During a meeting in Brussels today (01/06/2010), timed to coincide with the launch of European ‘Green Week’, the PES environmental and Climate Change Network criticized the Commission’s Europe 2020 Strategy as insufficient to promote green growth. The strategy would need to show the way for a new growth model, not only based on accumulation of wealth, but also on improving the quality of life for all citizens.

The network, made up of leading European and National social democratic environmental experts, agreed to develop a comprehensive strategy to support green growth. It will list in detail many of the concrete measures needed to make green growth become reality and which have not been addressed by the European Union yet, including the need for a just transition process, ensuring that all citizens will profit, which has so far been largely ignored.

The concrete PES measures include a commitment to:

    * build up an efficient, low carbon super energy grid
    * reduce resource use in production and consumption
    * support green technologies
    * “decarbonise” mobility.

“Our decision today illustrates that the PES is the only political party that understands that the success of a green growth strategy is best served by including and convincing European consumers as well as European workers”, stated PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. He continued that “training for new jobs, support to low-income households for rising energy bills, as well as high-quality public services are essential to this transition. Improving our global competitiveness will better be achieved by reducing our energy and resource use than by reducing wages.”

Specific proposals were also made during the meeting on how to finance green growth. The introduction of carbon taxes, a European Financial Transaction Tax, and a reform of the emission trading scheme were identified as sources from which to generate sufficient finances to stimulate enormous private investments in green growth.

The draft position paper discussed during the meeting can be found here.

For further information please contact Brian Synnott on +32 474 98 96 75 (brian.synnott@pes.org)