The Sustainable Development Policy within the European Union

Résumé du document

In this dissertation, we are going to focus especially on political aspects of the given concept, especially within the EU. The ways and means by which this theory can be turned into a reality is one of the themes of this dissertation. It also evaluates the ambiguities inherent in the concept and its contestable nature. In parallel with the implementation of the concept of sustainable development to the political level, the concept has also been subject to immense scholarly interest. Environmental economists have, for instance, extensively attempted to define sustainability. This analysis, at least in theory, would enable policy planners and analysts to actually determine if a given policy or initiative is supportive of sustainable development or not.

Extraits

[...] Governments should strengthen the participation at the regional and local levels, notably to transform the principles of Sustainable Development into concrete actions. Political parties must be informed and mobilized in favour of Sustainable Development thanks to actions of citizens and the European Parliament. The Community was established in 1957 as an economic regional organization with competence mainly in the field of trade and over the years has expanded its competence into several other policy domains. The integration of environmental and Sustainable Development into all areas of EU policy- making is a challenging task. [...]

[...] However, the gap between Northern and Southern countries remains important and 900 persons die per hour because of problems connected to the lack of access to the drinking water. In order to make globalisation sustainable, there is a real need for a much better balance between global market forces on the one hand and global governance and political institutions on the other. The European Union is well placed to lead the pursuit of global sustainable development. According to the Commission (Towards a global partnership for sustainable development), “Globalisation must therefore go hand in hand with measures designed to prevent or mitigate these effects. [...]

[...] In June 2001, the European Council at Gothenburg discussed a strategy for Sustainable Development proposed by the European Commission. This strategy proposed “measures to deal with important threats to our well being, such as climate change, poverty, and emerging health risks, which had been identified in a consultation paper in March 2001” (Europa Website). The environmental dimension was added to the Lisbon strategy, especially focusing on economic reform and social cohesion. How the three dimensions should be weighed against each other when making decisions? [...]

[...] Indeed, it is the Commission's role and responsibility to develop communications. The European Parliament was only able to debate the published documents but a better involvement in the strategy would be a more efficient way to promote sustainable trends. Its role in producing the 6th Action Programme was a real step towards involving more in the strategy. On the other hand, a re-affirmation of the main principles of the EU's strategy as well as the new approach of policy-making is needed. [...]

[...] Harvesting trees at a rate less than or equal to the growth of the biomass” (Measuring sustainable development, David Pearce). By this way, the forest would be sustainable and could always provide the wood needed for the European economy. The extension to whole economies is logical and is the main concern for future generations. The “concept of sustainable development” actually appeared in the first World Conservation Strategy published by the World Conservation Union in 1980. The strategy emphasised the need to invent and apply patterns of development which conserve resources that are essential for human survival and well being. [...]