Brussels, 25/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Rio plus in vain or Rio-20, take your pick. The most bitter observers have not been short of words to describe the meagre results of the UN summit on sustainable development (RIO+20) which came to an end in Rio de Janeiro on Friday 22 June with a minimalist declaration - “The future we want”. The future being paved with good intentions, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit, the 194 parties which were to supposed to write the roadmap towards a green economy and eradication of world poverty contented themselves with setting a few objectives for 2015 while being careful not to commit to anything in the least binding. Though disappointed, the European Union wanted to present this summit as “a step in the right direction”, to use the words of Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development and chief EU negotiator. “We would have hoped for a more ambitious outcome, for instance with regard to the definition of concrete timelines for the realisation of goals in the priority areas covered by the document. At the same time, we welcome the fact that this outcome document acknowledges the important role of the green economy in achieving sustainable development and poverty eradication … We also welcome the document's recognition of the need for broader measures of progress to complement GDP, and the importance of corporate sustainability reporting. We must now turn these words into action”, he said on Saturday. The commissioner also believes that the agreement on the strengthening of the institutional framework of sustainable development is a step forwards, and in particular of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), even if the EU has had to renounce its hope, for the moment, of seeing UNEP become a true world agency for the environment.
Regretting that “the eurozone crisis has been a distraction from the Rio summit instead of an impetus for action” Matthias Groote MEP (S&D, Germany), who chairs the European Parliament's environment committee, considers that the summit finished with “Rio-20 results”, in other words “with good intentions that echo a summit 20 years in the past, instead of the firm sustainable development targets and timelines that could establish a green economy 20 years in the future”. The promise of an increased role for UNEP is a step in the right direction but is far from enough for the European Parliament “which has called for the creation of an international court to ensure crimes against the environment do not go unpunished.” The Parliament will examine the results of the summit with the Commission in Strasbourg on 5 July.
The EESC was pleased that Rio+20 established the role of civil society in sustainable development. “What the EU has brought to Rio from Brussels is the way in which we in the European Union integrate dialogue with our social partners and civil society into our decision-making process”, said Jose Manuel Barroso, at a conference organised by the EESC on the sidelines of the Rio+20. Environment and development NGOs are united in reviling the lack of political will which led to the failure of the summit. They are extremely sorry that the call to put an end to subsidies for polluting energy was not heard. “We didn't get the Future We Want in Rio because we do not have the leaders we need”, notes Greenpeace for whom “the leaders of the most powerful countries support Business as Usual; shamefully putting private profit before people and the planet”. (AN/transl.fl)