Commission launches EU preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002

Brussels, 6 February 2001
On the joint initiative of Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström and Development Commissioner Poul Nielson, the European Commission today adopted a Communication "Ten Years After Rio: Preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002", setting out priorities and actions for the EU in preparation for this event. It focuses on the following strategic objectives: Increased global equity and an effective global partnership for sustainable development; better integration of environment and development at the international level; adoption of environmental and development targets to revitalise and provide focus to the Rio process and more effective action at national level with stronger international monitoring. In order to reach these objectives, the Commission proposes a number of substantial issues to be addressed at the World Summit, including the protection of the natural resource base of economic development; integration of environmental protection and poverty eradication; sustainable globalisation, and enhancing good governance and participation nationally and internationally.

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said: "This is an important milestone in our preparations for the World Summit in South Africa in 2002. It is important that the EU sets the ball rolling and takes a lead in preparing the agenda. Ten years after the landmark Rio Summit, expectations have not been met. Pressures on the environment have increased and poverty has continued to increase globally. We need to speed up our efforts now to make sure that the World Summit next year rises to the challenge of sustainable globalisation".

Development Commissioner Poul Nielson characterised the Rio Summit as "a real breakthrough in terms of acknowledging the complexity and dynamics of sustainable development". "For good reasons", he said, "environmental concerns became the headline message in the decade following Rio. Revisiting Rio, we must re-state the fact that fighting poverty and fighting environmental degradation are part of the same battle, in which increasing development aid is indispensable ammunition. The global community must reawaken its collective awareness of a shared objective towards which all sides must contribute and from which everybody will benefit".

In today's Communication, the Commission stresses the need to ensure an effective EU contribution to a World Summit. The forthcoming EU Sustainable Development Strategy and the recently proposed 6^th Environment Action Programme will be important European contributions.

The Communication includes an overall assessment of progress since Rio. It indicates that, although some progress has been achieved, the expectations raised by the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 have not been realised. On the basis of this assessment, four strategic objectives are proposed:

• Increased global equity and an effective global partnership for sustainable development

• Better integration of environment and development at the international level

• Adoption of environment and development targets to revitalise and provide focus to the Rio process

• More effective action at national level with stronger international monitoring.

The Commission is also proposing a number of substantial issues to be addressed at the World Summit, grouped in four clusters:

• Protection of the natural resource base of economic development: through promotion of eco-efficiency and sustainable use of water, land and energy;

• Integration of environmental protection and poverty eradication: breaking the vicious circle of poverty and environmental degradation through a more integrated and coherent implementation of agreed UN development targets;

• Sustainable globalisation: ensuring, in partnership with business, that trade and investment contribute to sustainable development;

• Enhancing good governance and participation nationally and internationally: strengthening institutional and legal frameworks and civil society's role.

National and regional preparations must now step up a gear to create the awareness and political focus that is needed to make the Summit a success. The Commission will produce a more detailed assessment of the state of implementation of Agenda 21 in the EU and of progress made in achieving sustainable development. This will serve as a basis for a multi-stakeholder consultation later in the year involving all sectors of civil society. A Steering Group will also be set up to facilitate civil society involvement at the EU level.

For more information, consult the DG ENVIRONMENT home-page on Europa: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/agend21/index.htm