Post-Covid-19 economic recovery plans in the EU must not remain tied to GDP growth targets, but promote social and environmental well-being to enable everyone to live well within the limits of the planet, Greenpeace warned on Monday 25 May, pending the Commission's proposal.
According to the NGO, whether they are future proof, that they provide for everyone and safeguard fundamental rights are the three tests for measuring whether the economic recovery plans live up to the rhetoric or whether they entrench the current fossil-fuel and waste-intensive economic system, hidden under a thin green veneer.
“Von der Leyen and many governments are fixated on an outdated growth model - calling it 'green growth' is only a smokescreen. The post-coronavirus economy cannot be a decarbonised version of the pre-coronavirus economy. We must build back better. Rather than handing out money indiscriminately, including to polluting industries, von der Leyen should focus on social and environmental welfare, economic transformation and investment in sectors with future-proof employment”, comments Greenpeace EU Director, Jorgo Riss.
The NGO advocates for:
Sustainability. No bailouts for gas, oil and coal industries, airlines, car manufacturers or other polluters without strict environmental and social conditions; align all measures with a 65% cut in EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2030; an end to fossil fuel subsidies.
Provide for everyone. Protect livelihoods and decent jobs, end tax avoidance and ensure that the wealthiest contribute the biggest share of recovery funding.
Fundamental rights. Make funding conditional on respect for democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law, and sanction any infringements; discourage the use of tracing apps. See the tests: https://bit.ly/2zwcj2K (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)