Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Europe - Is the EU on the right track? Report on a Policy Dialogue

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In light of the recent European Commission Communications related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for  Sustainable Development, the European Policy Centre in Brussels organized a policy dialogue on 14 December 2016 entitled "Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Europe - Is the EU on the right track?". Ulf Björnholm, Head of the UN Environment Brussels Office took part in the dialogue along with panel members Sarah Nelen, Member of Cabinet of First Vice President Timmermans; Wolfgang Weber, Vice President of EU Government Relations, BASF; Romain Pardo, Policy Analyst at the EPC and Laura Sullivan Regional Director of ActionAid.

In her intervention, European Commission representative Nelen reiterated  the European Commission’s plans on bringing the 2030 Agenda forward, but observed that the European Union won’t be sustainable if social matters such as the refugee crisis and Europe’s population decline are not addressed.

Mr Björnholm spoke about the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement as best plans ever. They both offer a participatory, universal and integrated approach, leaving no sector behind and encouraging global partnerships. In his view the European Union is not in a “migration crisis” as compared to early nineties when more immigrants arrived following the Yugoslavia war. Nevertheless, he argued that with the current economic models in place, the system is failing to tackle major sustainability issues such as the global population growth, education and employment needs for youth, the inequality within countries as well as the pressure on finite and renewable resources. The 2030 Agenda provides a universal guidance and positive narrative on these matters - if implemented. He added that already more than 100 countries have integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their national policies and that this went much faster than for the Millennium Development Goals. “One year after setting the Sustainable Development Agenda, we are now where we were five years after the Millennium Development Goals started”.  

Wolfgang Weber from BASF claimed that key performance indicators for SDGs are needed in order to successfully implement them and measure their impact. He said that he feels a general concern for innovations although the opposite should happen: “We should have an innovation policy in Europe, overcome the risks involved and rather see the opportunity of each new idea”. As examples he brought up GMOs as a solution for bio-economies, and nanotechnology, two innovations that facilitate life but are perceived very critically by the public.

Laura Sullivan emphasized that a lot of changes in the European Union are of cosmetic nature and not systematic, often ignoring the root causes of problems. She questioned whether the EU would go beyond the cosmetic problem solving and brought up an example where it did: the circular economy. According to her, the mapping of sustainability gaps is important as well as the Commissions efforts in tracking the impact of their policies rather than just listing them.

During the discussion between the panelists, free trade and its advantages as well as disadvantages on poor societies and the sufficiency debate were raised. Mr Björnholm made it clear that with limited resources and planetary boundaries, everybody should keep in mind the threats of overconsumption. The panelists agreed that this debate is usually not publicized for its inconvenient implications on societies.