Sustainable development / SCP

What is the EU doing?

The EU Sustainable Development Strategy was set up in 2001, made up of two parts.The first contained objectives and policy measures to tackle key unsustainable trends, while the second part contained social and environmental policies which mutually reinforce each other.

Moreover, the Strategy added an environmental dimension to the Lisbon Strategy of economic and social renewal, and consequently the two strategies can be considered as complementary.

 A renewed Strategy for an enlarged Europe was agreed in 2006, with a stronger focus on the international dimension, and on a more effective implementation and monitoring; it also implied a clearer division of responsibilities, a wider ownership and a broader support.The Strategy was reviewed from 2007 to 2009 and this has led to the production of a progress report and of an official review document. The review established the integration of sustainable development into a broad range of policies, particularly on climate change.

However, unsustainable trends persist in many areas and the efforts need to be intensified. One outcome agreed at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg was the need to set up national plans and programmes on sustainable consumption and production.

The EU’s contribution to the summit was published in 2008, called The Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan (SCP-SIP). It includes a series of proposals on SCP that will contribute to improve the environmental performance of products, increase the demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies. For more details on sustainable development see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/
For more details on sustainable consumption and production see: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/escp_en.htm

The EU Sustainable Development Strategy was originally launched in 2001 and made up of two parts. The first contained objectives and policy measures to tackle a number of key unsustainable trends; while the second part called for a new approach to policy-making that ensures the EU's economic, social and environmental policies mutually reinforce each other.

The Strategy also supported global pledges to increase official development aid and to take account of the needs of developing countries in international trade and added a third, environmental dimension to the Lisbon Strategy of economic and social renewal. From 2007-2009, the Strategy was reviewed, producing a progress report and an official review document. The review identifies the integration of sustainable development into a broad range of policies, particularly on climate change. However, unsustainable trends persist in many areas and the efforts need to be intensified.

One output agreed at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg was the preparation of national plans and programmes on sustainable consumption and production. The EU’s contribution to this was published in 2008, the Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan (SCP-SIP).

It includes a series of proposals on SCP that will contribute to improving the environmental performance of products and increase the demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies. For more information please the European Commission's page on Sustainable Development.
For more details on Sustainable Consumption and Production please also see the Commission's page.