BirdLife Malta among 230 organisations calling for 'sustainable future'

Over 230 civil society organisations and trade unions from all over Europe, including BirdLife Malta, have called on EU leaders to address socio-economic issues, as the EU marks the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty.

In a joint statement, the organisations held that much still needs to be done to create sustainability for current and future generations, arguing that social liberties have been weakened.

“While we have seen much progress, the promise of those early days has still not been fully achieved and we have entered an era in which the values at the very heart of Europe – democracy and participation, equality and social justice, solidarity and sustainability, respect for the rule of law and human rights – are being undermined,” the statement read.

They claimed that citizens seek economic, social and environmental well-being, arguing in favour of more inclusive economic policies and calling on leaders to "set Europe on the path to a sustainable future which realises the rights of all people and respects planetary boundaries."

“Leaders of Europe must move away from an economic model which has widened inequalities and rather to invest in a ‘social market economy’ that works for the benefit of all people.”

The organisations called for an investment in employment and education based on critical thinking as well as stressing the importance of the implementation, on EU and national levels, of measures to ensure gender equality, human rights, freedom of religion, democracy and the rule of law. They also sought a Europe which views migration “as a boon to society, not a drain.”

Addressing global challenges, the organisations pointed to climate change in particular as an existential risk, not only for environmental reasons, but also to due to its ties in the escalation of conflict, hunger, and forced migration.

The organisations called for Sustainable Development Goals to be put at the core of EU and national policy-making and for the Paris Agreement to be fully implemented by enhancing energy efficiency and accelerating the just and sustainable transition to clean and affordable renewable energy.