How does sustainability fit into EU policy-making?
The European Union is committed to promoting sustainable development as a key strategic of the EU Amsterdam Treaty, as well as other international decision-making processes in the UN system or the WTO. Sustainable development was defined in the Bruntland Report entitled “Our Common Future” (1987) as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The idea was put on the map at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), which launched Agenda 21. This is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human activity impacts on the environment. Since then, the concept of sustainable development has emerged as a key element in policy-making. All involved have been asked to design policies good for economic growth, but also good for sustainability. Thus, they need to build in respons
