PURPOSE: to present a strategic approach to achieving
sustainable development in Europe and the world.
BACKGROUND: world leaders adopted at the 70th UN
General Assembly on 25 September 2015 a new global sustainable
development framework: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development having at its core the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). In the same year, the Paris Climate Agreement
(COP21), the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, as an integral part of the
2030 Agenda, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
were also adopted.
The global 2030 Agenda has now become the world's
blueprint for global sustainable development. It represents
a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable
development by 2030 worldwide. Its aim is to eradicate poverty,
strengthen peace and security.
The 17 SDGs are global in nature, universally
applicable and interlinked. All countries, developed and developing
alike, have a shared responsibility to achieve the SDGs. The 17
SDGs provide qualitative and quantitative objectives for the next
15 years.
The EU is fully committed to be a frontrunner in
implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, together with its Member
States, in line with the principle of subsidiarity. The 2030 Agenda
will further catalyse a joined-up approach between the EU's
external action and its other policies and coherence across EU
financing instruments.
CONTENT: the EU's answer to the 2030 Agenda will
include two work streams. The first work stream, presented in this
Communication, is to fully integrate the SDGs in the European
policy framework and current Commission priorities, assessing
where we stand and identifying the most relevant sustainability
concerns.
The communication sets out the most relevant
synergies between the SDGs and the ten
priorities:
- the number one priority since the start of this
Commission has been to boost jobs, growth and investment:
investments in quality education and training and among young
people are essential to ensure sustainable and inclusive
growth. The investment plan for Europe aims to mobilise EUR 500
billion of additional investment in the real economy through the
European Strategic Investment Fund (EFSI) by 2020. The circular
economy encourages sustainable consumption and production
patterns. The common agricultural policy can play an
important role as it is intrinsically linked to issues such as
jobs, food, air, climate change, water, soil and
biodiversity;
- the Energy Union's objective is to ensure
affordable, secure and sustainable energy for businesses and
households. As a follow-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the EU will
take measures to reduce emissions, strengthen climate change
adaptation and disaster risk management, but also on enabling
factors that accelerate public and private investment;
- an innovative approach, which is linked to several
SDGs, is adopted to ensure sustainable financing. The
Capital Markets Union sets out concrete initiatives for example on
green bonds, promotion of long-term investments or the prudential
aspects linked to the regulation of banks;
- the issue of inclusive and sustainable growth,
employment and decent work is more topical than ever for Europe.
The European Pillar of Social Rights aims at putting social
fairness at the heart of EU policies. Furthermore, EU action on
social and corporate responsibility encourages the private
sector to contribute to the achievement of social and environmental
objectives;
- the EU is making continuous efforts in the area of
justice and fundamental rights based on mutual trust which includes
continued policy efforts on justice and gender
equality;
- in the context of the refugee crisis, work
towards a new policy on migration is needed. A new comprehensive
migration policy is needed, promoting regular channels and tackling
irregular migration flows, thereby saving lives, preserving human
dignity. The European agenda on migration and its follow-up
actions, including the new partnership framework with third
countries, provide such a comprehensive approach grounded in the
respect of fundamental rights, trust, solidarity and mutual
accountability;
- the vision of the 2030 Agenda is fully consistent with
the objectives of EU external action: the global strategy on
foreign and security policy for the European Union stresses the
need for an integrated EU approach to increase the EU’s impact
in responding to and preventing violent conflicts and crises
as well as of improving coherence between the EU and its Member
States. The EU advocates a rights-based approach to development
cooperation, whose implementation is critical in delivering on
the SDGs. Lastly, the EU's humanitarian assistance plays an
important role in the provision of lifesaving
assistance.
The Commission is fully committed to the delivery of
the 2030 Agenda through the following key actions and governance
elements:
- ensure that existing and new policies should take into
account the three pillars of sustainable development, i.e.
social, environmental and economic concerns through the use of its
better regulation tools;
- take implementation of the 2030 Agenda forward with
the Council and the European Parliament as the co-legislators and
budgetary authority of the EU;
- launch a multi-stakeholder Platform with
a role in the follow-up and exchange of best practices on SDG
implementation across sectors;
- provide regular reporting of the EU's progress
towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.