THE GREENS/EFA IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT | PRESS RELEASE - Brussels | February 13, 2002
Commission Communication on External Dimension of Sustainable Development
Today's long-delayed Commission Communication on the External Dimension of Sustainable Development was presented by Development Commissioner Poul Nielson, but it appears to have the stamp of Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy on it. What should be an important signal to the rest of the world on just how seriously the EU will take its commitment to sustainable development (as enshrined in Articles 2 and 6 of the Treaty) is now in danger of becoming a pretext for a trade-oriented agenda at the coming World Summit on Sustainable Development ("Rio +10") in Johannesburg.
Commissioner Lamy himself has said the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha last November "contributed to building a strong platform for further international co-operation, particularly in the UN event on Financing for Development, which will take place in Monterrey in March 2002, and in the World Summit on Sustainable Development later in 2002." (Note 1).
"We are seeing a co-ordinated attempt to hi-jack the World Summit on Sustainable Development" said the Group's co-ordinator for the Development Committee, Green MEP Didier Rod (France). "Since the publication last year (Note 2) of a joint paper by the Environment and Development Commissioners intended to put environmentally sustainable practices at the forefront of international policy making at the World Summit, the focus is in danger of shifting to making free-trade the motor of development. We have seen that the 'consensus document' already agreed ahead of the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development does not contain binding target dates for increased public funding and instead is starting to turn development aid into a privatised trade tool. Today's Communication goes in the same direction."
Alexander de Roo MEP (Netherlands), vice president of the Parliament's Environment Committee commented "Last week the second preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held in New York. The Chairman's paper, summarising the state of discussions so far (Note 3), is built on the same agenda: the need to support the WTO multilateral trading system and the Doha Declaration. The message from Europe delivered to the New York meeting (Note 4) was that the free-market will make globalisation work for sustainable development by removing trade distortions, giving duty-free and quota-free market access, and by encouraging investments in the least developed countries. In contrast the Prepcom has so far failed to produce texts on global environmental governance and on binding rules for corporate social responsibility. The UN needs to confront the WTO paradigm, not to endorse it."
The European Parliament will have the opportunity to respond to the Commission's Communication and to give its views in advance of the WSSD when it debates the Papayannakis Report on Rio+10, probably in July. Green MEPs Paul Lannoye and Caroline Lucas will present Opinions in the Development and Industry committees.
Note 1 Speech 27 November 2001 http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/speeches_articles/index_en.htm
Note 2 Commission Communication February 2001 "Ten Years After Rio: Preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002
Notes 3/4 http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prepcom2.html
Press Service of the Greens/EFA Group in the European ParliamentTHE GREENS/EFA IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT:
