Blog Eco-innovation experts gathered in Prague

Environmental technologies, innovations in transportation, resource and energy utilization, as well as strategic city development plans and IT solutions for air quality improvement—these were the key topics discussed by eco-innovation experts at the international conference. The 14th Eco-Innovation Forum, organized by the European Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, was held in Prague for the first time this year. International experts included, for example, Timo Makela, Director-General for the Environment at the European Commission, and Jean-François Retière, Vice President of Nantes Métropole, while Václav Král from the South Bohemian company MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s. represented the Czech Republic at the forum. “Everyone is aware that polluted air poses tremendous health risks and diminishes quality of life. At the forum, we discussed programs for so-called clean mobility, sustainable transportation, further reduction of harmful emissions, and also health protection, ecological innovations, and solutions for specific urban problems—particularly the ever-increasing traffic, where utilizing compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel in various vehicle types emerges as a viable solution. Furthermore, activities by the public sector in this area and their impact on the competitiveness of the economy are also crucial,” said Václav Král, Manager at MOTOR JIKOV Strojírenská a.s., who presented specific economic and ecological benefits of CNG in transportation. The forum was aimed at representatives of the private sector, research institutions, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and local authorities who are professionally interested in the application of eco-innovations and support for integrating new environmental technologies into the market.