social, and family ‘post-growth’ possibilities to redefine the foundations of a sustainable and just society.

In 2023, we organised more than 20 public screenings of the documentary film “Moins & Mieux. Vers une société post-croissance” that we co-produced. This documentary depicts a range of degrowth alternatives, all contributing to a collective project for a society based on simplicity, solidarity, sustainability, and well-being.

The campaign against the proposed incinerator at KBC Rebro, co-led by us and the Citizens’ Initiative “Stop the Rebro Incinerator”, achieved success through rigorous advocacy and highlighting planning discrepancies. As a result, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development suspended the environmental impact assessment, effectively halting the construction of the incinerator. This victory underscores citizen power in resisting harmful projects and emphasises the need for sustainable waste management solutions. Despite this victory, ongoing vigilance is crucial to advocate for lasting change in waste management practices.

Last year was a crucial year for community energy in the Czech Republic. There is a great interest in community energy, especially among municipalities. That is why we successfully pushed through a law that allows individuals, municipalities, local companies, and associations to establish energy communities and practically share energy.

We also established our first energy cooperative in December. The cooperative has more than 200 members and is working on its first projects.

In 2023, the European Commission proposed to allow GMOs in our food and to exempt new GMOs from current requirements for risk assessment, traceability, and labelling. Together with a broad Danish coalition, we fought to preserve people’s ability to opt out of GMOs.

We launched a nationwide petition demanding that all GMOs continue to be risk assessed, labelled and traceable from farm to fork. GMOs are a false solution to the food crisis. NOAH advocates for agroecological, regenerative agriculture instead.

To meet renewable energy goals, many countries are pushing to expedite permitting procedures and impact assessments for renewable energy projects, but this must be done carefully to also account for biodiversity preservation.

Our campaign “Renewable Energy and Biodiversity Can Coexist” addresses this crucial issue. Through initiatives like a video and a webinar, we sought to minimize the negative impact of renewable projects on ecosystems.

A roundtable discussion for representatives of municipalities, ministries and the European Commission further delved into challenges and solutions. By fostering dialogue and innovation, we aim to inspire the development of renewable energy parks that nurture biodiversity while advancing carbon neutrality. It is vital to safeguard our planet’s natural diversity as we pursue cleaner energy solutions.

Alongside the municipal elections, parliamentary elections took place in Luxembourg in 2023, marking a crucial juncture in the political landscape. In the run-up to these, we organised numerous participatory member forums. These fora were instrumental in formulating a comprehensive roadmap comprising 152 pages of detailed policy recommendations.

Leading up to the elections, all political parties were invited to participate in two widely attended roundtable discussions focusing on agriculture, environmental conservation, nature preservation, and economic growth. These discussions served as platforms where parties grappled with the demands we put forth, adding depth to the electoral discourse.

We sued the Norwegian state over permits to dump mining waste in the pristine Førdefjorden. Since 2009, we’ve worked to save this fjord from being turned into a waste dump for the mining industry. Activists have done extensive political lobbying, campaigning and activism to stop the plans.

The case was heard through 10 days in court. Sadly, we lost the case. The permits were declared legal. We appealed in Februrary 2024. The case is also being taken to the European level through the ESA Court, who will provide a legal consideration to the Court of Appeal.

Maintaining the obligation to collect kitchen biowaste in households is our greatest success in 2023. It was a tough fight! We collaborated on the preparation of the relevant provisions in the legislation, and took part in demanding negotiations with opponents. Now 85% of the population in Slovakia participates in one of the systems for the collection of kitchen biowaste: the separate collection of kitchen biowaste from households (45%), joint collection of kitchen and garden biowaste (17%), or for home composting (36%).

In a former Slovenian mining region, we facilitated a bottom-up process of establishing the Green Hrastnik energy cooperative and led its first community energy project – installing a 300 kW photovoltaic power plant for collective self-consumption on the Hrastnik primary school. Powering 16 households, the school, town hall, swimming pool, shop, and two companies, it is Slovenia’s first example of a cooperative self-consumption project. Embracing the ideal of “power to the people”, we brought together the Municipality of Hrastnik and engaged citizens on a democratic basis. Our pioneering cooperative model, emphasising solidarity-based management of common resources and environmental sustainability, is poised to catalyse a wave of community energy projects in Slovenia.

As biodiversity loss accelerates in Switzerland and no measures have been taken by the government after the Convention on Biological Diversity COP in 2022, we gathered in front of the Swiss Parliament on the International Day for Biodiversity, to ring the alarm to the public a few months before the Swiss general elections.

With giant dominos, featuring images of threatened species that were brought to fall in a chain reaction 5 minutes before 12, the symbolism was clear: biodiversity loss is an ongoing tragedy, and Human beings – portrayed on the last domino piece – are ultimately in danger if nothing is done to stop the destruction.