EU fully committed to sustainable development
By: European Court Of Auditors
Tags: Sustainable Development

European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen is responsible for ‘Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competiveness’. This includes for example the promotion of structural reforms in EU countries and helping improve the business environment in the EU. He was keynote speaker at the Sustainability reporting Forum the ECA organised in Brussels on 17 June 2019. He responds to some questions on how the Commission has integrated the SDGs in EU policies and where the EU stands regarding reporting on realising the SDGs.

Interview with Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President of the European Commission

By Gaston Moonen

Mainstreaming SDGs in the European policy framework

When you think about the EU and sustainability, what are the key issues that come to your mind?

Jyrki Katainen: I think it is fair to say that the EU has a strong starting position and track record. The EU is fully committed to sustainable development. It is part of our DNA. And Europe was a leading force behind the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals — the SDGs — and also of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. EU policies, funds and actions cover all SDGs and provide a significant contribution to their implementation. This is the case not only within the EU, but also outside, through EU external action and trade.

What has the Juncker Commission done to realise the SDGs, particularly in the European Union?

Jyrki Katainen: Since 2015 — when the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted — the Commission has been following a two-step approach towards the implementation of the SDGs. I think we can distinguish two work streams here. The first work stream is to ‘mainstream’ the SDGs in the European policy framework and the Commission’s priorities. We, as Commission, have mainstreamed sustainable development into key cross-cutting agendas but also sectoral policies and initiatives. I can even say that this Commission has put in place some of the most ambitious agendas in the world to fully deliver on the SDGs.

Let me give you some examples which address, at the same time, the economic, social, environmental and governance aspects of sustainability. These are policies of a new kind, a ‘new generation’ of policies. Just to name a few:

The Circular Economy Action Plan includes steps for changing consumption and production patterns, by focusing on the design of products, waste management and increasing consumer awareness;

The EU Plastics Strategy and legislation on single-use plastics will protect the environment from plastic pollution while fostering growth and innovation;

The Action Plan on Sustainable Finance will provide for the first time investors with full information on what is a sustainable investment, and create a new market for it;

The Investment Plan for Europe boosts investment for Europe’s future, for instance in renewable energy, circular economy, digitisation, innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Presenting a vision for the a sustainable future

What does the Commission do to ensure that SDGs are well integrated in the ongoing discussions for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)?

Jyrki Katainen: This relates exactly to the second work stream of the two-step approach I was referring to earlier. As Commission, we have presented a vision for a sustainable future for the EU, reflected in the Commission Reflection Paper ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030.’ We published it in January this year, together with First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

Of course we are not starting from scratch and a lot has been achieved already. But further and prolonged efforts are needed.

The Reflection Paper forms part of the discussion on the Future of Europe and aims to inspire the discussion on the political priorities post-2019. We also decided to present different scenarios, offering ideas to spur the debate and thinking. In the Reflection Paper we identify key policies areas where we need to take further steps towards sustainability: circular economy; food systems; future–proof energy, buildings and mobility and last but not least, a socially fair transition. Of course we are not starting from scratch and a lot has been achieved already. But further and prolonged efforts are needed.

Having goals is one thing, how to get there is often a much more difficult challenge. Does the Commission also present concrete ideas on the instruments to be used to realise a sustainable Europe by 2030?

Jyrki Katainen: We certainly do. The Reflection Paper also identifies the key enablers for the sustainability transition. Just let me mention a few. First, we need to invest more in education and training. It is the best investment we can make for our future to ensure equal opportunities and fairer societies. Second, we need to invest more in research, development, innovation and digitisation, in particular in artificial intelligence. It has huge potential, for example in health or agriculture, and Europe cannot lag behind in this field. Third, a key enabler is the rule of law and respect of fundamental values. We have recently seen worrying signs of leaders calling the very foundations of our democracies into question.

First, we need to invest more in education and training. It is the best investment we can make for our future to ensure equal opportunities and fairer societies.

The Reflection Paper focuses — understandably — on how Europe can achieve the SDGs by 2030, but I want to underline the global dimension to it. Challenges like climate change do not stop at borders. We need and will continue contributing to solutions together with the rest of the world in multilateral forums. We will make a positive contribution through development cooperation, initiatives like the External Investment Plan, as well as through open and rules-based trade.

If we wait too long, challenges will only get bigger and we miss out on the opportunities.

The Commission Reflection Paper — with its different scenarios — should drive citizens, stakeholders, Member States and the European Parliament, to reflect towards which Europe we want by 2030 and provide feedback to the Commission, giving guidance on the priorities to pursue going forward. With this reflection paper we also presented a call to the rest of the world, not to get tempted by easy solutions that may solve symptoms in the short term, but do not address the causes of our problems in the medium-term. If we wait too long, challenges will only get bigger and we miss out on the opportunities.

Monitoring and reporting

For the citizens, stakeholders like Member States and the EP, but also at the global level, such as the UN, it will be important to have reliable information on how the EU contributes to sustainable development and where the EU is when it comes to reaching them in time, that is by 2030. In its review the ECA concludes that the Commission still has a few steps to take when it comes to reporting on the contribution of the EU’s budget and policies towards the 2030 agenda for SDGs. What is your view on where the Commission stands and can improve?

Jyrki Katainen: Let me first underline that I believe that monitoring the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is key. Without knowing where we stand, it is difficult to progress. The Commission supports a robust global monitoring and review process, which will enable us to take stock and adjust our approach as needed.

Jyrki Katainen, Sustainability Reporting Forum 17/6/2019, Brussels.

These robust assessments of the EU’s progress on the SDGs are provided in several reports. The ‘Eurostat Monitoring Report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context’ is a key tool for facilitating the coordination of SDG policies. It promotes the assessment and monitoring of progress in implementing the SDGs, and it helps to highlight their crosscutting nature and the links among them. Also, the first Joint Synthesis Report on the implementation of the European Consensus on Development, published last May, shows how the EU and its Member States are jointly delivering on the UN 2030 Agenda through development cooperation and supporting partner countries in pursuing the SDGs.

So, as a first reaction to the rapid case review, I must say that the Commission does report and monitor how the EU policies contribute to sustainable development, and we will continue to do so. However, as is also indicated in our Reflection Paper, it is clear that there is room for further strengthening this aspect. One scenario of the reflection paper indeed refers to a specific EU SDG implementation strategy, for instance.

When it comes to reporting at the global level on where we stand, the United Nations’ High-level Political Forum is the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The EU reporting will be based on the Commission’s Reflection Paper and its annexes, the 2019 Eurostat report, the Joint Synthesis Report and the 2019 EU report on Policy Coherence for Development. And I very much look forward to further ideas, from the ECA and others, on how to improve our reporting, which the next Commission could possibly take forward.