Within the framework of EU Green Week 2026, the Instituto Superior de Agronomia, the Energy Agency, the Climate Agency, and Mota-Engil ATIV joined forces to promote the event “Iberian Forest and Voluntary Carbon Markets,” which will take place on June 30 at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia in Lisbon.

This meeting will bring together leading experts and key stakeholders to discuss how Voluntary Carbon Markets (national, European, and private) are functioning within the Iberian forest, as a vehicle for investment in nature and climate action.

Objetives

To discuss and reinforce the strategic role of the Iberian forest in the context of climate action, as an essential environmental and economic asset. To explore how Voluntary Carbon Markets can contribute to enhancing forest value, by integrating scientific knowledge, sustainable forest management, public policies, and economic opportunities.

To raise awareness and clarify what credible and high-integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets are, promoting an informed understanding of their potential and risks. To examine the main challenges these markets face and discuss ways to overcome them. To understand how the interaction between European, national, and private markets is expected to evolve.

To explore Iberian forest-based carbon projects across different markets, understanding what distinguishes them and how they are expected to evolve in the future.

Context

Carbon markets, particularly voluntary markets, have been the subject of growing public attention, accompanied by a high circulation of information that often oversimplifies or distorts how they actually function. Concepts such as “carbon neutrality,” “offsetting,” or “carbon credits” are frequently used imprecisely. This lack of rigor has fostered misconceptions, at times promoting unrealistic expectations regarding the climate impact of these instruments, and at others generating distrust about their credibility.

The EU Green Week Partner Event label, awarded by the European Commission, recognized the relevance and timeliness of the topic, as well as its alignment with the European Union’s strategic priorities, namely the European Green Deal, carbon neutrality, and the credibility of Voluntary Carbon Markets.

More than formal recognition, this approval validates a vision: the need to educate and foster informed dialogue, promote Iberian cooperation, and advance concrete solutions that connect territory, forest, and market—ensuring real impact, transparency, and environmental value.

What is EU Green Week?

EU Green Week is the European Commission’s flagship annual event dedicated to EU environmental and climate policy.
This initiative brings together policymakers, businesses, universities, civil society, and experts to discuss concrete solutions for the sustainable transition, aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal.
The initiative highlights:

Best practices and innovative projects across Europe;
Public policy instruments and sustainable financing mechanisms;
The role of markets, science, and innovation in climate action.

In addition to the main event in Brussels, EU Green Week includes a network of Partner Events across several countries, reinforcing the collaborative, European, and multi‑stakeholder dimension of the green transition.
The event “Iberian Forest and Carbon Markets” is a GE 2026 Partner Event, which can be accessed here.