Brussels, 08/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption by show of hands in Strasbourg on Tuesday 7 September of a report drafted by Elisabeth Schroedter (Greens/EFA, Germany), the European Parliament is calling on the European Commission to: - propose, by 2011, a strategy accompanied by legislative and non-legislative measures aiming to encourage the creation of green jobs; draft specific policies to make it easier to move to a green economy, particularly by re-converting workers and aid with taking account of the environmental dimension in European industry.
The EP also stresses that: (1) the EU 2020 strategy based on growth and employment has missed an opportunity to develop the potential of jobs for a new sustainable economy; (2) the national education and training systems must be adapted to re-qualify workers who will be affected by the move to the new sustainable economy.
The MEPs also take the view that: - the member states must use the Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to implement the objectives and promote new skills, including new sustainable jobs which are ecological and of good quality. The regions must do the same with the Structural and Cohesion Funds to create new sustainable jobs; - incentives are needed to encourage businesses to invest in green technologies; - effective funding systems and tax breaks must be set in place to help SMEs to move towards employment strategies which are friendly to the environment and to guarantee green innovations and production.
Green jobs are not just limited to sectors of activity which are directly connected to the protection of the environment. A job can better be described as green if it helps move towards sustainable production methods, helps to save energy, uses reusable energy sources, uses fewer natural resources, preserves and helps rebuild the ecosystem and biodiversity, avoiding the production of waste products and atmospheric pollution, said Elisabeth Schroedter, referring to the definition given by the ILO (International Labour Organisation) in an information note entitled “Global Challenges for Sustainable Development: Strategies for Green Jobs”. (G.B./transl.fl)