9 May 2021: new solidarity, new development model
At a time when, drawing on the lessons of the pandemic, we must all strive to rebuild a better Europe, the words that Jacques Delors pronounced at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 have a particular resonance.
"The concept of sustainable development invites us to relearn the value of collective goods, of common resources, to rediscover the long-term concern."
It was already a matter of trying to build a better world together, to fight against climate change, to safeguard our forests and our biodiversity, and through the Agenda for the 21st Century, to better fight against inequalities between nations and within our societies.
On his return from Rio, Jacques Delors asked us to help him sketch out the new development model he envisioned for Europe. His ideas were set out in Chapter 10 of what can be considered his legacy shortly before he left the Commission, the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment, subtitled "Challenges and Ways Forward into the 21st Century.
In this chapter, entitled "Thoughts on a new development model for the Community", he sets out his analysis of the imbalances at the root of both unemployment and the overexploitation of natural resources, including the ways out. Among other things, it includes a rebalancing of the tax system, which should weigh less on labor and more on natural resources to encourage economic operators to give them their fair price and to preserve them. It talks about the need to put a price on carbon dioxide, to install a circular economy, and to measure value-added and growth differently.
Many of his ideas were not implemented until much later, and often in a weakened form, an example being the CO2 tax that his Commission proposed in 1992, ending up in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) years later due to a lack of unanimity in the Council. The overall philosophy behind his proposals had to wait for the Green Deal to finally emerge at the heart of Europe's public action.
The post COVID recovery plan, Next Generation EU, with its exceptional scale and its welcome constraint of 37% of investments to accelerate the ecological transition, sets a good foundation for accelerating the much-needed transformation of our development model.
Let's make sure that Member States, the Commission, the Parliament, civil society and businesses do not miss the opportunity to follow the path proposed by Delors almost 30 years ago.
Let us seize this unique opportunity with determination, because it is not yet too late!
That said, the Europe Jacques Delors team and I hope everyone had a happy Europe Day.
Sincerely,
Geneviève Pons
