EC Review Shows Progress in Europe's Sustainable Development Strategy
July 24, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
On July 24, the European Commission (EC) adopted the report, 2009 Review of the European Union Strategy for Sustainable Development, a three-year assessment of the EU's sustainable development strategy.
The review confirms that positive European Union (EU) policy progress has been made in all seven priority areas covered by the strategy. Examples include the following:
The report, however, pointed out that unsustainable trends persist in several areas. For example, the demands upon natural resources are growing, biodiversity is in decline, and energy consumption in transport continues to rise.
The review said current economic and financial crisis has shown that sustainability is also a key factor for the financial systems and the economy as a whole. Measures to support the real economy and to reduce the social impact of the current crisis must be compatible with long-term sustainability goals and a strategy of smart, 'green' growth.
The review also reflected on how the EU sustainable development strategy could evolve in the future. Areas to consider include greater alignment with the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, other cross-cutting EU strategies, further streamlining of the strategy, and better monitoring and coordination.
"We have made solid progress on integrating sustainable development into EU policy areas. This review highlights the progress we have made over the last three years and the areas where further work is needed," said EC President José Manuel Barroso.
"The economic crisis creates a unique opportunity to create a new sustainable economy through smart green growth. I hope this review will stimulate reflection on how best to make progress on areas like energy consumption in the transport area, declining biodiversity and degradation of our ecosystem."
The report will allow the European Council to review priorities and to provide an orientation for the strategy's future at its next meeting in December. This report will be complemented by Eurostat's bi-annual monitoring report on sustainable development, to be published later in 2009.
Background
The EU Sustainable Development Strategy, adopted in June 2006, addressed seven main challenges: climate change and clean energy; sustainable transport; sustainable consumption and production; conservation and management of natural resources; public health; social inclusion, demography and migration; and global poverty.
The December 2007 European Council asked the EC to provide a second progress report on this strategy by June 2009. This review is in response to the request of the European Council.
In recent years, the EU has mainstreamed sustainable development into a broad range of its policies. In particular, the EU has taken the lead in the fight against climate change and the promotion of a low-carbon economy. At the same time, unsustainable trends persist in the EU in several areas and the efforts need to be intensified.
Source: European Commission (EC).