Strategy for sustainable development
PLENARY SESSION 1
The European Union has formulated a long-term strategy to dovetail the policies for economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development, its goal being sustainable improvement of the well-being and standard of living of current and future generations.
This strategy provides a policy framework to deliver sustainable development, i.e. to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It rests on three separate pillars – economic, social and environmental – which need to reinforce one another to ensure sustainable development. The economic, social and environmental consequences of all policies thus need to be examined in a coordinated manner and taken into account when those policies are being drawn up and adopted. This strategy, which adds a third, environmental, dimension to the Lisbon strategy, is designed to be a catalyst for policy makers and public opinion, to change society’s behaviour. It is built around crosscutting proposals, measures to attain long-term objectives and progress reviews. Cross-cutting proposals
The communication indicates that policies need to be made more consistent and that all of them should give priority to sustainable development. The Commission is preparing mechanisms to ensure that all major legislative proposals include an assessment of the potential economic, environmental and social benefits and costs. Prices need to reflect environmental and social costs; this will result in a market with less polluting products and services and will change consumer behaviour. We need to invest in scientific and technical innovation. The Community’s framework programmes of research and technical development should focus more on sustainable development. Better communication will help involve businesses and the public. The communication underlines the importance of systematic dialogue with consumers and of consulting other countries. The strategy needs to look beyond the borders of the European Union (EU) and contribute towards sustainable development in the rest of the world. Community policies must support efforts by other countries to achieve sustainable development. The external dimension of sustainable development was detailed more thoroughly in the Commission’s communication on a global partnership for sustainable development and was approved at the Barcelona European Council in 2002 (see "Related acts"). Measures to attain long-term objectives
The strategy identifies six unsustainable trends on which action needs to be taken, two of which are already covered by the Lisbon strategy: combating poverty and social exclusion, and dealing with the implications of an ageing society. The strategy’s first specific long-term objective is to limit climate change , firstly by meeting the commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and then by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1% per year over 1990 levels up to 2020. The EU will put pressure on the major industrialised countries to meet their Kyoto commitments. Limiting major threats to public health is another of the strategy’s objectives. Food safety and quality will be ensured throughout the food chain. Threats to health and the environment posed by chemicals should be removed by 2020. Issues relating to epidemics and resistance to antibiotics will be tackled. More responsible management of natural resources is also an objective. We need to break the link between economic growth and use of resources and halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Limiting the adverse effects of transport and reducing regional disparities is another long-term objective, for which we need to break the link between economic growth and transport growth and do more to develop environmentally friendly transport. The share represented by road transport in 2010 should not be higher than in 1998. The strategy lists a whole series of practical measures at EU level for attaining these objectives.