On the initiative of the S&D group in the Parliament, European social democrats presented on Wednesday 27 October in Brussels the political proposals for the future and the concrete proposals they advocate to build fairer and more sustainable societies through global solutions based on people’s well-being and not only on GDP.
The second report on the progressive society, entitled ‘The Great Shift - From Broken World to Sustainable Well-Being’, released on this occasion, contains over 240 proposals.
It is the result of a year of work by 25 experts from the ‘Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality’ (ICSE), led by former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, to find solutions to overcome the current meta-crisis and build ‘sustainable welfare societies’.
For the President of the S&D group in the European Parliament, Iratxe García Pérez from Spain, this report is “the roadmap for the big shift, working on legislation; a reflection to move forward in a coordinated way on all fronts, towards a more sustainable, more humane society”.
It contains “recommendations to be negotiated in order to influence the European Commission’s work programme and the 2024 electoral programme by promoting the values of solidarity and social justice”.
Poverty reduction, biodiversity protection, COP26, governance reform, including economic reform, are ingredients of the global ambition advocated.
The Vice-Chairman of the S&D group, Frenchman Eric Andrieu, considered it “essential, at a time when the social democratic family is being refounded, to provide elements of analysis and concrete and operational proposals”.
The report is based on the observation that the capitalism that has been in place for 50 years is economically unjust. 1% of the population holds more than 25% of Europe’s wealth (globally 1% holds 44% of wealth), while 91 million people live below the poverty line, he stressed.
“The social, climate, economic and political crises cannot be treated individually. The term meta-crisis is used to emphasise the need for a global vision to deal with these crises at the same time. The European response is interesting, but it is a potential social bomb. The Commission has not measured its impact on people. We need a socially just transition”, said the MEP, citing the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy and the Fit for 55 climate legislation package.
The policy proposals they describe as forward-looking include: - the reform of the ‘Stability and Growth Pact’ into a ‘European Pact for Sustainable Welfare’; - a binding biodiversity law to protect plants and animals; - a binding EU anti-poverty law to eradicate poverty by 2050; - a European net wealth tax to tackle growing inequality and fund public investment; - guaranteeing energy as a basic social right to counter the explosion in energy prices; - taking into account the carbon footprint of imported goods; - a Responsible Capitalism Act to regulate the social and environmental responsibility of companies doing business in the Single Market; - climate risk insurance for low-income households in case of damage caused by climate change.
“Private insurance is not enough for social justice. There should be an insurance principle, as in health insurance, where the largest number of people pay”, said Mr Andrieu.
The report will be presented on 12 November in Paris to launch the campaign of Paris Mayor and French Presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo, in the presence of Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spanish Minister Teresa Ribera Rodríguez and PES President Sergei Stanishev.
To consult the report: https://bit.ly/3GsHp9m (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)