The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), or the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were adopted in September 2015.
The 17 Goals and 169 targets which aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.
The SDGs are not legally binding and governments are expected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for the achievement of the 17 Goals. Countries have the primary responsibility to follow-up and review the progress made in implementing the Goals, which will require quality, accessible and timely data collection.
The role of EU institutions is to ensure policy development and data monitoring systems at this level also contribute to achieving the SDGs and to supporting Member State’s efforts to implement the Goals. To achieve this, the European Commission’s 2016 work programme committed to exploring ‘next steps for a sustainable European future’ and to communicating on ‘Sustainable Development: A Mapping of the EU’s internal and external policies’ by the end of 2016.
The European Commission asked the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC), its in-house think-tank to explore the question of ‘next steps’. The findings were brought together in the report: ‘Sustainability Now! A European Vision for Sustainability’, which contributes to an inclusive reflection and vision for a sustainable European Union. The report states that the SDGs “reflect a broad recognition that the global status quo is untenable and that change is necessary to deal with the negative global trends affecting economic, social and ecological perspectives: growth, jobs, well-being, natural capital, social cohesion. The report states that Europe has been an “active driver for the UN process …” and that “sustainability could well become the rejuvenated brand of Europe: living well and sharing fairly within the limits of our blue planet”.
Other EU Institutions have also been reflecting on the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, and produced the following documents:
– Following a Plenary debate on Agenda 2030 in the European Parliament (EP) in May 2016, the EP adopted a Resolution that, amongst other things, “Calls on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for an overarching Sustainable Development Strategy encompassing all relevant internal and external policy areas, with a detailed timeline up to 2030 …”
– The Council of the European Union has adopted the following three documents relating to the 2030 Agenda and the SDGS:
• The role of the private sector in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development –Issue Paper, 02.05.2016
• Revision of the European Consensus on Development in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development –Issue Paper, 02.05.2016
• Implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – Information by the Presidency in view of the Council (Environment) on 4 March 2016
– The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an opinion on ‘A European Sustainable Development Civil Society Forum’ in May 2016. It also issued an information report that investigates the opportunities and processes for civil society involvement in the implementation of the 2030 agenda in the EU and put forward recommendations for strengthened participatory governance. The report was accompanied by a commissioned research study on ‘Building the Europe we want – Models for civil society involvement in the implementation of the Post-2015 agenda’, providing an assessment of current practices and recommending the creation of a European Sustainable Development Civil Society Forum in partnership with the EC.
The EESC has in addition organised several events on the implementation of the SDGs. The most recent one, a Conference entitled The next steps for a Sustainable European Future that took place on 7 July 2016, provided civil society and stakeholders with a forum to express their ideas on how to ensure EU policies are compatible with and can contribute to an effective implementation of the SDGs.
The Conference began with an open discussion with Frans Timmermans, First-Vice President of the European Commission, who amongst other things reflected on the potential for the concept of Sustainable Development to inspire young people and mobilize them into action. The Conference included workshops on the themes of: sustainable production and consumption; people, social justice and decent work; global partnership and peace; sustainable business and investment.