9 Sustainable development strategy
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6433/05
COM(05) 37
| Commission Communication "The 2005 review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy: Initial Stocktaking and Future Orientations"
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SEC(05) 225
| Commission Staff Working Document: The 2005 Review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy - Stocktaking of Progress
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 9 February 2005
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| Deposited in Parliament | 18 February 2005
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| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 4 March 2005
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| Previous Committee Report | None, but see footnotes
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| To be discussed in Council | See paras 8.16 and 8.17 below
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
9.1 According to the Commission, sustainable development is a
fundamental objective under the Treaty; it underpins all Community
policies, actions and strategies and requires economic, environmental
and social policies to be designed and implemented in a mutually
reinforcing way. The Community first set out its commitment to
sustainable development in June 2001 at the Gothenburg European
Council, which adopted the EU Sustainable Development Strategy
(SDS). This was followed by a Commission Communication[8]
in 2002, which focussed on the external dimension of sustainable
development, and was endorsed by the European Council in Barcelona
ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held
in Johannesburg that year. These texts together form the basis
of the comprehensive EU Sustainable Development Strategy, and,
since there is an undertaking that the Commission will review
the Strategy at the start of each term in office, the new Commission
intends to do this in the course of 2005. This document represents
the first step in that process, and will be followed by a further
Communication later in the year.
The current document
9.2 The Commission says that, in addition to this obligation to
review the Strategy, the need for a review has been underlined
by a number of other developments. These include:
- the worsening of unsustainable trends, notably the growing
pressure on natural resources, biodiversity and the climate, as
well as persistent inequality and poverty and the increasing economic
and social challenges posed by an ageing population;
- Europe's economic underperformance, coupled with
new competitive pressures triggered by continued globalisation
and the emergence of newly industrialised countries;
- the need for new international commitments[9]
with the potential to contribute to global sustainable development
to be matched by increased efforts at implementation;
- the heightened sense of vulnerability created
by new security threats, such as terrorism, natural crises and
health scares, and the growing awareness of the need to take action
against organised crime, corruption and racism; and
- the enlargement of the European Union to 25 Member
States.
Main components of the Strategy
9.3 The Commission identifies four main components
of the Strategy. First, it sets out a broad vision of what
is sustainable, emphasizing that, ultimately, the economic,
social and environmental dimensions of sustainability must go
hand-in-hand and mutually reinforce one another: understanding
the importance of, and the interrelationships between, these three
elements is therefore crucial. The second (and, in the Commission's
view, arguably the most ambitious) part of the Strategy seeks
to improve the way in which policies are made, focussing
on greater coherence and increasing awareness of possible trade-offs
between conflicting objectives: according to the Commission, this
implies careful examination of their full effects, and that Community
policy makers should take into account the global context and
actively promote consistency between internal and external policies.
Thirdly, the Strategy addresses a limited number of trends
which the Commission regards as clearly not sustainable, such
as climate change and energy use; threats to public health; poverty
and social exclusion; ageing societies; management of natural
resources; and land use and transport. Finally, the global
dimension deals with various international goals, and focuses
on the priority objectives identified in the Community's contribution
to the WSSD (harnessing globalisation, trade for sustainable development,
fighting poverty, social development, sustainable management of
natural and environmental resources, improving the coherence of
Community policies, better governance at all levels, and financing
sustainable development).
Progress to date
9.4 The Commission says that, whilst some progress
has been made and immediate results cannot be expected, it is
clear that much remains to be done, there being few signs that
most of the threats to sustainable development have been reversed.
It then highlights a number of areas where important developments
have taken place, in terms of changing the way policies are
made and dealing with unsustainable trends.
9.5 On the first count, the Commission says that,
since 2001, the aim has been to make policies more coherent and
to create the right conditions to promote sustainable development,
with the central objective of integrating a number of horizontal
Treaty principles into all Community policies. This has been
accompanied by the introduction of a new Impact Assessment mechanism
in 2003, designed to make the trade-offs between competing goals
more explicit; developing the open method of coordination as a
means of promoting the exchange of good practice, and putting
pressure on Member States to adopt a more strategic and integrated
approach; and ensuring that market prices reflect the true costs
of economic activities to society, thereby encouraging changes
in production and consumption patterns (though the Commission
observes that decision-making is still sometimes difficult in
areas such as taxation because of the unanimity requirement in
the Council). It also highlights the importance of investing
in science and technology so as to optimise energy use, waste
and safety, and of communicating and mobilising citizens and business.
9.6 As regards unsustainable trends, the Commission
points out that the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) has
been a key measure against climate change in Europe, and that
the Community has also continued to play a leading role in promoting
the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and in implementing the
commitments made at the WSSD, but that much remains to be done.
It also says that:
- threats to public health
have continued to increase since 2001, particularly in relation
to obesity and HIV, and that in general health problems have been
increased by greater contact and global mobility, with bioterrorism
being another new element;
- poverty and social exclusion
represent a growing problem, particularly in some of the new Member
States and in certain population sub-groups (such as the unemployed,
single parents, disabled people and ethnic minorities): also,
whilst increasing life expectancy is a major achievement, Europe's
ageing society raises issues which need to be addressed,
given that neither migration nor a rapid increase in birth rates
can avert a sharp rise in the proportion of older people over
the next two decades;
- with the projected growth in world population,
and the threat to biodiversity and to resources such as fresh
water, the management of natural resources is important,
as is the need to encourage a shift from road transport to alternatives
with lower environmental impacts, and the part which infrastructure
charging can play in influencing transport demand, together with
improvements in vehicle and fuel technology; and
- globalisation is the
new context in which sustainable development has to be achieved,
but that the gains are too often unevenly spread, and that the
Community should support a coherent and integrated approach in
organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where
the integration of the developing world into the global economy
through the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) is seen as essential:
it also believes that this process can be aided by better governance
at global level, which — together with adequate financing
— it sees as a critical factor in reaching the Millennium
Development Goals.
Responding to the challenges
9.7 The remainder of the Communication examines the
following ways in which the Community can respond to these challenges.
Reaffirming the basic principles of the Sustainable
Development Strategy
9.8 In addition to highlighting the complementarity
between this and the Lisbon Strategy, the Commission suggests
that the review will confirm the three-dimensional nature of sustainable
development as the cornerstone of the strategy, in that economic
growth, social inclusion and environmental protection must necessarily
go hand-in-hand, both in Europe and in other parts of the world.
It adds that the review will also take into account the Community's
contribution to global sustainable development in two ways, namely
by addressing the international aspects of the unsustainable trends
addressed by the Strategy, and by integrating into it the external
policies which contribute to global sustainable development.
Reaffirming the new approach to policy making
and policy coherence
9.9 The Commission says that the review will reinforce
the "new approach to policy making" as the central means
of placing sustainable development at the core of Community policy-making.
In particular, the future Strategy will give a further boost
to the different components of the Community's better regulation
agenda, including impact assessment, stakeholder consultation
and regulatory simplification. In addition, sustainability impact
assessment studies will continue to be applied to major trade
agreements. Other aspects of this new approach include the open
method of coordination, the continued promotion of the use of
market-based instruments to reflect the true costs to society
of resource use and its environmental impact, and the importance
of investments in science and technology.
Maintaining a focus on key unsustainable trends
and exploring the linkages between these in greater detail
9.10 The Commission says that the review will maintain
the Strategy's focus on the main trends which pose a threat to
sustainable development, many of which can be tackled only through
continued action over a long period, involving major structural
changes (though it points out that this should not be an excuse
for inaction in the short run). It adds that the review will
include a thorough assessment of the unsustainable trends in the
current strategy with a view to identifying objectives and necessary
actions for the years to come, and that the priority areas identified
in 2001 should also be brought into line with the international
commitments made by the Community at the WSSD, as well as other
related multilateral agreements and commitments it has undertaken.
The review will also pay greater attention to identifying inter-relationships
between the selected unsustainable trends, where it will seek
to maximize positive synergies and reduce trade-offs.
Setting objectives, targets and milestones
9.11 The Commission recalls that the approach taken
in the 2001 Strategy was to define medium-term headline objectives
relating to each of the unsustainable trends and to identify a
number of measures intended to address these. It believes that
the current review will confirm the need for clearer objectives,
targets and related deadlines as a way of giving focus to action
in priority areas and enabling progress to be measured. It says
that, although the trends represent long-term problems needing
long-term solutions, the only way to ascertain that society is
moving in the right direction is by setting clear intermediate
targets and measuring progress.
9.12 The revised strategy will therefore present
new headline objectives for each of the unsustainable trends and
set the intermediate milestones allowing the Community to monitor
progress. The operational objectives and action plans will be
identified within the relevant internal and external sectoral
policies, which will also be the main vehicles for implementing
and monitoring policy initiatives.
Ensuring effective monitoring
9.13 The Commission suggests that the decision in
Gothenburg to ensure yearly monitoring of the strategy at the
Spring European Councils has fallen short of expectations, and
says that a reinforced reporting system will be developed in the
review, focussing on the short and medium-term delivery of the
Strategy's objectives, and combining and simplifying as far as
possible current reports on sustainable development issues. The
institutional responsibilities (particularly the roles of the
European Council and the European Parliament) in the monitoring
process will also be made clearer.
9.14 Monitoring will take place in particular on
the basis of sustainable development indicators developed by the
Commission. These will draw on, among other things, the various
indicators developed within the sectoral policy processes and
the synthesis already made from these in the set of structural
indicators which have monitored progress towards the targets set
as part of the Lisbon reform agenda. More effort will also be
put into developing future models, forecasts and further gathering
of scientific data to help effective monitoring.
Strengthen ownership and improve co-operation
with public and private actors at all levels
9.15 The Commission says that further action is needed
to raise awareness, and to mobilise and involve stakeholders at
all levels. It must be clear who is responsible for what action
at a given point in time, and who will bear the costs. To this
end, the Commission will explore how to create effective partnerships
with industry, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and
consumer interests, particularly with a view to discussing ways
of helping to curb the unsustainable trends identified by the
review. It adds that more consistency will be sought between
Community, global, national, regional and local initiatives to
promote sustainable development, and that possible actions should
include identifying common priorities under each of the headline
objectives; starting a process of mutual learning with Member
States and/or regions; and setting up mechanisms for the permanent
exchange of information on best practice. It also says that the
Community will need to step up its efforts to stimulate further
action in other parts of the world, including the developing world.
The Commission will therefore strive to develop the dialogue
on sustainable development objectives with partners outside the
Community, notably administrations and civil society in third
countries, as well as international organisations and NGOs focussed
on global issues.
9.16 The Commission says that it has invited the
European Council, the Council, the European Parliament, Member
States, regional authorities and all parts of civil society to
comment on these proposed orientations for the strategy, and that
the stakeholder forum organised by the European Economic and Social
Committee on 14-15 April 2005 will provide an initial opportunity
for discussion. The Commission will then present a proposal for
a revised Sustainable Development Strategy later this year.
The Government's view
9.17 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 4 March 2005,
the Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment) at the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Elliot
Morley) says that the Communication does not have any direct regulatory
impacts, though it does outline policies which are likely to form
the basis of proposals later in the year. He adds that the Environment
Council on 10 March was expected to provide a reaction as part
of its preparation for the Spring European Council.
Conclusion
9.18 As the Commission points out, sustainable
development has become an increasingly significant aspect of Community
policies, and this document therefore has an intrinsic importance,
in so far as it suggests ways in which the current strategy might
be developed in the future. However, we note that it essentially
comprises the first step in the review process, and that it will
be followed by a further Communication later in the year. In
the circumstances, we think it would be sufficient at this stage
simply to draw this to the attention of the House, and to return
to the subject when that further Communication is available.
We are therefore clearing the present document.
8 (23325) 6524/02; see HC 152-xxiv (2001-02), para
13 (17 April 2002). Back
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Such as the WTO Doha Development Agenda, the Johannesburg plan
of implementation decided at the WSSD, the Monterrey commitments
on financing for development, and the Millennium Development Goals. Back
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