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Brussels, 17 March 2003
EURO COOP calls for a European Commission
Sustainable Development Strategy
EURO COOP is the European Community of Consumer Co-operatives, whose members are the national organisations of consumer co-operatives in 11 of the 15 Member States of the EU and in 3 Central and Eastern European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local or regional co-operatives, membership of which amounts to over 19 million consumers in the EU and 2 million in the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
EURO COOP would welcome an overall sustainable development strategy from the European Commission as a follow-up to the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit. So far, the Commission's strategy on sustainable development has consisted of two Communications and the EU Council of Ministers' conclusions from its Gothenburg Summit. But no single strategy has been drawn up yet setting out objectives, targets, timetables, means etc.
Furthermore, EURO COOP calls for the Convention to properly address sustainable development in a new Treaty. Sustainable development is part of the European Commission's priorities. EURO COOP therefore proposes that the Convention makes use of a possible European Commission sustainable development strategy as a guidance for its work. As a minimum the objective of sustainable development as laid down in the Amsterdam Treaty should be included in a new Treaty.
In the long term, economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection must go hand in hand to achieve sustainable development as they all interact and have an impact on one another.
EURO COOP recognises that ethical and social issues together with environmental issues form a sustainable development approach. To achieve this in practice, requires that economic growth supports social progress and respects the environment, that social policy underpins economic performance, and that environmental policy is cost-effective.
EURO COOP would like to see the following issues addressed in a sustainable development strategy:
EURO COOP believes that the EU has a key role to play in achieving sustainable development for the EU and for the world. As sustainable development is a global issue.
Since EU production and consumption have impacts beyond the borders, it should be ensured that all policy areas assist in promoting sustainable development at a global level. Therefore sustainable development should become the central objective in all sectors and policy areas. It is of utmost importance that they reinforce one another. EURO COOP believes that transparency in the policy process is an important tool in order to involve all stakeholders and for all to have full information.
EURO COOP finds it important that existing Community policies has as an objective to contribute to a sustainable development. EURO COOP also suggests that consumer concerns should be integrated in all policy areas as well as environmental ones.
EURO COOP strongly supports that EU policies, internally and externally, actively support efforts by other countries, particular those in the developing world, to achieve a more sustainable development.
EURO COOP would welcome actions to encourage private sector initiatives and pro-active approaches.
- Integrated Product Policy
The aim should be to promote a gradual increase in the environmental quality of goods and services in a life cycle perspective using market instruments to internalise products' external environmental costs over their whole life-cycle. Therefore, EURO COOP calls for an introduction of a price policy making ecological products more competitive in the market. As a key action, subsidies that encourage wasteful use of natural resources should be removed.
EURO COOP would especially like to underline that there has to be full internalisation of external costs, subsidies has to be phased out and energy efficiency has to be improved in order to effectively combat climate change.
In general, EURO COOP favours a shift to taxation of activities that deplete natural resources or pollute the environment. In this way, environmental taxes can support "the Polluter Pays' Principle". However, there is a need to ensure that in any such change that the taxation burden does not fall disproportionately onto poorer consumers. For example, increased taxes on certain fuels will affect poor consumers more unless they are compensated in some other way. There is potential for environmental taxes to be regressive in their effect.
More research should also be done to find alternative fuels and tradable permits systems for carbon dioxide, preferably expanded to the transport sector, should be tested.
EURO COOP would like to stress that it is very important to bring about a shift from road to rail. In order to achieve this the European railroads, especially, have to undergo major structural changes. This is crucial for the EU in terms of combining free movement of goods with very high environmental standards.
EURO COOP would like to emphasise the importance of a new chemical strategy. The strategy should build on: a full right for consumers to know; deadline for chemicals to be safely assessed; phase out of persistent or bio-accumulative chemicals; substitution of less safe chemicals with safer alternatives; and a commitment to stop all releases to the environment of hazardous substances by 2020.
There must be a guarantee for all water users to have access to clean water. It is therefore important to provide for the conservation of both the quality and quantity of water resources and to ensure a sustainable consumption of water.
EURO COOP believes that the loss of biodiversity has to be halted. Therefore, a revised Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should be rewarding healthy, environmentally friendly and high quality products and practices rather than quantity. Organic production is one way to both produce food and to promote biodiversity. In the review of the Common Fishery Policy (CFP), there has to be introduced far reaching measures to have a chance to restore the ecosystems of the oceans. EURO COOP wants to stress the possibilities to develop aqua-culture with very high environmental standards. This will both serve the market with healthy seafood and at the same time offer an alternative to fishermen and industry in the coastal zones of the EU. EURO COOP would welcome the development of eco-labels on both fish from aqua-culture and wild catch.
Fair Trade is an important tool in promoting a sustainable development and better living conditions for people in the third world. EURO COOP therefore believes that general common criteria for Fair Trade products should be drawn up. The Commission should have a role in monitoring the Fair Trade market and informing consumers about it. Furthermore, EURO COOP would welcome the establishment of a platform for dialogue with the Fair Trade movement in order to facilitate the work of the Commission regarding common labelling and accreditation criteria for Fair Trade products.
EURO COOP hopes that a Sustainable Development Strategy will be a catalyst for policy-makers and public opinion and become a driving force for institutional reform and for changes in corporate and consumer behaviour.
For further information, contact:
Dónal WALSHE, Secretary General
or
Louise OUSTED OLSEN, Senior Adviser
Tel.: +32.(0)2.285.00.76 - Fax: +32.(0)2.231.07.57 - E-mail: Lousted_Olsen@eurocoop.org
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