– the report by Seb Dance, on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, on EU action for sustainability (2017/2009(INI)) (A8—0239/2017), and
– the Council and Commission statements on the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (2017/2715(RSP)).
Seb Dance, rapporteur. – Mr President, let me begin by thanking the shadow rapporteurs in the other groups for their excellent work and cooperation throughout this process. And may I please also pay particular tribute to Emily Stewart in my office whose work on this has been exemplary and without whom I would not be able to be standing here and present this report to this House?
I’m also extremely grateful to the committees that put their input into this report, namely the Development Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Cultural Committee. But I am very disappointed that there were not more committees contributing to this process, because we have had many MEPs put forward their expertise, but we need a full breadth of committees involved in this process, because a key ask of this report is that the Commission use all of its departments and instil the UN sustainable development goals throughout all of the Commission’s departments. And unless we practise that in this Parliament, it will be difficult to act as the exemplar for others.
Imagine if you will, a world where no child is born into hunger, where no child is born into poverty, where access to health care and clean water – some of the things you might take for granted – are available to everyone, where well-paid jobs, decent jobs, don’t come at the expense of the environment, and where we all act together as stewards, not owners, of this planet, and that we can forward it to the next generation.
This doesn’t just have to be a pipe dream, and it certainly doesn’t have to be the preserve of one group in this House. This goal is something we as humans must all own and make a reality. The goals defined through the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals will achieve this if we put the necessary measures into practice. I am very grateful to the Commission for its initial assessment of progress, again but I have to be perfectly honest, it is not enough to look at existing work and then backfit it into the 17 UN sustainable development goals.
We have to be honest with ourselves, not just about the scale of our ambition, but the scale of the task at hand. When we conduct our trade, when we develop shared energy networks, when we draw up financing rules, when we draw up strategies for transportation, when we evaluate education, when we drive forward change at a local, city, regional, national and European level we must always ask ourselves: ‘are we doing enough and is what we are doing delivering the UN’s sustainable development goals?’
We and our generation are running out of excuses, and we don’t have the excuse of previous generations of ignorance. We know how our actions today will affect the world around us tomorrow. There is a school group up there! Hello, it is your future we’re discussing today, and the decisions that we take in this place and across all of the EU’s institutions will have ramifications.
It is great news that Vice-President Timmermans will chair the multi-stakeholder forum, but it is essential that the Commission use this forum properly to learn from other actors, to share best practice and to report back to this Parliament. We didn’t get everything through that we wanted to in this report and I’m sure we will hear from others about some of the compromises that don’t go far enough, and that is a fair criticism. But we must use this infrastructure to have a proper discussion; a proper discussion across all layers of government and hold the Commission to account on its promises, but also have the Commission report to us.
I ask each and every group in this House to have somebody on their Bureau responsible for delivering this, because the world needs leadership. Mr Commissioner, when you go to the UN in New York, we want you to take the views of this House forward, because it is time for the EU to step up and show that leadership.
Matti Maasikas,President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, the EU was leading the international community when we shaped, negotiated and adopted the transformative, comprehensive, universal 2030 Agenda. The EU must now also demonstrate strong leadership in the implementation of the Agenda, both at home, at the EU Member State level, and in the context of the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
The Council conclusions adopted in June, ahead of the fifth session of the forum this month, stress our full commitment to the 2030 Agenda and the importance that the EU and its Member States attach to driving forward its implementation. Eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, which must be achieved in all its dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner. There can be no doubt about our commitment to achieving the 17 sustainable development goals by 2030, ensuring that no one is left behind and seeking to reach the furthest behind first. No doubt, we must promote social inclusion, with special attention to those who are disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised.
Like the European Parliament, the Council continues to stress the need for the Commission to demonstrate that it takes the implementation of the 2030 Agenda seriously. We call on the Commission to elaborate an implementation strategy, outlining timelines, objectives and concrete measures to reflect the 2030 Agenda in all the relevant EU internal and external policies, taking into account the global impact of the EU’s domestic actions. This strategy should be based on a clear vision of how all relevant EU policies will contribute to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda.
There is an urgent need to identify gaps in all relevant policy areas within the EU to assess what more needs to be done by 2030 in terms of EU policy legislation and governance structure for horizontal coherence and means of implementation.
Even though much remains to be done in terms of concrete action, the Council of 20 June welcomed the steps proposed and taken by the Commission with regard to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goal. On 7 June, the Council, represented by the Maltese Presidency, along with the European Parliament and the Commission, co-signed a new European consensus on development, which sets out our shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation. The new consensus aligns the Union’s development policy with the 2030 Agenda. This will be our main deliverable when we attended the high level political forum in New York in a few days. The Estonian mission to the United Nations has invited Ms Linda McAvan, chairwoman of the Committee on Development, as a speaker at one of the side events.
We, the EU institutions and Member States alike, should be proud of this achievement. It is our new ambitious collective European development policy, and it addresses in an integrated manner the main focus points of the 2030 Agenda: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.
This year’s theme at the Forum is at the heart of our new consensus –eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world. Indeed, poverty eradication remains the primary objective of our development policy. At the same time, it integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development and underlines the links between development and other policies, including peace and security, humanitarian aid, migration, the environment and climate change.
The new consensus also reaffirms our commitment to a rules-based global order with multilateralism and the United Nations at its core. Given the strong link with climate action, through the new consensus we are also giving a timely political signal to reaffirm our strong commitment to implement the Paris Agreement.
The EU Member States consider the High Level Forum as the main forum for sustainable development issues within the UN framework and are committed to progress towards implementation of the sustainable development goals. After the four EU pioneers, including my own country Estonia, which were among the first 22 countries to present voluntary national reviews last year, this year 10 out of 44 reports will be presented by EU Member States.
The European Parliament’s report on sustainability goals, adopted in May 2016, shows broad convergence with Council views on how to advance this ambitious agenda through effective implementation and we are looking forward to cooperating with you on this topic to ensure that, together, we reach our goals by 2030.
Președinte: IOAN MIRCEA PAŞCU Vicepreședinte
Karmenu Vella,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, let me start by thanking Mr Dance for his excellent work as rapporteur. The Agenda 2030 declaration itself acknowledges the essential role of Parliament through their enactment of legislation and adoption of budgets and their role in ensuring accountability for the effective implementation of the Agenda 2030 commitments. So this report is very welcome, and we appreciate the high level of interest that it has raised as a signal of Parliament’s own commitment to engage in implementation and the review of progress.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda, adopted unanimously by world leaders in 2015, represents a new global sustainable development framework. It is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030 worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind. The EU has been instrumental in shaping the 2030 Agenda and it is also committed to remain a frontrunner in the implementation phase.
Sustainable development is a shared responsibility. It implies leadership from the Commission and other EU institutions, but also the full engagement of Member States and all levels of government at national, regional and local level and of civil society.
I therefore welcome the opportunity here today to react to the European Parliament’s own initiative report in response to the Commission communication ‘Next Steps for a Sustainable European Future’ presented in November last year. From the perspective of my own portfolio, I am pleased to see in the report several strong references to how the environment and natural resources underpin the achievement of the broader sustainability agenda. I also welcome the references to the 7th Environment Action Programme, whose objectives map well on to the sustainable development goals (SDG). Indeed, it is crucial to ensure the full coherence between the different policies and ensure that the EU’s priorities as highlighted by President Juncker integrate our international commitments. I will ensure that the current 7th Environmental Action Plan evaluation will look at its consistency with our priorities and sustainable development goals commitments to pave the way for the period post 2020.
The Commission’s communication of November highlights key EU policies for each of the 17 SDGs, particularly in the context of the 10 priorities of this Commission, and also outlines what further steps are envisaged. The response to the 2030 Agenda includes two work streams. Firstly, to mainstream the sustainable development goals in the European policy framework and Commission priorities, sustainable development becoming a guiding principle for all our policies. We are using our better regulation tools for this purpose. Secondly, further developing our longer-term vision and the focus of sectoral policies after 2020. In addition to that, we have said in our communication that the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) beyond 2020 will reorient the EU budget contributions towards the achievement of the EU’s long-term objectives.
Stakeholder involvement will be crucial in implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Commission will therefore launch a multi-stakeholder platform chaired by the First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans, with a role in the follow-up and exchange of best practices on SDG implementation across sectors. The input of the platform will be very important for developing our vision for the future of SDG implementation through the second work stream. We need to have a good dialog with the European Parliament, the Council and the Member States in the second stream process as well. We are currently reflecting on how to best organise this.
The successful implementation of the SDGs requires consistent monitoring. As requested by this House, the Commission will, from this year, provide regular reporting of the EU’s progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda based on a reference indicator framework. Stakeholders have been consulted on the choice of these indicators. A periodic report is expected to be published in November this year.
Initiatives, supported by the Commission for the next month, include a non-toxic environment strategy, an ambitious plastics strategy and a comprehensive review of water legislation. The report recognises that economic growth will only be possible by respecting planetary boundaries to ensure a life of dignity for all. The evidence is clear that moving from our linear to a more circular economic model significantly improves resource efficiency and therefore cost efficiency, and creates more jobs.
I also noted the report considers that significant acceleration of green investment, innovation and growth in the EU is needed, including use of new financing tools and different approaches to current investment policy. I particularly welcome the reference in the report to the Commission’s joint communication on the future of our oceans and could not agree more with the statement that urgent action is needed in the EU and globally. This was made clear at the UN Ocean Conference in New York last month and will frame the agenda for the EU Our Ocean Conference in October in Malta.
The UN high-level political forum starts in just 5 days and leads to a ministerial meeting on 17 to 20 July. My colleague Commissioner Mimica will attend on 17 and 18 July. We see the high-level political forum as a critical component of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It is the principal UN body to review progress, identify challenges and make recommendations to help ensure we achieve the SDGs. During his visit, Commissioner Mimica will also highlight progress with the EU’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda, both internally as well as externally. He will also make clear that the EU is determined to play its full part in promoting the implementation of the Agenda through its internal and external actions. The Commissioner is also expected to highlight the new European consensus on development as a landmark document for the EU, having been agreed by the Commission, Member States and the European Parliament and applying to both the EU and its Member States, in their national capacity.
The Commissioner will make a statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States in the general debate of the ministerial meeting of the high-level political forum on 17 July. He will also host a separate side-event at the high-level political forum to introduce the new consensus to our international partners. Other sessions of the high-level political forum will cover a range of issues, including sessions on specific sustainable development goals: sustainable development goal (SDG) 1 on poverty, SDG 2 on hunger, SDG 3 on health, SDG 5 on gender equality, 9 on infrastructure and 14 on oceans. In addition, 44 voluntary national reviews will also be presented at this year’s high-level political forum, including from ten EU Member States.
Liadh Ní Riada,Dréachtóir do thuairim an Choiste um Chultúr agus um Oideachas. – A Uachtaráin, maidir leis an tuarascáil seo atá faoi bhráid an Choiste um Chultúr agus um Oideachas, ba mhaith liom an bhéim is mó a chuir ar SDG 4, cursaí oideachais agus nascacht tuaithe. Ní hamháin go gcaithfimid forbairt inbhuanaithe a dhéanamh inár gcathracha, ach tá sé tábhachtach dúinn tagairt agus freastal ar ár gcónaitheoirí tuaithe chomh maith. Sin an chúis gur chuireas béim ar mo thuairim ar iompar poiblí mar aon le gnéithe eile.
Tá sé tabhachtach go ndéanfar tagairt faoi leith dóibh siúd nach bhfuil na hacmhainní acu i dtaobh forbairt oideachais agus cultúir. Tá neart cumais ag ár ndream óg agus tá sé tábhachtach maoiniú a chur ar fáil dóibh go háirithe san earnáil chruthaíoch. Is cearta sibhialta atá i gceist i dtaobh ábhair oideachais agus cultúir a chur ar fáil go forleathan. Failtím go mbeidh monatóireacht á déanamh air seo mar a luaigh an Coimisnéir níos luaithe.
Má táimid chun a bheith dáiríre faoi fhorbairt inbhuanaithe a chur i bhfeidhm, caithfear a chinnitiú go mbainfidh gach saoránach leas as an bhforbairt a déantar.
Ulrike Müller, Verfasserin der Stellungnahme des mitberatenden Ausschusses für Landwirtschaft und ländliche Entwicklung. – Der Begriff Nachhaltigkeit wurde vor über 300 Jahren von Hans Carl von Carlowitz in Deutschland geprägt. Er hat 1713 die nachhaltige Forstwirtschaft eingeführt und den Menschen erklärt, dass nicht mehr Holz geschlagen werden darf, als tatsächlich nachwächst. Heute ist die Nachhaltigkeit ein großes, manchmal auch inflationäres Wort. Betreffen tut es uns alle. Die Frage, wie wir Nachhaltigkeit gestalten, wirkt sich unmittelbar auf unsere Gegenwart wie auf unsere Zukunft aus. Die Vereinigten Nationen haben in der Agenda 2030 17 detaillierte Nachhaltigkeitsziele verabschiedet, die auch Grundlage für unseren Bericht waren.
Für mich war im Agrarausschuss wichtig, dass wir die Berücksichtigung aller drei Säulen – der sozialen, der wirtschaftlichen und der umweltpolitischen – als gleichwertig nebeneinander betrachten. Nachhaltigkeit kann funktionieren, wenn sich wieder ein Gespür für Regionalität und Produktionsprozesse in den Primärprodukten entwickelt. Die soziale Säule im ländlichen Raum – mit Tourismus, gelebter Dorfkultur mit Vereinswesen wie freiwilliger Feuerwehr und Musikkapellen – bildet mehr als nur Lebens- und Arbeitsraum.
Laut einer Studie wird die Weltbevölkerung auf neun Milliarden Menschen ansteigen. Das stellt uns Landwirte vor große Herausforderungen. Es geht einerseits um Nahrungsmittelproduktion, aber auch um knapper werdende Flächen aufgrund von Infrastruktur und Wohnraum. Lassen Sie uns endlich aufhören, Land-und Forstwirtschaft als Problem zu sehen, sondern erkennen Sie mit uns die Landwirtschaft als Teil der Lösung an.
Elly Schlein, relatrice per parere della commissione per lo sviluppo. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, ringrazio intanto il collega Seb Dance e chi ha lavorato con me al parere approvato in commissione per lo sviluppo.
I nuovi obiettivi dello sviluppo sostenibile sono universali e sono ambiziosi: non possiamo lasciarli sulla carta. Serve una strategia europea di implementazione, che chiediamo dal giorno uno, e anche una chiara roadmap per raggiungerli. L'UE deve fare molto di più per la coerenza delle politiche dello sviluppo e fare valutazioni di impatto delle proprie politiche sulla sostenibilità e sui paesi in via di sviluppo. Servono risorse, non solo riconfermando l'impegno di raggiungere lo 0,7 %, ma anche con una lotta senza quartiere contro l'evasione e l'elusione fiscale a livello globale.
Inoltre bisogna abbandonare la pericolosa tendenza a condizionare gli aiuti allo sviluppo al controllo delle frontiere. Colleghi, parliamoci chiaro: con tutto quello che sta succedendo intorno a noi, con presidenti americani che negano il cambiamento climatico e che giocano con il futuro di tutti, l'Unione europea si deve mettere alla guida dell'implementazione della nuova agenda e della responsabilità che abbiamo verso le future generazioni, per un futuro finalmente sostenibile.
José Inácio Faria, em nome do Grupo PPE. – Senhor Presidente, a diplomacia ambiental e climática da União tem vindo a revelar um papel de liderança na implementação da agenda mundial para 2030 e no compromisso de erradicar a pobreza e alcançar um desenvolvimento sustentável no quadro dos dezassete objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável e das 169 metas associadas, que abordam todos os aspetos da política da União, e no cumprimento do Acordo de Paris.
Fui designado relator-sombra deste relatório sobre a ação da União Europeia para a sustentabilidade, que constituiu uma oportunidade para o Parlamento Europeu ancorar a sua visão e a sua agenda numa ação europeia para a sustentabilidade. No entanto, cumpre dizer que temos ainda um longo caminho a percorrer. Precisamos da definição da estratégia global para aplicar a Agenda 2030, que englobe os domínios da política interna e externa, de um calendário pormenorizado até 2030, de um sistema eficaz e completo de acompanhamento e monitorização e de indicadores de progresso específicos relativos à aplicação interna dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável na União Europeia.
Trata-se, no meu entendimento, de um relatório ambicioso e muito participado. Foram apresentadas 308 emendas pelos diversos grupos políticos e mais de 30 emendas de compromisso. Neste relatório, deu-se destaque à luta contra as alterações climáticas e à descarbonização da economia, à proteção dos oceanos, à economia circular e eficiência dos recursos, à promoção da ciência, tecnologia e inovação, à agricultura sustentável, à conservação da natureza, à integração da Agenda 2030 no Semestre Europeu, ao combate das desigualdades entre outros Estados—Membros e entre Estados-Membros e à proteção dos mais vulneráveis e marginalizados.
Reconhecemos que, para cumprir os objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável, será necessária a participação de todas as partes interessadas da União Europeia e, por isso, instamos a Comissão Europeia a assegurar que a plataforma multilateral anunciada na sua comunicação se torne um modelo de boas práticas para facilitar o planeamento, a execução, o acompanhamento e a revisão da Agenda 2030.
Acredito que o Parlamento Europeu tem de ter um papel claro e determinante na implementação da Agenda 2030 que esteja profundamente alinhado com os princípios e os valores da União Europeia. Acredito ainda que a concretização dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável e da Agenda 2030 pode ser o legado que a Europa deixará às gerações futuras.
Termino, Sr. Presidente, dizendo que este relatório mostra que esta casa tem um indeclinável papel na criação de um futuro melhor e mais sustentável, e quero agradecer ao Seb Dance todo o empenho e todo o esforço que dedicou, especialmente em conjunto com os relatores-sombra, para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho, que é um belíssimo trabalho.
Miriam Dalli, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, let me start straightaway by congratulating you, Seb, on the amazing work you carried out. I know it wasn’t an easy task, but you managed to come up with a very good and well-balanced report, and congratulations once again for that.
As we have heard today, today’s challenges call for both policies and approaches, because we have a number of challenges. For example, global economic growth is far from being robust. Fast technological progress and globalisation are creating opportunities for some, but they are causing immense challenges for others. We have societies that are aging rapidly and others with as much as 66% of the population under the age of 26. The former are finding it difficult to support their aging population; the latter are finding it difficult to create enough opportunities for their young. Many countries are also being impacted by great natural disasters and with climate change, weather events will continue to worsen for decades to come. And this is why we need to make sure that the sustainable development goals are implemented and are not merely words on paper. This is why today and every single day until the goals are achieved, we must take concrete steps to make the world more sustainable. But to do this, leadership in all countries and at all levels of society is badly needed. Governments, parliaments, businesses, civil society organisations, the media and citizens need to be all engaged to find efficient sustainable solutions locally, nationally and also globally. This is an issue of international solidarity. It will not be an easy task. It will take a lot of effort, but it is our responsibility to work together and address this very important issue.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Panie Przewodniczący! Szanowni Państwo! Zrównoważony rozwój dotyczy w równym stopniu każdego z trzech filarów: środowiskowego, gospodarczego i społecznego. Cieszę się, że sprawozdawca zgodził się ze mną w tej kwestii. Jednocześnie jednak muszę zauważyć, że osiągnięcie tych celów nie rozwiąże wszystkich problemów świata; nie możemy przepisami unijnymi ingerować w tak szczegółowe dziedziny życia jak sposób odżywiania się ludzi. Nie mogę zgodzić się na zapisy dotyczące konieczności redukcji hodowli zwierząt tucznych, redukcji konsumpcji mięsa czy też ograniczeń dla paliw rzepakowych. Zadziwiające, że projekt ingeruje również w prawa reprodukcyjne i seksualne oraz chce wpływać na politykę migracyjną państw. Unia Europejska nie powinna tworzyć recept na życie, wiara w to, że regulowanie każdej dziedziny może naprawić problemy świata, jest naiwna, dlatego też nie możemy poprzeć tego sprawozdania.
Stefan Eck, im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Die rasant wachsende Antibiotikaresistenz ist neben der Klimaerwärmung die größte Gefahr für die Menschheit. Darauf müssen wir uns ganz gezielt konzentrieren. Laut einer Studie der Berliner Charité werden 2050 weltweit zehn Millionen Menschen pro Jahr durch multiresistente Bakterienstämme, die nicht mehr auf Antibiotika ansprechen, sterben, wenn wir nicht umgehend Alternativen für die tierquälerischen und krank machenden Nutztierhaltungssysteme finden, die die Brutstätten dieser tödlichen Keime sind.
Das Ergebnis der Abstimmung über diesen Bericht im Ausschuss wurde von zahlreichen NGOs aus den Bereichen Armutsbekämpfung, Gesundheit, Umwelt und Tierschutz sehr begrüßt. Es ist enttäuschend, wie danach die konservativen Kräfte in diesem Haus wieder einmal alles darangesetzt haben, diesen Bericht zu verwässern. Ich sage Ihnen: Dieses kurzfristige Denken wird nach hinten losgehen. Wir haben es dann zu verantworten, was kommende Generationen auszubaden haben. Ich appelliere an Sie: Geben Sie der Zukunft eine Chance, stimmen Sie für Nachhaltigkeit!
Benedek Jávor, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Seb Dance, for his excellent cooperation and marvellous work. The set of SDGs creates a very important guide of action for environmental, social and economic development, good governance and poverty measures, but is the EU really prepared for a thorough implementation of the SDGs? That is really the question. In the committee, we have concluded a very good report, and I hope that Parliament will remain strong and united at the plenary level and maintain the position as expressed at committee level.
I would like to draw your attention to some specific points. First of all, I argue specifically for due consideration of the social aspects of the SDGs and specific action for vulnerable groups. There are several deficiencies, also within the EU, in access to water, sanitation, along with other natural resources and basic services, such as air, water, affordable and sustainable energy, health and nutrition, which particularly hit vulnerable groups. The Commission and the Member States must urgently ramp up their efforts, correct these deficiencies and provide specific tailor—made support for marginalised, low-income households and groups like the Roma community within the EU.
Moreover, there is a broad agreement on the need for a comprehensive EU strategy for the implementation of the SDGs. Last but not least, there is a pressing need for systemic screening of EU policies and public funding to be in line with the SDGs when we spend the EU’s public money.
Eleonora Evi, a nome del gruppo EFDD. – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, l'Europa purtroppo è ancora anni luce lontana dal raggiungere molti degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile previsti dall'agenda ONU. Serve una netta inversione di tendenza per cambiare questa direzione.
La relazione che ha proposto, e su cui abbiamo lavorato, il collega Dance – che ringrazio per il lavoro svolto – contiene molti, molti punti positivi su molti aspetti: sul clima, sulla biodiversità, sulla partecipazione dei territori, sull'agricoltura. Però manca ancora di coraggio e di ambizione su molti fronti: voglio fare riferimento in particolare alla gestione dei rifiuti e all'incenerimento. Io mi aspetto e mi aspettavo che un documento di indirizzo di questo tipo fosse molto più ambizioso, perché penso sia assurdo che non lo sia e che non guardi lontano, che non cerchi di osare un po' di più. E invece ci troviamo a ribadire quello che è già scritto, quello che è già l'ovvio.
Domani abbiamo l'occasione, con gli emendamenti del Movimento 5 Stelle, di chiedere di mettere fine alle sovvenzioni per l'incenerimento, alle sovvenzioni pubbliche, come richiesto dalla stessa comunicazione della Commissione europea dell'inizio di quest'anno.
Peter Liese (PPE). – Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Die Ziele der Vereinten Nationen für die nachhaltige Entwicklung sind eine Verpflichtung für uns alle, und es geht um unser aller Zukunft. Deswegen ist es wichtig, dass dieses Parlament morgen mit breiter Mehrheit dem Bericht von Seb Dance zustimmt. Umso mehr habe ich mich geärgert, dass es bei der Abstimmung im Ausschuss Probleme gab, sodass die EVP zunächst nicht zustimmen konnte. Wir empfanden einige Passagen als sehr aggressiv, insbesondere wurden sie von den Landwirten als Angriff auf die Landwirte angesehen. Wir brauchen aber eine nachhaltige Entwicklung mit den Landwirten, mit der Industrie, mit allen Partnern, und deswegen bin ich sehr froh, dass es uns gelungen ist, mit dem Berichterstatter Kompromisse auszuarbeiten, sodass wir das klarer, als es bisher war, im Bericht deutlich machen.
Wir wollen die Menschen mitnehmen, wir wollen alle Beteiligten, die sich auch umstellen müssen, mitnehmen. Ich sage aber auch ganz deutlich: Die Beteiligten müssen auch dazu bereit sein. Man kann auch nicht sagen: In der Industrie darf sich nichts ändern, in der Landwirtschaft darf sich nichts ändern, sondern wir müssen gemeinsam nach neuen Wegen suchen – nach innovativen Wegen –, wie wir Wirtschaftswachstum, soziale Aspekte und Umweltaspekte tatsächlich unter einen Hut bekommen. Ich glaube, wenn wir das morgen in der Abstimmung ein bisschen besser hinkriegen als im Ausschuss, dann werden wir eine große Mehrheit im Parlament haben. Und dann ist meine dringende Bitte an Rat und Kommission, das auch entsprechend aufzunehmen, damit wir das als EU-Organisationen gemeinsam vertreten können – mit allen Beteiligten in eine gute Zukunft für unsere Kinder und für unseren Planeten.
(Der Redner ist damit einverstanden, eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ gemäß Artikel 162 Absatz 8 der Geschäftsordnung zu beantworten.)
Eleonora Evi (EFDD), Domanda "cartellino blu". – Vorrei chiedere al collega Liese se non pensa che il gruppo PPE, il centrodestra europeo, stia di fatto nascondendo quello che si chiama l'"elephant in the room", l'elefante nella stanza, ovvero il grandissimo ed enorme contributo di impatto ambientale che ha l'agricoltura sull'ambiente e anche sulla salute, considerando che il consumo di carne è assolutamente non salutare. Quindi io le chiedo: non state negando l'evidenza?
Peter Liese (PPE), Antwort auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“. – Also zunächst einmal bitte ich ganz dringend, die Europäische Volkspartei nicht in einem Atemzug mit der europäischen Rechten zu nennen. Wir sind die Christdemokraten, wir sind eine Volkspartei der Mitte, und wir sind nicht die europäische Rechte.
Zum Zweiten ist es so, dass wir natürlich wissen, dass wir im Bereich Landwirtschaft und Ernährung eine nachhaltige Entwicklung brauchen. Aber in dem ursprünglichen Bericht war das so formuliert, als wollten wir den Leuten jetzt in Zukunft vorschreiben, was sie zu essen haben. Und damit haben andere Parteien – in Deutschland z. B. – im Wahlkampf sehr schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht, und das würde ich auch dem Movimento 5 Stelle nicht empfehlen, den Leuten vorzuschreiben, was sie zu essen haben.
Florian Philippot, au nom du groupe ENF. – Monsieur le Président, mes chers collègues, je ne crois pas que l’Union européenne soit en mesure d’agir pour la durabilité, étant donné qu’elle prône un modèle ultralibéral dont la caractéristique première est justement la précarité, c’est-à-dire l’inverse de la durabilité, précarité aussi bien sociale qu’environnementale.
En revanche, je crois en la capacité de nos nations à agir pour la durabilité du monde et pour leur propre durabilité. C’est notamment le cas en ce qui concerne le développement harmonieux de la planète, qui seul sera capable de freiner les immenses mouvements de population du sud vers le nord, dont nous commençons à peine à voir les débuts.
Je voudrais ici vous entretenir du formidable projet porté par M. Jean-Louis Borloo au bénéfice de l’électrification du continent africain. L’énergie est évidemment l’un des premiers droits de l’homme, qui conditionne l’accès à tant d’autres droits de l’homme, que ce soit l’eau, la santé ou l’emploi. L’énergie est un facteur territorial d’équilibre absolument puissant.
M. Borloo, bien sûr, n’est pas de ma famille politique, mais peu importe. J’ai discuté avec lui de ce projet, il me l’a expliqué et je souhaite y apporter ici ma contribution. Nos nations – la France en tête – doivent se mobiliser. L’électrification de l’Afrique aidera naturellement ce continent et ses populations, mais elle nous profitera aussi grandement, en freinant des mouvements migratoires déjà insensés et en accélérant notre propre taux de croissance économique.
Trois milliards d’euros par an pendant dix ans suffiraient. À l’échelle de nos nations, ce n’est pas grand-chose, surtout si elles sont unies dans une saine coopération, bien loin des mécanismes froids et aveugles de l’Union européenne. C’est largement faisable: il faut qu’on se mobilise à fond.
Linda McAvan (S&D). – Mr President, what is happening the week after next in New York is an extremely important meeting – the High-Level Political Forum – because it is a chance for the European Union to show leadership in multilateral governance at a time when others, the US in particular, are moving backwards on this. I think we need to do more, though, to have more influence in New York, and the first thing is we need to do a lot more to coordinate our positions.
The Commissioner said that they are working on an implementation plan on the SDGs, but Seb Dance is right. It is not enough for the Commission to make a list of what it is already doing institutionally. We need to push our Member States to do more, we need to be collecting data from our Member States, finding out if they – as well as the EU institutions – are meeting their targets, and then we need to be pushing to make sure the EU does deliver on the 2030 Agenda, a little bit in the same way as we do on the climate change targets. We have the effort-sharing and we monitor that, and the Commission publishes data and we push that forward. Otherwise, I do not think we will implement the SDGs.
We need to get other donors on the development side to work with us as well. The EU is doing a lot but we need other non-traditional donors to work with us. And finally, we need accountability. You said that you would come back and report to us on a regular basis, but we need to know what you are measuring – are you establishing base lines on statistics, and will you give us regular updates on how that is progressing?
Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL). – Señor presidente, la política europea de desarrollo debe reflejar el mandato de esta Cámara, empezando por la implementación de estrategias para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Pero observamos con preocupación cómo muchos de los principios defendidos desde estas tribunas no encuentran traslación en las políticas de la Unión.
Una política de desarrollo centrada en los intereses de los pueblos y no solo de nuestros negocios requiere enfoques transversales, que no releguen los principios de justicia, equidad y sostenibilidad ambiental a simples palabras bonitas para calmar nuestras conciencias.
Hay principios que se han de respetar para garantizar la coherencia entre las políticas de la Unión, como la no condicionalidad de la ayuda a la externalización y militarización de nuestras fronteras, la implementación de instrumentos vinculantes en política comercial para la defensa real de los derechos humanos y de la justicia ambiental, el cumplimiento del objetivo del 0,7 %, o la promoción de sistemas tributarios justos y transparentes.
No cometamos el error de convertir las políticas de desarrollo en estrategias comerciales o de seguridad y defensa. No pervirtamos los valores fundacionales de la Unión Europea.
Davor Škrlec (Verts/ALE). – Gospodine predsjedniče, poštovani povjereniče Vella, koristim priliku da istaknem tri činjenice na kojima Europska unija mora više poraditi i biti ambicioznija.
Prva je poput lakih brošura koju izdaje jedna udruga, približiti ciljeve održivog razvoja Ujedinjenih naroda svim građanima Europske unije kako bi oni prepoznali naše politike.
Drugo, borba protiv bacanja hrane. Tu smo potpuno neambiciozni, računajući da 50 milijuna građana Europske unije svaki dan mora voditi brigu o tome kako će se prehraniti, da ne govorimo o ostatku svijeta. I kada prelazimo na jednu ambiciozniju politiku, onda trebamo to pokazati u zakonodavstvu koje nažalost izostaje čak i u paketu cirkularne ekonomije o kojem u ovom trenutku pregovaramo s Komisijom.
I treće, u našim oceanima, u našim morima završava previše otpada. Opet, kada dolazimo na konkretne ciljeve, nedostaje aktivna i ambiciozna politika i Europske komisije i država članica.
Andrzej Grzyb (PPE). – Panie Przewodniczący! Wszyscy uznajemy, że te 17 celów, które zostały wyznaczone w agendzie do roku 2030, to cele ważne. Ale wśród nich – w zależności od stopnia rozwoju gospodarczego i problemów społecznych – są cele ważniejsze, bo niewątpliwie dostęp do wody, dostęp do żywności czy ewentualnie bezpieczeństwo, czy zwalczanie ubóstwa, to w niektórych krajach są to ważniejsze cele niż na przykład w krajach członkowskich Unii Europejskiej. Aby osiągnąć te cele musimy współpracować, współpracować nie tylko w obrębie Unii, ale przede wszystkim na forum międzynarodowym i dzielić się również swoimi doświadczeniami.
To, na co chciałbym zwrócić uwagę jako jeden z kilku celów, to są również działania wewnątrz samej Unii, które będą dotykać całej gospodarki. W szczególności mogą się przyczynić do stworzenia na przykład nowych miejsc pracy czy nowych sposobów zagospodarowania surowców. To jest bioekonomia, innowacyjne podejście do surowców odnawialnych, w tym również żywności, ale również i energii, kwestia gospodarki w obiegu zamkniętym konieczna do efektywnego korzystania z zasobów, ale też konieczna po to, aby je wielokrotnie wykorzystywać, polityka energetyczna, która z jednej strony pozwoli na zabezpieczenie dostaw i wykluczenie ubóstwa, ale z drugiej strony będzie się przyczyniała do osiągnięcia celów klimatycznych czy też chociażby czystego powietrza. Wiemy też, jak ważna jest kwestia obszarów wiejskich, obszarów leśnych. One dostarczają wielu dóbr publicznych i nie może być takiej sytuacji, że mówimy, że rolnictwo jest mniej ważne, ono dostarcza tych dóbr, których czasami nawet sobie nie uświadamiamy.
Arne Lietz (S&D). – Herr Präsident! Zwei Jahre nach Beschließen der UN-Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung hat die Kommission noch immer keine umfassende Strategie und keinen Zeitplan vorgelegt. Ich war selber mit den Kommissaren in New York. Wir brauchen hier mehr Engagement und eine schnellere, aktive Herangehensweise.
Zeitlich verbindliche transparente Strategien, die der Entwicklungsausschuss fordert, beinhalten insbesondere drei Punkte, die ich hervorheben möchte. Punkt eins: die Finanzierung. Die öffentliche Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, also die ODA, muss endlich den Stellenwert des zentralen Instruments für die Verwirklichung der 2030-Ziele erreichen. Dies geschieht nur, wenn alle Mitgliedstaaten und die EU endlich ihrer verbindlichen Zusage nachkommen, mindestens 0,7 % ihres Bruttonationaleinkommens für die öffentliche Entwicklungszusammenarbeit endlich bereitzustellen. Wir sollten weiterhin den künftigen mehrjährigen Finanzplan so konzipieren, dass die Agenda-21-Ziele priorisiert und verwirklicht werden.
Zweitens: der Handel. Die Handelsverträge zwischen der EU und den Mitgliedstaaten sollten verstärkt auf faire und nachhaltige Bedingungen achten. Dazu gehören die Einhaltung der Kernarbeitsnormen der Internationalen Arbeitsorganisation, also die Verankerung und Implementierung der OECD-Leitsätze für multinationale Unternehmen.
Und drittens: Die Klimadiplomatie sollte als das zentrale Ziel verfolgt werden. Die ganze Welt schaut jetzt nach Hamburg zum G20-Gipfel, dem diese Herausforderung als Hauptthema gestellt wird. Hier braucht die Kommission endlich eine Strategie, die vorgelegt werden muss, wie sie zusammen mit dem Europäischen Parlament, den Mitgliedstaaten, der Wissenschaft und der Zivilgesellschaft dieses Ziel erreichen kann.
Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL). – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, falar de desenvolvimento sustentável é promover a soberania alimentar, é promover a soberania energética, é abandonar a agricultura industrial, é marcar objetivos vinculativos para a redução do consumo global de energia de materiais.
Em 2003, a capacidade de regeneração do planeta foi superada em 25%. O planeta não aguentará o desenvolvimento sustentável proposto pela União Europeia, proposto pelo centro. Urge abandonar este desenvolvimento baseado no crescimento económico, na especulação e no massivo comércio global. É preciso promover a relocalização das indústrias e da produção, mudar o modelo de transporte de pessoas, privilegiando o uso coletivo sobre o individual. No transporte terrestre de mercadorias, apostar no ferroviário. Acabar igualmente com a espoliação dos recursos naturais dos países em desenvolvimento. Só assim os objetivos de 2030 não se tornarão letra-morta.
Francesc Gambús (PPE). – Señor presidente, señor comisario, señora ministra, la delegación del Parlamento que asistirá la semana que viene al Foro Político de Alto Nivel sobre Desarrollo Sostenible tendrá mucho trabajo.
En Nueva York, bajo el paraguas de Naciones Unidas, se debatirá sobre la erradicación de la pobreza en todas sus formas, un tema clave y, de hecho, la causa común, entre otras, de la pobreza energética, de la pobreza hídrica o de la malnutrición. Debemos atacar la raíz del problema, sin olvidar que en 2014 eran 122 millones de europeos quienes vivían con riesgo de pobreza o exclusión social, según datos de la Comisión.
Se debatirá sobre igualdad, y es la misma Comisión quien afirmó que tardaríamos setenta años, de seguir la progresión actual, en llegar a la plena igualdad. ¿Cómo les explico yo a mis hijas que, por el mismo trabajo, ganarán un 16 % menos que su hermano por el simple hecho de haber nacido niñas y no serán sino sus nietas quienes vivirán en una realidad que hoy ya debería ser normal?
Se debatirá sobre la promoción del bienestar para todas, para todos, a todas las edades, y quiero recordar que, de acuerdo con distintos estudios que tiene la Comisión, la desnutrición entre las personas de edad avanzada en Europa es alarmantemente alta.
Se hablará de seguridad alimentaria, de la industrialización, de emisiones, de innovación, de la protección de nuestros océanos... Temas todos primordiales, y retos gigantes para la Agenda 2030, pues aún nos queda mucho camino por recorrer para transformar las palabras pronunciadas y los objetivos plasmados sobre un papel en hechos que nuestros ciudadanos sientan realizados. Este es nuestro deber: delivery.
Christel Schaldemose (S&D). – Hr. formand! Vi lærte af FN’s verdensmål 2015, at det nytter noget at sætte høje ambitioner for verdens udvikling. Målene viste os, at når vi i fællesskab sætter en retning, så kan vi også skabe en forandring, der virkelig gør en forskel for mange mennesker. Den lektie skal vi have med os i de nye udviklingsmål. FN har sat retningen, nu skal vi andre i gang med at handle! EU både kan og skal tage en førerposition i udmøntningen. Vi har allerede EU-politikker på mange områder. Vi har også pengene, og vi har forskningsmiljøer, ja vi har oven i købet bæredygtighed skrevet ind i vores traktat. Det burde ikke være så svært at få gjort noget. Verden har brug for lederskab. Vi socialdemokrater mener, at EU skal tage det lederskab på sig, vise solidaritet, koordinere og skabe en bæredygtig udvikling i alt det, vi gør, og så i øvrigt måle det også. På den måde er vi med til at gøre verden til et bedre sted for alle, og det har vi virkelig brug for!
Annie Schreijer-Pierik (PPE). – Bodem, water, lucht en klimaat vragen om wereldwijde en Europese inspanningen. Maar de klimaatovereenkomst van Parijs vraagt ook dat de voedselproductie niet in gevaar mag worden gebracht door het klimaatbeleid en dat is een feit. Ik wil er dan ook op wijzen dat de agrarische sector al volop bijdraagt aan duurzame productie. Door onderhoud van het landschap dragen boeren en boerinnen bij niet alleen aan duurzame voedselzekerheid, maar ook aan milieu en natuur.
Er is veel gezegd over duurzame landbouw. Beseffen wij hier genoeg dat het merendeel van de Europese landbouw, veehouderij en tuinbouw al duurzaam produceert? Vergeten we dat niet? Door innovatie en toenemend milieubewustzijn besparen Nederlandse boeren en tuinders CO2 en leveren producten van topkwaliteit. Die goede voorbeelden moet de Europese Unie beter belonen.
Laten we oppassen voor het verjagen van onze voedselproductie naar derde landen met minder milieuwetgeving. Alleen een gelijk speelveld met effectieve maatregelen en zonder onnodige bureaucratie kan de duurzame landbouw stimuleren. Europese en Nederlandse boeren en tuinders voeden de wereldbevolking nu al jaren op duurzame en grondstoffenefficiënte wijze met vlees, zuivel, granen, fruit en groenten.
Onze Europese boeren en tuinders zijn daarom echte kampioenen van het wereldwijde klimaat, regenwouden en biodiversiteit. En ze willen bijdragen aan het klimaatakkoord en zijn daar volop mee bezig. Maar het moet wel haalbaar, betaalbaar en uitvoerbaar zijn. En een beetje positief hiernaar kijken zou wel heel waardevol zijn.
Soledad Cabezón Ruiz (S&D). – Señor presidente, en primer lugar mi enhorabuena al señor Dance por un ambicioso informe sobre sostenibilidad. A mí me gustaría centrarme y subrayar el aspecto del medio ambiente y del cambio climático como origen de nuevas desigualdades en el mundo. Y es que, para combatirlo, considero que reconocer el valor socioeconómico que tiene el medio ambiente es crucial. Por eso yo quiero subrayar y celebrar especialmente el punto 23, que pide recursos suficientes para financiar el medio ambiente.
En definitiva, coherencia en la Unión Europea entre las políticas y las acciones que pedimos. Las muchas recomendaciones que se piden desde la Unión Europea para preservar el medio ambiente necesitan ir de la mano de recursos económicos suficientes. Por ello necesitamos fondos específicos y suficientes que financien la Red Natura 2000, la Directiva Habitat o el plan de reforestación de bosques de la Unión Europea.
Por lo tanto, para descarbonizar la economía, primero necesitamos preservar y dar valor al medio ambiente. En definitiva, coherencia entre lo que hacemos y lo que decimos en la Unión Europea, poniendo en valor el medio ambiente.
György Hölvényi (PPE). – Tisztelt Képviselőtársaim! Engedjék meg, hogy a Fejlesztési Bizottság által írt vélemény néppárti felelőseként a fenntarthatóság fejlesztéspolitikai szempontjaira hívjam fel a figyelmet. Az éghajlatváltozás napjaink egyik legnagyobb kihívása, mely hosszú távon komoly fenyegetést jelent mindannyiunk számára, hatása viszont a legszegényebbeket és a legkiszolgáltatottabb helyzetben lévőket érinti elsősorban. A klímaváltozás miatt szűkülő erőforrások fokozzák az említett térségekben egyébként is jelen lévő gazdasági és társadalmi feszültségeket. Emberek milliói vágnak neki a fejlett világba vezető kockázatos útnak, leggyakrabban azonban nem találnak új otthonra, hanem táborokban végzik. Ez a családokat szétszakító, gyakran életveszélyes elvándorlás nem hozhat valós megoldást sem a fejlesztéspolitikában, sem a fenntarthatóságot nem szolgálja. Életfeltételeket helyben, illetve egyes régiókban kell megteremteni. Az Európai Uniónak olyan fenntartható, nemzetközi fejlesztési programokat kell kialakítania, amely nemcsak az úgynevezett civil szervezeteket, hanem a régiókban óriási hagyományokkal rendelkező, és gyakran egyetlen szervezetként milliókról is gondolkodó különböző vallási szervezeteket, illetve egyházakat is partnernek tekintik. Ezt is lehet a fejlesztés, a fenntarthatás részének tekinteni. A posztgyarmatosítási traumákból adódó befogadási kényszertől el kell jutni az egyetlen reális megoldásig: a helyben, az adott régiókban nyújtott segítségi kultúra kialakítása, ez a fenntarthatóság alapja.
Julie Ward (S&D). – Mr President, culture is an important driver for behavioural change through the creation of new lifestyles and sustainable development paradigms. This approach must be community based or locally rooted and it implies finding a local understanding of sustainable development. But it could also be global and virtual.
Proper recognition must be given to the mediating and facilitating role of culture, which helps us find a balance between the competing needs of the economic, social and environmental goals of sustainability. Culture is therefore a driver for sustainable growth and innovation, urban regeneration and rural and regional sustainable development, as well as for social cohesion and individual and collective well-being.
It is crucial to maintain a global perspective and not to deal with these various aspects in silos. With determination and creativity we can make our cities, towns and villages more liveable, more sustainable and more inclusive, and promote innovative economic models which are fairer, cooperative and put people and the planet first.
Adam Szejnfeld (PPE). – Panie Przewodniczący! Dzisiaj przylatuje do Polski Donald Trump, prezydent Stanów Zjednoczonych. Jutro będzie miał publiczne wystąpienie w Warszawie, zobaczymy, czy choć jedno zdanie poświęci kwestii celów zrównoważonego rozwoju. Wspominam o tym tylko dlatego, że jestem przekonany, iż cele Zgromadzenia Ogólnego Narodów Zjednoczonych na rzecz zrównoważonego rozwoju do roku 2030 nie będą mogły być osiągnięte bez współpracy i współdziałania państw, które są liderami rozwoju gospodarczego, państw takich jak Stany Zjednoczone choćby czy Rosja, Chiny, Indie i tak dalej. Na razie jednak USA kwestionują na przykład porozumienie paryskie. Przed Unią Europejską jest więc trudne zadanie doprowadzenia do ziszczenia się naszych celów.
Daciana Octavia Sârbu (S&D). – Domnule președinte, termenul „sustenabilitate” este folosit atât de des, în atâtea contexte, încât mă întreb dacă nu cumva a devenit un clișeu utilizat doar pentru a da greutate unor inițiative. Eradicarea sărăciei, reducerea inegalităților, munca decentă, educația de calitate, creșterea economică și respectul pentru mediu – acestea sunt repere ale dezvoltării sustenabile, dar, în loc să contribuie la realizarea lor, multe voci se folosesc de conceptul de sustenabilitate pur și simplu pentru a justifica interese individuale sau de afaceri, iar oamenii încep să își piardă încrederea în acest concept.
Doresc, totuși, să îl felicit pe raportor, care a făcut o muncă extraordinară pentru a defini provocările la adresa mediului și gravitatea problemei. Suntem, totuși, foarte departe de atingerea ambițioaselor obiective de dezvoltare durabilă asumate de ONU. În loc să repetăm concepte, ar trebui să construim politici care chiar să aducă rezultate concrete pentru oameni.
Karin Kadenbach (S&D). – Herr Präsident! In einer Demokratiewerkstatt hatte ich die Möglichkeit, mit Zehnjährigen über das Thema „nachhaltige Entwicklungsziele“ zu sprechen, und eine ihrer Fragen war: Wieso habt ihr das bis jetzt nicht schon so gemacht? Und sie haben sich gleichzeitig auch die Antwort gegeben. Da kamen harte Urteile wie: „Vielleicht wart ihr zu gierig oder einfach neidisch“. Ein paar haben gesagt: „Wahrscheinlich wird es der Politik egal gewesen sein.“ Und einige waren etwas milder und haben gemeint: „Vielleicht haben sie nicht gewusst, was sie anrichten. “
Unwissenheit über das, was wir anrichten, taugt heute wohl nicht mehr als Entschuldigung, und die Formulierung der 17 Nachhaltigkeitsziele zeigt, dass uns die Zukunft unserer Kinder, die Zukunft künftiger Generationen nicht egal ist. Jetzt gilt es, diese Ziele in ganz konkretes politisches Handeln zu übersetzen. Der vorliegende Initiativbericht ist eine wertvolle Handlungsanleitung im Kampf gegen Hunger und Armut, für Gesundheit und Wohlergehen, für Gleichstellung, Bildung, Beschäftigung, Klima- und Umweltschutz.
Danke, Seb Dance, für diesen hervorragenden Initiativantrag.
Procedura „catch the eye”
Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, gli obiettivi di sviluppo dell'ONU rappresentano target essenziali per ottenere i risultati migliori in termini di salute, prosperità globale, azioni contro il cambiamento climatico e conservazione dell'ambiente.
Va certamente nella giusta direzione l'integrazione di tali obiettivi nella strategia per legiferare meglio, permettendo alla normativa europea di lavorare a pieno regime tramite l'indicazione chiara degli ambiti nei quali si realizzano gli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile. Gli svariati ambiti di intervento necessitano però di un costante monitoraggio e di una revisione della normativa. Mi riferisco agli effetti che produrranno il sistema ETS e la condivisione degli sforzi, il Fondo europeo per lo sviluppo sostenibile e gli investimenti in efficienza energetica e in fonti rinnovabili, il tentativo di ridurre le disuguaglianze attraverso la politica di coesione, il Fondo per la lotta alla povertà.
Molti obiettivi dalla strategia Europa 2020 strettamente legati a quelli dell'agenda ONU non verranno presumibilmente raggiunti entro i termini previsti. È indubbio che l'Europa, se vorrà continuare a esercitare la leadership, deve accelerare l'attuazione delle proprie politiche di sostenibilità.
Νότης Μαριάς (ECR). – Κ. Πρόεδρε, θα αναφερθώ σε τρία σημεία που έχουν ενδιαφέρον και το πρώτο είναι η ενεργειακή φτώχεια. Νομίζω ότι είναι ένα σοβαρό θέμα που πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστεί. Έχουμε πληθυσμούς οι οποίοι πραγματικά δεν έχουν πρόσβαση στην ενέργεια. Ιδίως στην Ελλάδα, υπάρχουν χιλιάδες νοικοκυριά τα οποία αυτή τη στιγμή, λόγω των πολιτικών της τρόικας, δεν έχουν πρόσβαση στο ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα. Έχουμε πάνω από 100.000 νοικοκυριά στα οποία έχει κοπεί το ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα. Αυτά τα νοικοκυριά δεν έχουν ούτε πρόσβαση σε θέρμανση. Άλλωστε οι τιμές του πετρελαίου έχουν εκτοξευθεί, διότι η τρόικα έχει επιβάλει αυξημένη φορολογία στο πετρέλαιο θέρμανσης. Αυτό ήταν το πρώτο θέμα. Το δεύτερο είναι η μεταναστευτική πολιτική. Αν δεν υπάρξει μια σοβαρή παρέμβαση, θα συνεχίσουμε να έχουμε τεράστιες μεταναστευτικές ροές στην Ελλάδα και στην Ιταλία και οι πληθυσμοί εκεί δεν αντέχουν άλλους πρόσφυγες και παράνομους μετανάστες. Το τρίτο είναι η φορολογική δικαιοσύνη. Πρέπει επιτέλους να σταματήσει η ιστορία αυτή με τους φορολογικούς παραδείσους, πρέπει επιτέλους να πληρώνουν οι πολυεθνικές τους φόρους εκεί που κερδίζουν με τη δραστηριότητά τους.
Gesine Meissner (ALDE). – Herr Präsident! Ich möchte mich ganz herzlich bei Seb Dance bedanken. Ich muss sagen: Gerade wie der Bericht vorgetragen wurde, das war sehr eindrucksvoll. Es geht um die Zukunft nicht nur unseres Planeten, sondern vor allen Dingen um die Zukunft unserer Kinder. Nachhaltigkeit ist ganz wichtig. Nachhaltige Entwicklung – wie viele Aspekte sie hat, das haben wir in den Beiträgen gemerkt.
Ich möchte mich vor allen Dingen auf ein Nachhaltigkeitsziel fokussieren, das bis jetzt außer allen anderen nur der Kommissar Vella selber genannt hat. Das ist Ziel vierzehn. Da geht es um den Ozean. Ich bin fest davon überzeugt: Wir leben auf dem blauen Planeten, 70 % ist Wasser. Wenn wir 2050 wirklich neun Milliarden Menschen haben, dann reichen die 30 % Erde nicht aus. Wir werden das Wasser brauchen für Nahrung, für Klima, für Klimaverbesserung, für Energie, für Rohstoffe, für Transport und Handel – für ganz vieles – und auch für Gesundheit zum Beispiel, für Medizin. Und das ist der Punkt. Das Meer ist nicht gesund. Wir müssen unbedingt etwas tun, um die Ozeane gesünder zu machen, um sie zu schützen. Nur dann können wir sie nachhaltig nutzen, und nur dann werden sie auch wirklich diesem Planeten mit seiner Zukunft und den Menschen, die auf ihm leben, dienen.
João Ferreira (GUE/NGL). – Senhor Presidente, os objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável, 17 objetivos que compreendem 169 metas e mais de 300 indicadores fixados pelas Nações Unidas no Rio, em 2012, justificam este debate.
Ele tem duas dimensões: a dos objetivos em si e a da postura da União Europeia perante esses objetivos. Os objetivos vão da erradicação da pobreza à proteção dos ecossistemas, abarcando uma multiplicidade de áreas. São, em geral, objetivos pertinentes e justos, pese embora um certo enviesamento – patente, por exemplo, na sobrevalorização do papel do crescimento económico –, já que, no que respeita ao papel da União Europeia – e propaganda à parte –, a consideração das suas orientações gerais e políticas setoriais obriga à conclusão de que delas não resultará a sustentabilidade desejada – pelo contrário.
A sustentabilidade exige ruturas com o comércio livre e desregulado, com a generalização de modelos de produção intensiva, a desregulação do setor financeiro e a livre circulação de capitais, com a erosão dos direitos sociais e laborais, com o ataque aos serviços públicos, apenas para dar alguns exemplos.
Olga Sehnalová (S&D). – Paní předsedající, když bylo v roce 2015 přijato 17 cílů udržitelného rozvoje, přivítali jejich text také lidé s postižením. Předchozí agenda, tzv. rozvojové cíle tisíciletí, totiž žádným způsobem nezmiňovala jejich práva, zatímco motem cílů udržitelného rozvoje se stalo: „Na nikoho nezapomenout“. Ambicí cílů udržitelného rozvoje je ukončit chudobu ve všech jejich formách všude na světě.
Právě osoby s postižením jsou chudobou ohroženy nejvíce, a to nejen v rozvojových zemích, ale také v Evropské unii. Patří mezi ty, kdo jsou nejvíce vyčleněni ze společnosti, nemají dostatečný přístup ke vzdělání, zdravotní péči nebo zaměstnání. Právě proto je zapotřebí přijmout opatření, která na ně budou myslet, a je důležité, aby byly zahrnuty i do této zprávy. V tomto smyslu jsem proto navrhla 2 pozměňující návrhy a děkuji všem kolegům, kteří se k nim napříč politickými skupinami připojili, a doufám, že ostatní je podpoří během zítřejšího hlasování.
(Încheierea procedurii „catch the eye”)
Karmenu Vella,Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I would like to thank all the MEPs for their very valid comments. The Commission welcomes the Parliament’s own-initiative report. It is really a great support to better integrate our policies and to develop synergies to achieve the SDGs. It is clearly a call for an ambitious response to the 2030 Agenda and I can assure everyone that sustainable development is and will remain at the heart of EU policy-making. But we have to be operational: sustainable development is complex and interlinked and so must go beyond simple declarations. The Commission is committed to ensure an agenda of results, and I have had the opportunity to remind the Environment Ministers that we will not be judged only on what we announce but on what we do. But we need to make certain that all of the other Ministers of all the other sectors are on board with us as well.
Many MEPs spoke about implementation and accountability and, as I mentioned in my introductory speech, we will be monitoring consistently to ensure the successful implementation of the SDGs. The Commission will provide regular reporting of the implementation progress. The reporting will be based on a reference indicator framework. The indicators were arrived at after extensive consultation with a number of stakeholders, and we will start as of this year, and the report will be published in November this year.
With regards to reporting, I would like to mention here the Environmental Implementation Review and, as outlined in the report, the EIR has already served as a useful tool in highlighting implementation gaps in the Member States, and the Commission has already started to take action based on these. For example, the clean air dialogues will help reach solutions to common challenges, and full implementation of the NHL action plan will help ensure that we meet the objectives of the Birds and Habitats Directives.
Work is already being done by the Commission as well on other fronts. We mentioned circular economy. A lot is also being done on SDG 14 in protecting our oceans to the EU’s Ocean Governance Initiative. But let’s be very clear: SDGs are not exclusively and only about the environment and development, and in this context, I particularly welcome the proposal in the Seb Dance report for a cross-committee working group on sustainable development goals to ensure a horizontal working within Parliament as well. This would then also provide an opportunity for Members of the European Parliament who have not yet put forward opinions to also engage in this topic.
Last but not least, we are committed to taking the implementation of the 2030 Agenda forward. Together with the European Parliament and together with the Council, also with other European institutions, international organisations, NGOs, civil society and other stakeholders.
I would like to conclude by thanking you again for today’s debate, which represents a very important contribution to the whole process of further developing and further shaping a vision for the future of Europe.
Matti Maasikas,President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, the debate today shows that we share the same objective of achieving poverty eradication and sustainable development through effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
This will be done only if we work together and if we ensure that we have a clear vision of how all relevant EU policies will contribute to their achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, we need a clear way ahead and strong commitment by the EU and the Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda in all relevant internal and external policies.
Seb Dance, rapporteur. – Mr President, thank you very much to everybody took part in this debate, and particular thanks to you, Commissioner Vella, because it is very clear that you have listened to what the report is saying and what we are suggesting, and I am very heartened to hear a number of initiatives that you outlined in the response that you gave, including, of course, regular reporting to this place on the progress vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda and the reference indicator framework which we very much look forward to in terms of seeing how that will be implemented.
Again, I welcome very much your commitment to the side events and the participation at the UN high-level event in New York, because this of course is the opportunity for this place to take forward our ideas and to showcase to the world how we can work collectively. A number of issues did come up in the debate regarding how we go forward. Ms Wiśniewska from the ECR was right: we cannot be prescriptive in telling citizens how they behave and what they eat. That is not the role of this place. However, Mr Eck was also correct in saying we cannot shirk our responsibilities. We cannot pretend that things are not as they are. It is the case that current production methods in meat consumption, for example, are driving us towards an unsustainable future, but that doesn’t mean we can’t collectively find the solutions. Already across this Chamber we’ve heard ideas in this place. There are ideas that will be shared in the multi-stakeholder framework. It is only through this dialogue, through this process of conversation, that we will get to a stage where industry and businesses and citizens and NGOs and all of us can work together for that sustainable future. Because I meant what I said at the start: this isn’t something that is owned by the left or the right one political group, it is owned by all of us, and it is all of our responsibility to deliver it. And I think together we can do it.
Președintele. – Dezbaterea comună a fost închisă.
Votul va avea loc joi, 6 iulie 2017.
Declarații scrise (articolul 162)
Андрей Ковачев (PPE), в писмена форма. – Недостатъчните инвестиции в здравеопазването са сериозен проблем в много държави от Европейския съюз. Европейските здравни системи трудно успяват да отговорят на належащите предизвикателства в условията на застаряващо население, недостигащи публични бюджети и нарастващи здравни неравенства. На фона на икономическата криза стабилността на публичните финанси беше изведена на преден план за сметка на устойчивите инвестиции в здравеопазването, но тези цели не са несъвместими.
Гарантирането на равен достъп до качествено здравеопазване е ключът към устойчивите здравни системи, тъй като има потенциала да намали здравните неравенства между и в рамките на държавите членки. Необходими са повече усилия, за да бъдат преодолени бариерите пред достъпа до здравеопазване на ниво пациенти, доставчици и система на здравеопазване.
Европейският съюз трябва да интегрира своите ангажименти, произтичащи от „Програмата до 2030 г. за устойчиво развитие“, във всички свои действия и политики. Европейският съюз също така трябва да насърчава държавите членки да избягват краткосрочни решения относно инвестициите в здравеопазването и да им помогне да осигурят качествени здравни услуги, които са достъпни и не водят до финансови затруднения за пациентите.
Jarosław Wałęsa (PPE), na piśmie. – W dzisiejszych czasach społeczeństwa europejskie stoją przed wieloma wyzwaniami związanymi ze zrównoważonym rozwojem, począwszy od szeroko rozpowszechnionego ubóstwa czy degradacji środowiska, po zagrożenia wynikające ze zmiany klimatu. Cele w zakresie zrównoważonego rozwoju oraz powiązane z nimi zadania są współzależne i niepodzielne. Mają charakter powszechny, bowiem dotyczą wszystkich ludzi. Ze względu na ograniczenia planety, niedobór zasobów, rosnące nierówności i znaczenie trwałego wzrostu gospodarczego dla ochrony naszych systemów opieki społecznej niezwykle ważne jest wspólne europejskie podejście do osiągnięcia celów zrównoważonego rozwoju we wszystkich aspektach pracy Unii. Cele stanowią program współdziałania na wszystkich szczeblach władz publicznych i społeczeństwa obywatelskiego, a ich realizację należy kontynuować w ramach partnerstwa ze wszystkimi podmiotami.
Istotą zrównoważonego rozwoju jest godne życie, dlatego koniecznie jest wzmożenie wysiłków zmierzających do włączenia celów zrównoważonego rozwoju do przekrojowych projektów i inicjatyw, które przyczynią się do osiągnięcia lepszych i bardziej ujednoliconych wyników pod względem zdrowia, dobrostanu obywateli, przeciwdziałania zmianie klimatu i ochrony środowiska. Musimy sprostać bieżącym wyzwaniom i przygotować się na przyszłość, reagując na tempo i złożoność zmian globalnych, a także na potrzeby rosnącej populacji światowej. Aby zachować europejski model społeczny i spójność społeczną, konieczne jest inwestowanie w osoby młode, pobudzanie trwałego wzrostu gospodarczego sprzyjającego włączeniu społecznemu, rozwiązanie problemu nierówności i odpowiednie zarządzanie migracją.