The NEB, an initiative launched during the annual State of the Union addresses in 2020 from the very beginning, was an opportunity to initiate a European renewal, where the use of the circular economy was a core principle of this initiative. Furthermore, in order to realise the NEB, a co-creation space was established where architects, artists, students, engineers and designers could work together.
Three years after its launch, the New European Bauhaus has already more than 600 partner organisations, which have reached millions of European citizens through their local initiatives. To be precise, the President recalled how in Italy already over 100 partners and friends (enterprises and public administrations) have joined the initiative. One of the examples highlighted by President von der Leyen was the South Tyrolean NEB Lab project called 'Bauhaus of the Mountains'. The initiative, whose coordinators include the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, EURAC Research and the CasaClima Agency, involves many other local stakeholders. It is currently working on new projects at local level. As highlighted by the President of the European Commission, the NEB of the Mountains “is a bottom-up experience that is bringing the spirit of Bauhaus to the Mountains”.