The European Parliament adopted with an overwhelming majority a report put forward by the Socialists and Democrats calling on the Commission to be more ambitious in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 SDGs formally accepted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 set goals ranging from ending world poverty to empowering women and girls by 2030. The report adopted today includes a number of proposals that go beyond the Commission’s Communication: “Next steps for a sustainable European future”. To ensure that adherence to the SDGs becomes a key feature of proposed initiatives taking place across all areas of the Union’s work programs, Parliament pushes for clear objectives, monitoring and a comprehensive multi-stakeholder-platform. 

 Seb Dance, S&D MEP and Parliament rapporteur on the EU sustainability, said:

“The Sustainable Development Goals are a blueprint for a better world: A world where no child lives in poverty or suffers from hunger, where everyone receives a good education and quality health care, and has a decent job in a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive society. Many of us take these things for granted, but they are far from a reality for everyone, even for many in Europe.

“To deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals the Commission must step up its ambition, set out clear objectives, monitor closely the progress made and put in place a multi-stakeholder platform. A multi-stakeholder platform will enable local and regional councils, private business, the voluntary sector and individual citizens to share best practice and innovative ideas.”

Kathleen Van Brempt, S&D MEP and Vice-President on Sustainability, added:

“The Socialists and Democrats want to ensure that adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals becomes a key feature of all EU initiatives. For the first time in history development policy is not exclusively about developing countries, but about common, global, sustainable goals we need to reach in solidarity. With this report we set out an infrastructure on how to achieve this, addressing each goal and underlining the crossovers with the Paris Agreement.
“We want the Commission to take our proposals to the UN High Level Forum in New York next week. At a time when other actors are disengaging, we want the EU to send a strong signal that we are engaging with the world.”

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