Brussels, 16/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Communication on sustainable development, adopted on Tuesday in Strasbourg by the Commission (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.9), defines a strategy for the Union, capable of conciliating its economic, social and ecological development in the long-term and provide an example to other countries in the world for sustainable development at the planetary scale.
This document, entitled "a sustainable Europe for a better world: a Union strategy for sustainable development", constitutes the Commission proposal for the Gothenburg European Summit (15-16 June), invited to take urgent and ambitious measures to improve the quality of life of present and future generations. The strategy is based on intersectoral proposals, priority aims and measures to be adopted at the Community level to put an end to the main trends contrary to sustainable development - climatic change, dangers for public health, reduction in biodiversity and saturation of transport. The ageing population social exclusion are among the many unsustainable trends identified by the Commission in its consultation document from March, but the strategy is not slow, given that it has been sufficiently deepened by the Nice and Stockholm Summits in the framework of the Lisbon strategy. Below are the Commission proposals:
Inter-sectoral proposals: (1) A more harmonized approach to Union policies that will all have to have sustainable development as main goal, this demands: a) adopting horizontal and transversal measures better to formulate Union policies so as to remedy the inconsistencies and contradiction of sectoral policies; b) proceeding with a systematic assessment of the economic and environmental consequences of each of them in relation to sustainable development; c) determining, on the occasion of the next reviews of common Union policies - agricultural policy, fisheries policy, transport policy - how these may contribute more effectively to sustainable development. (2) A review of the working methods of all Community institutions, so as to proceed with a de-compartmentalization of their activities by overcoming the traditional sectoral approach. A progress report on the subject will be made at the European Summit of Laeken (3) Galvanizing public opinion through systematic early dialogue with all players - notably consumer representatives - in view of improving the quality of legislation and its early application.
Measures to take at European level, in the medium and long term
Climate change/clean energy: a) over and above pledges made under the Kyoto Protocol (8% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2008-2012 in relation to 1990), attempt to reduce average emissions by 20% for 2020 (at the rate of 1% a year); b) gradual abolition, by 2010, of subsidies to the production and consumption of fossil fuels; c) establishment of a new framework relating to tax on energy products (firstly the adoption of the proposal on the Council's table, then two years later, proposal for a new regulation aimed at internalising environmental costs linked to consumption of energy products and the indexation of prices on inflation of minimum excise levels); d) development of a system of negotiable CO2 emission permits; e) promotion of substitution fuels like bio-fuels for cars and lorries; f) measures to increase energy efficiency.
Reduced health risks: by a) setting up a European food authority in 2002; b) redirecting the CAP to give priority to the quality of production methods and products rather than to quantity, and gradually phasing out subsidies to tobacco while providing for measures that allow new sources of income and new jobs to be found for farmers and workers in that sector; c) improving consumer information through clear product labelling; d) developing a global Community strategy to promote health and safety at work.
More responsible management of resources: a) define biodiversity indicators and indicators for the use of resources; b) reduce the size of EU fishing fleets to a level that is compatible with sustainability at global level; c) reform CAP; d) develop an integrated products policy with a view to reducing waste; e) set in place, by 2003, Community legislation on environmental accountability.
Improved transport systems and spatial planning: a) set in place a taxation scale that guarantees a correct price for the different forms of transport; b) grant priority to investment intended for public transport and the railway; c) open up the Union's railway and air traffic markets more to competition.
This Communication is the Commission's response to the request made of it by the European Council of Helsinki (December 1999) to satisfy the demands of the Treaty of the Union that makes of sustainable development one of the Union's main tasks. According to the Commission, which did not want to refer before the press of Commissioner's Fischler's disquiet concerning his reservations over subsidies to tobacco, the Communication was adopted through a consensus at the end of a one-and-a-half hour debate in the College, mainly revolving on climate change, subsidies to fossil fuels and to tobacco.
The ministers of the Fifteen will have a first opportunity to discuss this at the Environment Council of 7 and 8 June.