Sustainable ‘The Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality does not only bring forward extremely relevant and badly needed policy solutions for the coming Equality European parliamentary term; it also draws up a new long term vision for a truly fair and responsible society for the 21st century, in which everyone has a decent future – a society built on profound respect for every person and for the planet we so urgently need to protect’. UDO BULLMANN, President of the Parliamentary Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament ‘The policy recommendations provided in this report aim at a radical transformation of our societies. One which fundamentally questions our decades-long reliance on economic growth as an end in itself, dissociates wealth from well-being, forcefully challenges the prevailing distribution of income, wealth and economic power, and calls for sustainable WELL-BEING transformation as a powerful and innovative driver of social progress’. FOR EVERYONE IN A LOUKA T. KATSELI & POUL NYRUP RASMUSSEN, SUSTAINABLE Co-chairs of the Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality EUROPE SUSTAINABLE EQUALITY www.progressivesociety.eu Report of the Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality | 2019-2024 @ProgressSoc @euprogressivesociety ‘‘ One should not give up the hope that problems created by human beings can also be solved by human beings.„ WILLY BRANDT Progressive Society is an initiative sponsored by the Parliamentary Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu TheProgressives socialistsanddemocrats socsanddems socsanddems socsanddems socialistsanddemocrats First published November 2018 Editor Marcel Mersch [email protected] S&D Group/Progressive Society European Parliament Rue Wiertz 60 B-1047 Brussels Table of contents What is Progressive Society? 6 4.4 An accountable and inclusive financial sector 90 4.5 Technological change for the benefit of all 96 The Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality 8 CHAPTER 5 Acknowledgments 12 Social justice 101 5.1 A Europe without poverty 106 Executive summary 14 5.2 Good jobs and good pay for all 116 5.3 Gender equality 123 Foreword, Udo Bullman 24 5.4 An open society for everyone 126 5.5 No territories are left behind 128 CHAPTER 1 From a broken system to well-being for everyone in a sustainable Europe 27 CHAPTER 6 Louka T.Katseli & Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Social-ecological progress 139 6.1 A just transition 144 CHAPTER 2 6.2 A social-ecological state 152 Call to action for a radically different Europe 37 CHAPTER 7 Policy Chapters 45 Enabling change 157 7.1 A sustainable eurozone 162 CHAPTER 4 7.2 Financing a sustainable transition 169 49 Power to the people 7.3 Sustainable European governance 173 3.1 Vigorous democracy 55 3.2 Engaged social partners and robust trade unions 57 ANNEX 3.3 A vivid and broad civic space 61 110 policy actions for change 181 Treaty on the European Union (extracts) 191 CHAPTER 4 Sustainable Development Goals 192 Reshaping capitalism 67 4.1 A plural, diversified economy 73 4.2 Accountable and sustainable corporate responsibility 80 4.3 Effective corporate tax collection 85 Sustainable Equality 7 What is Progressive Society? Progressive Society is an initiative sponsored by the Parliamentary Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D Group). It was launched in January 2018 thanks to the joint initiative of three Vice-Presidents of the S&D Group at the time, Udo Bullmann, Isabelle Thomas and Kathleen van Brempt, and was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative was set up to enrich the S&D Group’s parliamentary work in both legislative and non-legislative policy areas across many European policies. These range The S&D Group is the first parliamentary group in the European Parliament to apply from budgetary, agricultural, fisheries or regional policy; to environmental, industrial a coherent sustainable development strategy to inform its work in the internal policies and transport policy; and to economic, employment, social, gender, education, cultural of the EU. In order to support this approach with vision and ideas, and to connect its and internal market policies. Through all these areas the S&D Group already acts to political action better with other actors, particularly in the trade unions and among promote a sustainable transformation of our economies and societies. non-governmental organisations, Progressive Society will continue to deepen and to broaden our understanding of sustainability challenges, and of how policies must change to drive the transformation towards our ultimate goal - a society of sustainable well-being for everyone. Eric Andrieu Mercedes Bresso Kathleen van Brempt Vice-President Vice-President Vice-President S&D Group S&D Group S&D Group www.progressivesociety.eu 8 Sustainable Equality Sustainable Equality 9 Hassan Bousetta The Independent Commission for Senior Lecturer and Research Associate, Liège University, Belgium Sustainable Equality Former Senator on the Belgian Senate Mercedes Bresso MEP, S&D Group Vice-President in charge of economic, employment, social, intenal market, gender, culture and education policies Louka T. Katseli Co-chair Professor of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Georg Feigl Former Minister of Labour and Social Security, and of the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping, and former Member of the Greek Parliament Economic advisor, public finance and European economic policy, Chamber of Labour, Vienna (AK Wien) Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Co-chair Lieve Fransen Protector and Founder of The Social Network, Denmark Former Prime Minister of Denmark, former President of the Party of European Socialists, and former Member of the European Parliament Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre on health, social and migration policies, former Director for Social Policies, European Commission LászlÓ Andor Senior Fellow at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin Jesus Gallego Garcia Former European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Secretario de Internacional, Spanish Confederation of the General Workers’ Union (UGT) Eric Andrieu Enrico Giovannini MEP, S&D Group Vice-President for agriculture, fishing, regional policy, EU budget and budget control Professor of economic statistics, Rome University Tor Vergata Former Minister of Labour and Social Policies Coordinator, Italian Association for Sustainable Development Fabrizio Barca Lecturer in corporate finance and economic history Ann-Sofie Hermansson Former Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Italy Co-founder of the Inequality and Diversity Forum Mayor of Gothenburg, Sweden Vilija Blinkevičiūtė MEP, Chairwoman of the Committee on women’s rights and gender Julia Hofmann equality, former Lithuanian Minister for social security and labour Lecturer, University of Vienna, Advisor on distribution, employment and labour relations, Chamber of Labour, Vienna (AK Wien) 10 Sustainable Equality Sustainable Equality 11 Agnès Jongerius Andrés Rodriguez-Pose MEP, S&D Group Coordinator on the parliamentary committee on Professor of Economic Geography, London School of Economics and employment and social affairs, former Chair of the Dutch Trade Union Political Science (LSE) Federation Eloi Laurent Nicolas Schmit Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Economy, Luxembourg Senior Economist, OFCE Paris, Professor at the School of Management and Chair of the Employment & Social Affairs ministerial coordination, Innovation of Sciences Po and Visiting Professor at Stanford University Party of European Socialists Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan Esther Lynch President and Co-Founder of the Humboldt-Viadrina Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation Governance Platform, President of the Commission on Fundamental Values of SPD Germany Paul Magnette Kathleen van Brempt Mayor of Charleroi, Belgium, former Prime Minister of the Wallonia MEP, S&D Group Vice-President for environmental, public health, Region, former Professor of Political Science industrial, energy and transport policy Catiuscia Marini Frank Vandenbroucke Professor, University of Amsterdam and Catholic University of Leuven President of the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions (KUL) President of the Umbria Region, Italy Minister of State, Belgium Pierre Moscovici Andrea Westall European Commissioner for economic and financial affairs, taxation and Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Open University, UK customs, former French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry Trustee, Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development Kate Pickett Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul Former Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Professor of Epidemiology, University of York Republic of Germany, Member of the Sustainable Development Council of Co-founder of the Equality Trust the German Federal Government Conny Reuter Olga Zrihen Secretary General, Solidar, Chair of the Commission’s Sustainable Equality Vice-President of the Belgian Senate, Member of Wallonia’s Parliament, Taskforce with non-governmental organisations Member of the European Committee of the Regions 12 Sustainable Equality Sustainable Equality 13 Acknowledgments The Independent Commission for Sustainable Equality benefitted from advice provided by a taskforce of representatives The Progressive Society team and several S&D Group secretariat members have also directly or indirectly