Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on a "Sustainable Development Strategy: Signals for Barcelona"
Date: 2002-02-21
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: Eurostat, dissemination of EU information, economic development, social development, sustainable development

C 94/34

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on a ‘Sustainable Development Strategy: Signals
for Barcelona ’

(2002/C 94/08)

On 29 November 2001 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rules 11(4), 19(1) and 23(3)
of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an own-initiative opinion on a ‘Sustainable Development
Strategy’.

The Sub-Committee on a Sustainable Development Strategy, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 8 February 2002. The rapporteur was Mr Cabra
de Luna.

At its 388th Plenary Session held on 20 and 21 February 2002 (meeting of 21 February), the Economic
and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 95 votes in favour, 11 against and 21 abstentions.

1. Executive Summary

1.1.
The Barcelona European Summit will have a critical
importance for Europe’s advance towards becoming the
world’s most dynamic, competitive sustainable knowledge-
based economy (1). The ambitious objective set by the Lisbon
Summit in 2000 was to be reached in ten years. The Barcelona
Summit is an essential stage at which to take stock and review
policies.

1.2.
This is all the more so because the Lisbon strategy has
been widened, as decided by the Göteborg Summit, to include
the dimension of sustainable development, implying very long-
term ambitions in shaping the good life for both present and
future generations.

Since Lisbon, the world has seen new threats to our
1.3.
security and to our options for shaping the future. Our
responsibility for global sustainable development has increased
dramatically.

1.4.
The Barcelona European Summit will be confronted
with a twin set of issues: how to ensure progress towards the
Lisbon and Göteborg summit objectives and at the same time
lay the basis for the Union’s active participation in global
sustainable development

The Economic and Social Committee (ESC) emphasizes
1.5.
the determinant importance of the Barcelona Summit. The real
progress towards reaching the Lisbon objectives is obviously
and alarmingly inadequate. The EU is not keeping up the pace
foreseen as needed for reaching the position of a region leading
globally in competitiveness and skills.

1.6.
Likewise alarming is the inadequate progress in making
sustainable development a real overriding vision for the
European Union. The very clear political statements of the
Göteborg Summit have become background features, not
front-line guiding principles.

1.7.
The ESC finds this lack of progress deeply unsatisfying.
It is not only seriously hurting the Union’s long-term develop-
ment and position, it is also hurting the image of the Union
itself in the eyes of its citizens. The Lisbon strategy and the
Göteborg decision on sustainable development have both
clearly given added value to the Union’s expectations of itself.

1.8.
The ESC calls on the Barcelona Summit to reinforce
the action programme and time-table of the Lisbon strategy
and to ask the individual Councils to consider what additional
measures are necessary to reach the overriding objective of
becoming the world’s most competitive economy. The
Councils should report on this to the Seville Summit in June
2002.

The ESC calls on the Barcelona Summit to re-emphasise
1.9.
the importance of sustainable development as a new vision for
the Union, and to instruct the relevant Councils to speed up
implementation of legislation and other measures for progress
with sustainable development. The ESC is particularly worried
that the calls from the Göteborg Summit for ‘policy coherence’
in the field of sustainable development have not achieved
results, whether in the EU institutions or member States.

(1) European Council Lisbon of 23 and 24 March 2000 — Conclusion
of the Presidency Point I-5 (COM (2002) 14 final — Executive
summary paragraph 1).

1.10.
The ESC calls on the Barcelona Summit to fix the
basic framework for the Union’s contribution to global
sustainable development, in particular with regard to the Euro-
Med region and the World Summit in September this year.

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1.11.
Specifically, the ESC calls for urgent new measures in
the following areas, in order to safeguard the Union’s progress
towards becoming a leading competitive region:

a)

There is urgent need of new initiatives for enhancing
employment, particularly among the younger gener-
ations. The ESC calls on the Barcelona summit to re-
emphasise the need for national action programmes for
job opportunities and training for the young bearing in
mind the positive role which these schemes can have.

b) Quality in employment is an issue of renewed importance.
The ESC calls on the Barcelona summit to confirm quality
in employment as a key aspect of Union and national
employment policies, and to ask the Commission to
prepare an action plan for quality in employment, as well
as for countering new health and safety risks in working
life.

c)

Cohesion: the ESC acknowledges the important contri-
bution structural policy has played in improving Social
and Economic Cohesion since 1988. Cohesion is a key
factor in Sustainable Development and the ESC calls on
the Barcelona Summit to emphasize the importance of
pursuing an active degree of cohesion throughout the EU
following enlargement and completion of the present
funding period in 2006.

d) Market Opening: The ESC calls on the Barcelona Summit
to move ahead with measures to open up markets as
proposed by the Commission. The ESC wishes the
Summit to launch an assessment of the social, environ-
mental and employment consequences of the liberalis-
ation of public services (1).

(1) Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of
the internal market of Community postal services and the
improvement of quality of service — OJ L 15, 21.1.1998.
Directive 98/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 22 June 1998 concerning common rules for the internal
market in natural gas — OJ L 204, 21.7.1998. Directive 96/92/EC
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December
1996 concerning common rules for the internal market
in
electricity — OJ L 27, 30.1.1997. Directive 97/51/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 6 October 1997
amending Council Directives 90/387/EEC and 92/44/EEC for
the purpose of adaptation to a competitive environment in
telecommunications — OJ L
295, 29.10.1997. Directive
2001/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
26 February 2001 amending Council Directive 91/440/EEC on
the development of the Community’s railways — OJ L 75,
15.3.2001.

e)

f)

g)

h)

i)

j)

Environment: The ESC finds that the Union must develop
more efficient methods for delivery of measures in the
environment field, in particular in respect of greenhouse
gas emissions, use of natural resources and food safety.
What is needed nowadays is less new ideas than the
capacity to make existing ones work.

Investing in knowledge: The Lisbon strategy is based on
high ambitions as to investments in human resources.
The ESC has taken note of the progress made by the EU
Education and Research Councils. The ESC particularly
points to the need for broad tripartite agreements con-
cerning life-long learning and training, in order to secure
both access and financing.

Investing in Research and Development is of crucial
importance in the Lisbon strategy, all the more so since
Europe has been lagging behind both the USA and Japan
for long periods. The EU Research Council wants an
increase in spending on research to increase from pre-
sent 1,9 to 3 per cent GDP during this decade. The ESC
would like to see plans, including education and training,
for increasing the numbers of new scientists which such
projections require.

The ESC finds that efforts for supporting entrepreneur-
ship and small business in particular are still inadequate
in relation to the major contribution they can bring to
reaching the Lisbon objectives. The ESC strongly endorses
the Commission’s call to reinforce action along all ten
lines of the European Charter for Small Business.

Decision-making: The ESC strongly supports the Com-
mission in its call to the Council to make decision-making
more effective and bridge the delivery gap between the
Lisbon targets and actual achievements.

The ESC reaffirms, as the Göteborg Council also had
noted, that sustainable development can only succeed if
it is based on widespread public understanding and
support throughout all elements of civil society, sustained
by an active process of consultation and dialogue. There
are still considerable shortcomings in this area and the
Committee has not noticed any improvement in the
situation since the Göteborg Council. It is itself contribu-
ting to this process and welcomes support for its work in
this respect.

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k)

The ESC underscores the importance of
the Social
dialogue, and active participation of organized civil
society, if the objectives of the Lisbon and Stockholm
summits are to be reached.

2. General comments

2.1. The priorities of the Commission

The Committee wishes to draw attention to the Commission’s
priorities in areas where the Barcelona European Council is set
to push for progress:

— To continue to develop employment policies, paying
particular attention to active labour market reforms.

— To reform and remedy existing deficiencies in the main
network industries and speed up integration of
the
financial markets.

to adapt to the requirements of a rapidly changing labour
market. The Commission Memorandum on lifelong learning
lists six key objectives for consideration and discussion in
relation to implementing and developing this important
concept. The ESC welcomed these objectives in opinion
1121/2001, and believes that they remain valid today:

— new basic skills for all, necessary for participation in the

knowledge society;

— more investment in human resources;

— innovation in teaching and learning;

— valuing learning;

— rethinking guidance and counselling on learning oppor-

tunities;

— bringing learning closer to home (e-learning could be a

very useful tool).

— To increase investment in knowledge in order to safe-

2.4.

Social and cohesion aspects as investment for development

guard future competitiveness and jobs.

2.2. The priorities of the Spanish Presidency

One of the priorities of the Spanish Presidency for its six
month term of office is to give a fresh impetus to the Action
Plan adopted at Lisbon, in particular by setting in motion
liberalisation measures in certain strategic sectors, including:

— energy;

— telecommunications;

— transport;

— financial services;

and developing an employment and training policy capable of
keeping pace with Europe’s transformation into the most
dynamic and innovative economy in the world on the basis of
the principles of sustainability.

2.3. The situation as regards employment and training in the EU

The Committee supports moves to create quality employment
as an objective of the European employment strategy.

Because they are unable to respond to the demands of today’s
society, current education systems no longer meet citizens
needs. Citizens must have lifelong access to education and
training, both in the interests of flexibility and to enable them

The first principle of the Rio Summit states that human beings
are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. The
Lisbon approach took this basic idea and translated it to a
European context: ‘people are Europe’s main asset, and should
be the focal point of the Union’s policies’.

2.4.1.

P o v e r t y a n d s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n

Combating these problems, which are common to all Member
States, is fundamental to achieving sustainable development.
Although some progress has been made, much still remains to
be done.

In adopting the European Social Agenda the Nice European
Council went some way towards achieving the Lisbon objec-
tives. One of the key objectives of the Social Agenda should
be to incorporate social policy in the wider context of the
European sustainable development strategy.

The fight against poverty and social exclusion should focus
on:

— creating the economic conditions for greater prosperity
through higher levels of growth and employment;

— improved implementation of the European employment

strategy;

— maintaining and improving the quality of work. Not just

more jobs, but better jobs;

— creating quality indicators for work and combating social

exclusion that truly reflect these concepts.

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— continuing the use of Structural Policy as a means of

support for those regions in greatest need.

As previously stated, economic growth is essential. But it must
be uncoupled from high energy consumption.

In this sphere, as in others referred to in this opinion, the
social economy (cooperatives, mutual societies, associations
and foundations) can play an important role. Incentives should
be put in place to encourage them to do so.

Energy efficiency must be promoted across all sectors of the
European economy. We must also recognise that some areas
have already made efforts in this direction.

2.4.2. A n a g e i n g p o p u l a t i o n

In all Member States, the increase in life expectancy and the
falling birth rate are shifting the balance between people of
working age and the rest of the population. The Committee
would point out that this demographic trend towards an
ageing population is a worrying matter which must be
addressed with some care.

There are three basic problems:

— The need to guarantee the financial viability of

the

pensions system.

— The inevitable increase in demand for health services.

Renewable energy sources must be promoted more actively
and effectively than in the past, and the necessary measures
for a task of this scale must be adopted.

Emissions of greenhouse gases from transport are growing at
a faster rate than emissions from any other source. Action is
needed,
inter alia in the form of prices which reflect the
real costs involved, further development of intelligent traffic
management systems, improved infrastructure use and con-
struction of new infrastructure together with moves towards
less environmentally damaging transport modes. The measures
proposed by the White Paper on transport policy (1) are
certainly a step in the right direction towards sustainable
transport.

— The possible decline in economic growth.

2.5.2.

S u s t a i n a b l e u s e o f n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s

Measures must be adopted to avoid social discrimination
between the generations and increased poverty among the
most elderly.

These measures should be aimed at:

— increasing employment in line with the Lisbon strategy

(60 % for women and 70 % for men);

— promoting lifelong training;

— creating an active family support policy at national level
that provides real social and economic choices in order
to stimulate the birth rate in the Member States.

The loss of biodiversity and the corresponding reduction in
genetic resources are irreversible facts, with clear repercussions
for future generations. Policies which have an unacceptable
impact on natural resources (such as some types of fishing,
arable and livestock farming and industry) must be reformed.

Reform of the CAP must take account of economic, environ-
mental and social objectives. The first steps have already been
taken, for example ‘agri-environmental’ measures that have
helped preserve biodiversity and reduce water pollution. It is
clear that measures to restore consumers’ confidence in food
are also needed.

Although it is not yet known how enlargement will affect the
average age of workers, in view of the significant increase in
population that will result from the applicant States’ accession
it is clearly an important issue that must be addressed.

To improve the management of natural resources in the long-
term we must have information on their current situation.
This will enable us to detect much more easily whether
consumption is exceeding the resource’s capacity to regenerate.

2.5. The environment

2.5.1. C o m b a t i n g c l i m a t e c h a n g e

In order to comply with the Kyoto objectives, we must have
up-to-date information on the situation in each country so
that the appropriate action may be taken. A standardised
series of measuring instruments must be developed for use
throughout the Community.

A balance must be maintained, to ensure that natural means
of ensuring sustainability continue to function. We must
formalise effective arrangements for cooperation between the
different sectors of the community, SMEs, cities, municipalities
and organised civil society on the one hand, and the scientific
community on the other, including the research community
and development institutes.

(1) COM(2001) 370 final.

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An action plan must be launched to improve and simplify the
current environmental rules. New legislation should be kept to
a minimum, and efforts concentrated on ensuring compliance
with the existing rules.

2.6. The opinion and support of European citizens

Society as a whole does not have sufficient information on the
objectives and political measures adopted at Lisbon and
Göteborg. There must be an effort to raise public awareness
and encourage citizens and the institutions of civil society in
which they may be involved to have their say on these essential
policy questions and their impact.

We must promote a wide-ranging public debate involving
organised civil society. The media must be invited to partici-
pate, so that they can take this civil dialogue to the citizens
and thereby help to ensure that sustainable development is
achieved in a democratic manner. The governments, munici-
palities and various bodies that make up civil society, as well
as the Community institutions, must also be involved.

The Internet could be an extremely effective means of
informing citizens about national sustainable development
plans and strategies and channelling their feedback. This type
of consultation must be accompanied by seminars with
experts, reports and specific consultations, open debate and
other ways of involving the public.

In this process of communication with society, both the
European ESC and similar bodies at national
(the
consultative bodies of the Governments of the various Mem-
ber States) obviously have a fundamental role to play.

level

3. Specific comments

3.1. The indicators

While there is a general consensus on the need for a
sustainable development strategy, regular information on its
equally
implementation and the progress

achieved is

Brussels, 21 February 2002.

important.
implemented by the Member States can be assessed.

In this way the effectiveness of

the policies

It is essential to seek and identify representative and balanced
indicators. The Barcelona Summit must adopt indicators for
structural reform of the EU, so that the impact of the reforms
in each country can be measured and the most appropriate
policies and instruments for each country used.

Data must be selected, compiled and processed in an up-to-
date and rigorous manner. There is thus a need for a coherent
system to enable it to be interpreted clearly. Eurostat must be
ready to respond to this need, and if it is not it must make the
necessary preparations.

3.2. A competitive system of production

Sustainable development offers opportunities for entrepre-
neurship and job creation in sectors which have good long-
term prospects, but require a high degree of competitiveness.
There is a need for reforms which increase the efficiency and
productivity of production systems.

We must embark upon an ambitious plan of liberalisation and
increase the flexibility of the European economy, stepping up
structural reform, while also taking account of the social
aspects in the interests of equality. At the forthcoming Spring
summit, it will be more important to make steady progress
than to introduce innovative new approaches.

At Barcelona we must evaluate the progress made, consolidat-
ing those policies and measures that are going well and
identifying those that are not working; priority can then be
given to continuing the former. A short deadline (e.g. one year)
should be set to re-assess the situation.

3.3. Meetings prior to the Barcelona summit

The ESC welcomes the proposal of the Spanish Presidency to
hold discussions, with the active involvement of the ESC
and other civil society organisations, prior to the Barcelona
Summit.

It also supports the meeting with the social partners in the
context of the social dialogue.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke FRERICHS

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APPENDIX

to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

The following amendments, which received more than one-quarter of the votes cast, were defeated in the course of
the debate:

Point 2 — General Comments (point 2.1 to 2.6)

Delete.

Result of the vote

For: 34, against: 54, abstentions: 14.

Points 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4.2

Delete.

Reasons

Not relevant to the subject

Result of the vote

For: 37, against: 67, abstentions: 8.

Point 2.5.2

— second paragraph:

Delete the second sentence.

— third paragraph:

Delete.

Reasons

The European Environment Agency has produced a report to this effect: the information is available.

Result of the vote

For: 38, against: 55, abstentions: 10.

Point 3 — Specific Comments (point 3.1 to 3.2)

Delete (keep point 3.3).

Result of the vote

For: 34, against: 71, abstentions: 5.

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Point 3.1

— second paragraph:

Delete the second sentence and replace with the following:

‘The Committee criticises the fact that the environmental indicators in the documents in question (total of seven) are
still inadequate.’

— third paragraph:

Delete.

Result of the vote

For: 40, against: 62, abstentions: 8.

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European
Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 83/477/EEC on the protection of
workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work’

(2002/C 94/09)

On 13 September 2001, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 30 January 2002. The rapporteur was Mr Etty.

At its 388th Plenary Session of 20 and 21 February 2002 (meeting of 21 February), the Economic and
Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 62 votes to 14 with three abstentions.

0.

Introduction

0.1.
In March 1999 the Economic and Social Committee
adopted an Own-initiative Opinion on Asbestos in which,
inter alia, it called for a ban on the first use of all asbestos and
better protection for workers and self-employed who are
required to deal with asbestos in repair, maintenance, refur-
bishment, demolition and removal.

0.2.
The present Commission proposal for amendments of
Council Directive 83/477/EEC is a response to the Committee’s
call for a review of the existing legislation as well as for new
measures for reducing the risk for those exposed to asbestos
at work, as noted by the Commission in its Explanatory
Memorandum.

In 1999, the Committee expressed the hope and the
0.3.
expectation that the relevant services of the Commission
would be adequately equipped to perform the tasks identified
in the opinion. Today there seems to be reason for some
concern as regards the financial and human resources required.
In this context, mention should also, and once again, be made
of the forthcoming enlargement of the EU.

The Commission proposals testify to the continued
0.4.
interest of
the Commission for better safety and health
conditions at work, in particular in relation to asbestos. The
Committee notes, however, with regret that the Commission
seems less concerned about the unintended consequences of
the better protection of workers in the EU, such as export of
dangerous products like asbestos mined in the EU, and of
dangerous work such as the stripping of ships containing
asbestos to other parts of the world where governments
show less concern for these matters. In the latter case, the
Commission must draw the attention of Member States to
their responsibility in international organisations such as the
IMO and ILO and under the Basle Convention.

1. General remarks

The ban on marketing and use of asbestos by Com-
1.1.
mission Directive 1999/77/EC could have allowed for a
fundamentally different improvement of the protection of