Nachhaltiges Europa Abschlusspublikation - Global Marshall Plan

• We are developing integrated holistic strategies
for a sustainable use of natural resources and
the prevention and recycling of waste, while our
Integrated Product Policy initiative seeks to reduce
the environmental impacts of products throughout
their lifecycles.
• At a big EU biodiversity conference in Ireland,
organised by the Irish Presidency, we identified
further measures that we need to take to stop
biodiversity loss in the EU, but also globally.
• We will soon publish a Handbook on Green
Public Procurement, which will advise public
authorities at all levels in the Member States how
to purchase sustainable goods and services.
• We are reaching out to citizens by informing
them on environmental matters and encouraging
them to participate in decision-making, by closely
consulting their associations and other stakeholders
when we draw up new policies, and by giving
consumers a choice through eco-labelling.
• Major policy proposals by the European Commission
are now accompanied by impact assessments,
which examine and balance their economic,
social and environmental effects.
Secondly, the EU has taken steps to improve coherence
between its internal policies and their external
effects. The ongoing reforms of the EU's
common agricultural and fisheries policies clearly
represent a move towards greater sustainability.
Thirdly, we are delivering on our international
commitments.
• The EU offered major concessions to inject
new life into the WTO talks under the Doha
Development Agenda.
• Overall, EU Member States are steadily increasing
their levels of official development aid as
agreed at the international Monterrey conference
on financing development two years ago.
• We are spending this aid more effectively
through better co-ordination of development cooperation
policies, the untying of aid, and participation
in the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initia-
tive.
• Last, but not least, we launched three major
Partnership initiatives in Johannesburg: the EU
Energy Initiative, the Forest Action Plan and the
EU Water Initiative. For the Water Initiative, which
seeks to improve access to clean water and sanitation
in the developing world, the EU has recently
made half a billion € available.
SD and economic growth
Nachhaltiges Europa
As you can see, the EU’s record in advancing sustainable
development both in the EU and globally
is impressive. However, we must not fool our-
selves by painting too rosy a picture. We are not
there yet.
We have the tools, we have the knowledge, we
have the commitments. So, what is missing?
I would like to raise this question for discussion
here, but will briefly mention two issues that I
consider important.
One problem I see is that economic growth is still
regarded as the main key to improving human
welfare. And during times of economic downturn,
all the other aspects of sustainable development -
its social, environmental, future-oriented and
intra-generational dimensions - tend to be consid-
ered “unaffordable extras.”
Most of us will probably agree that this is a shortsighted
view. There is no business case for using
chemicals without knowing what they do to us. We
are paying dearly for this mistake, for example by
spending billions of € and US$ on treating and
compensating victims of asbestos and removing it
from our buildings.
There is no business case for standing by and
watching climate change unfold. According to
Swiss Re, one of the world's largest re-insurers,
the economic costs of global warming threaten to
rise to 150 billion dollars a year in 10 years.
And still, opposition to REACH and our climate
change policies is strong. Is it due to the fact that
the critics are not the ones who have to pay for
the damage caused by chemicals and climate
change - that the external costs of certain policies
and practices are not internalised? If political leaders
are willing to change this - how can they do
this without triggering an exodus of businesses?
Secondly, sustainable development will not happen
unless there is real demand for it in society –
and this demand is not there yet. Is it because it is
a somewhat abstract concept that is difficult to
convey in concrete terms? What is needed to convince
the wider public of the value of sustainable
development?
As I said at the beginning, sustainable development
is a vision. It has the potential to become a
guiding principle for future human development
and to help us reach a balance between economic
freedoms, social justice and a healthy planet,
between North and South – planet, people,
prosperity.
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