Timmermans rejects "short-termism" in the search for a sustainable economy

Luis Ayllón The first vice president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, yesterday called on political leaders to abandon "short-termism" when it comes to addressing the changes that the economy needs to be sustainable. During a ceremony held at the headquarters of the European Commission in Madrid, Timmermans presented before representatives of the business world, the university, professional organizations and civil society the plans of the European Executive to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN for 2030. Timmermans glossed the report of the Commission 'Towards a sustainable Europe for 2030' -presented in Brussels this week-, flanked by the High Commissioner of the Spanish Government for the 2030 Agenda, Cristina Gallach, and by the director of the European Commission in Spain , Francisco Fonseca. The Dutch politician, who will be the candidate of the European Socialists to preside over the Commission, after the next European elections in May, said that the objective of making the economy sustainable "has stopped being perceived as something of left or right". He added that "the business community has already taken steps to accept this idea. According to Timmermans, as companies begin to lead the transformation, politicians are delayed and are not able to look at the long term. Therefore, he asked them to abandon "short-termism" when making decisions that allow transforming economies. As an example, he indicated that one should not be afraid of artificial intelligence or robotics and said that in the regions of Europe where there has been more investment in innovation, the level of employment is higher. The vice-president of the Commission, who advocated social sustainability understood as the distribution of burdens in an equitable manner among all social and economic actors, supported the number one option of the three offered by the report prepared by the Commission, which states that the SDGs become "strategic" objectives that are binding both for the Union and its member states. In this sense, Cristina Gallach said that the Spanish Government clearly supports the first of the options, compared to the other two that are less binding, and "will do everything possible to mobilize the rest of the Member States". In addition, he told Timmermans that he will have the full support of the Executive "in the fulfillment of an agenda that is profoundly transformative."

Related Content

Historia de ‘Cara Cortada’, un alto mando nazi en la España de Franco

Marx fue censurado en la URSS de Stalin por “rusofobia”

Peter Paul Rubens: espía y embajador por amor al arte

Historias de Santa Cruz: el bandido, el conspirador y el vendedor de Biblias

Exteriores activa la red consular española en Colombia tras el terremoto y no tiene constancia de españoles afectados