New European Bauhaus in focus of President von der Leyen's visit to Venice Biennale

On 26 May 2023, President of the European Commission attended an event about the New European Bauhaus during the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. La Biennale di Venezia was established in 1895 and is today acknowledged as one of the most prestigious cultural institutions.

At the event she discussed among others the threats of climate change for world cultural heritage, including Venice, and our actions do preserve it. She particularly focused on the New European Bauhaus, a creative and interdisciplinary initiative that connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences.

“To preserve our planet and the beauty of our planet, we must urgently transform the way we build and heat our homes. And this is essentially what the New European Bauhaus is all about,” the President said.

Three years after its launch, the New European Bauhaus has already got over 600 partner organisations, who have reached millions of European citizens thanks to their local initiatives. The New European Bauhaus has even reached beyond the borders of the European Union, President von der Leyen said and detailed how the EU had been helping Ukrainians by bringing expertise and knowledge on how to rebuild Ukraine sustainably.

“The brave people of Ukraine deserve our full support for this reconstruction. And we have discussed over the last months with our Ukrainian friends that, when rebuilding the country from the ashes of war, it should happen in a sustainable way.”

She also touched upon the actions of the New European Bauhaus in Italy, where over 100 partners and friends have joined the initiative. “Italy is an important driver of the New European Bauhaus and an endless source of inspiration and innovation for our movement”, she noted, adding that many ‘local chapters' were now being set up across the EU.

She concluded by giving an outlook on the future activities. She said the first pioneer hubs of the New European Bauhaus academy were being set up, to train construction professionals on sustainability, circularity and bio-based materials. “So far, we have invested over EUR 100 million in projects that follow the principles of the New European Bauhaus. Another EUR 100 million is secured for this and next year,” she said, announcing that the Commission was also working on a concept to support the New European Bauhaus community ‘even better in the long term'.