Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-185"
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"en.20060614.16.3-185"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European sustainability strategy is an important topic and a top priority for the Austrian Presidency of the Council. In the past few months, 10 different Council configurations have dealt with the subject of assessing and implementing the sustainability strategy for Europe, in order to strengthen the quality of the strategy across the board, including with our own working group, 'Friends of the Presidency'. We want the European Union to act as an international frontrunner, and to demonstrate its capabilities as, so to speak, a 'sustainable union' at international level. That applies to the European Union with its central institutions, to the territorial authorities, to the regions and to the municipalities. We want to send out clear signals promoting sustainable development. It would be inappropriate to concentrate solely on economic growth, economic development and the Lisbon Strategy: it is not compatible with Europe's history, and I also do not think it is enough to act sustainably in the future.
We have the impression that, following the discussions, in general a text could be negotiated that is both balanced and politically significant. In line with the instructions of the European Council of December 2005, we now have a single, coherent document that brings together aims, tasks, indicators and a whole range of specific actions for essential EU policy areas. This renewed EU sustainability strategy should be clearly visible from the outside. The document that the European Council will adopt in the next few days has no annexes, and is clearly structured, comprehensible and consistent. This constructive cooperation, in particular from the Member States, and the intensive dialogues between the various parties involved have led us to the success that we hope will be achieved in the days to come.
We have had a whole range of contacts and positive conversations with representatives of the European Parliament. We in the Presidency have tried very hard and quite consciously to include the central points brought up by the European Parliament in the negotiations – and, as far as possible, in the compromise as well. You have frequently talked about how we need to view the issue of the link between the Lisbon Strategy and the EU sustainability strategy from the aspect of qualitative growth. We want to send a clear political signal that sustainable development will not, as some intend, put the brakes on economic growth, but will actually support and enable intelligent growth in areas for the future. That is what we need to do with this strategy. The strategy repeatedly refers to issues such as renewable energy sources, environmental technology, 'greening' public procurement, resources and energy efficiency, the environment as a factor for more jobs, intelligent and innovative products and services and mobility solutions.
Growth cannot be an end in itself, but just a means to an end, and that end is improving the quality of life and of the environment in Europe, whilst maintaining long-term competitiveness. If the people and the environment are doing well, then the economy will also do well. Europe has always particularly distinguished itself in the past, and will continue to do so in future, by the way in which it runs its economy according to different criteria from other national economies in the world.
Regarding the relationship to the Lisbon Strategy, the two strategies, each with its own priorities and timescales, should continue to exist separately from one another, but support and strengthen each other. The central goal is greater transparency and a higher status for the EU sustainability strategy at political level. The two strategies should therefore be further developed and implemented in close coordination in content terms. We want to make it clear that the EU strategy for sustainable development and the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs do not exclude each other, compete with each other or supersede each other, but rather complement each other effectively. The EU strategy for sustainable development provides a comprehensive framework within which the Lisbon Strategy, with its new focus on growth and jobs, can act as the engine of a dynamic economy.
In our opinion, both strategies underline the fact that economic, social and environmental goals can strengthen each other and should therefore be designed, developed and promoted together. Both strategies aim to support the necessary structural changes that will allow the economies of the Member States to face up to the challenges of globalisation, which affect all of us in Europe.
The aims and main content of the sustainability strategy, including in comparison to Gothenburg 2001, which will become the key challenges for sustainable development, are clearly laid out in the paper and in the strategy, and are also translated into concrete terms through targets and actions: climate change and environmentally-friendly energy, sustainable mobility and transport planning, sustainable production and consumption models, which will be an important guide for the future, management of natural resources, health, social integration, demographics and migration, which is probably one of the greatest challenges facing the continent and a major challenge in relation to the fight against poverty and for sustainable international development.
The new key challenge of sustainable consumption and production models caused a great deal of controversy, but has now been incorporated into the strategy. One major success that has been mentioned by several speakers here is certainly the creation of a separate chapter in the strategy setting out implementation mechanisms for effective follow-up and for evaluating and assessing the progress made.
As you can see, we have put a great deal of energy into this sustainability strategy. We have kept 10 Council configurations busy, and we have tried to resolve this apparent competition between Lisbon and sustainability, so I am very pleased that, taking your comments into consideration and following intensive negotiations with the Member States, we will be in a position to adopt this EU sustainability strategy within the next few days. That is good for the quality of life in Europe, and it is a positive sign for the future."@en1
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