Sustainable Development Policies in the Context of Globalization

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-237
Author(s):  
Mircea-Sebastian Mancia ◽  
Aurora Mancia ◽  
Gabriela A. Popoviciu ◽  
Liliana Paina

AbstractThe EU, founded about 70 years ago (1957), to ensure the peace of Europe and the entire world; today, another mission of the European Union is “the well-being and survival of our citizens” (Fr. Timmermans - European Commission COM22 30.01.2019). Sustainable development aims to improve the life of citizens of Europe through lasting economic growth while setting the priorities related to this desire. In 2015, the UN General Meeting adopted the 2030 Agenda and in 2017 the “Declaration from Rome of the leaders of the European states that are members of the European Union” was signed. Through these documents, the necessary and obligatory steps have been established to protect the planet and to ensure the needs of future generations. The objectives set are for the long-term modification of economic development, respecting, and protecting the resources and the environment in the context of future sustainable development. Being UN and EU member and being signed by the Romanian government of the “2030 Agenda”, it launched in November 2018 “The National Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Romania 2030”, which takes into account the present needs and those of future generations, focusing on the respect for the citizen.

elni Review ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 83-91
Author(s):  
Julian Schenten ◽  
Martin Führ

According to Art. 3(3) of the Treaty on the European Union, the Community is working towards the sustainable development of Europe – this constitutes the overriding long-term goal of the European Union. The guiding principle of sustainable development aspires towards the reduced exploitation of natural resources aimed at their long-term preservation and a reduced pollutant burden for protected natural resources. The target for 2020 is that "chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment" (’Johannesburg goals’). In addition, the guiding principle pursues the safeguarding of the basis for survival and economic production in order to maintain an adequate quality of life. These aims can only be achieved by far-reaching changes to the economic and social structures and also to patterns of consumption and production – consequently innovations are required. This requires specific regulatory strategies – particularly for product or process innovations – in order to create adequate incentives so that actors from trade and industry get innovations for sustainability off the ground. In connection with this the question arises as to how nanomaterials are to be regulated so that the innovation processes linked to these substances are aligned with the guiding principle of sustainable development. Nanomaterials are substances in terms of the REACH Regulation and therefore fall within its scope. However, REACH does not contain any provisions directed specifically at nanomaterials. The regulatory omissions arising from this – no definition for nanomaterials; tonnage quantity thresholds may be inappropriate for nanoscale substances; transitional periods for existing substances (phase-in substances, Art. 23) also apply to certain nanomaterials; test procedures are not designed to nanomaterial specifications, etc. – are discussed in depth in the literature. This article takes a different perspective. It examines to what degree REACH promotes innovations for sustainability through nanomaterials. The question of how the regulation affects the manufacturers' approach to nanomaterials was the subject of a survey sent to companies which manufacture and/or use nanomaterials. The survey questioned 37 companies based in Germany. Besides the issues of registering for REACH and carrying out safety assessments, the main focus of interest was on the relationships between substance risks and innovation and between REACH and innovation. The findings obtained from the survey were augmented by telephone interviews on this subject and by the results of a workshop held in Darmstadt, Germany, in December 2011 with representatives from companies and industry associations and experts on the regulation of nanomaterials. Finally, this contribution refers to the results of a study carried out for the European Commission on the innovative effects of REACH on emerging technologies. This document summarises the most important results from the empirical data and, where the data permits, draws some preliminary conclusions for a possible adaptation of the legal framework for nanomaterials.


Author(s):  
José Miguel Rodríguez-Antón ◽  
Luis Rubio-Andrada ◽  
María Soledad Celemín-Pedroche ◽  
Soraya María Ruíz-Peñalver

AbstractThe European Union (EU) is trying to accelerate the transition from the current linear economy to a circular economy (CE). In fact, the CE is considered a tool to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this sense, this paper aims at analysing the interaction between the CE and SDGs in the context of the new 2030 Agenda and the European CE strategy; thus contributing to the scarce empirical literature that links the potential of the European CE strategy to the achievement of the SDGs set by the 2030 Agenda. Three specific research questions have been formulated. First, could the objectives defined in the 2030 Agenda be considered homogeneous, and could they uniquely measure the concept of sustainability? Second, are there significant correlations between the implementation of a CE in the EU and the SDGs? Finally, is the behaviour of the 28 countries that make up the EU homogeneous in terms of the results of the initiatives aimed at the implementation of a CE? From these questions, nine hypotheses are put forward concerning the possible relationships between a CE implementation and the fulfilment of SDGs in the EU. Using a correlation analysis, an exploratory factor analysis, and a cluster analysis, it has been demonstrated that (a) SDGs do not univocally measure the concept of sustainability; (b) there are significant relationships between CE and SDGs in the EU; (c) the behaviour of these European countries is not homogeneous.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Firoiu ◽  
George H. Ionescu ◽  
Anca Băndoi ◽  
Nicoleta Mihaela Florea ◽  
Elena Jianu

Romania needs a change of the current development paradigm to face the challenges of the 21st century. As a member of the European Union, leaders in Romania are is interested in implementing the principles of sustainable development at a national level to reduce development gaps, to increase citizens’ well-being, and to preserve a clean environment. The purpose of this research is to determine the implementation status of the 2030 Agenda sustainable development goals (SDG) in Romania and to explore to what extent Romania will be able to reach, for the 2030 horizon, EU average values for the selected indicators. The research is based on 107 indicators that monitored the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Eurostat database (sustainable development indicators) was the source of data in terms of their availability and integrity. The research results showed that the implementation status of SDG is sub-optimal. In the case of 40 indicators out of the 107 analyzed, forecasts indicate the possibility of reaching the EU average values by 2030. However, the country can remain on the path to sustainable development only by involving all stakeholders and increasing concrete and well-targeted measures to improve SDG indicators.


Author(s):  
Axel Marx ◽  
Sukmawani Bela Pertiwi ◽  
Charline Depoorter ◽  
Michiel Hoornick ◽  
Tirta Nugraha Mursitama ◽  
...  

AbstractThis paper analyzes the current role of regional organizations in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We construct a conceptual model and distinguish four potential roles that regional organizations can play in the implementation of the SDGs: the translating role, supporting role, coordinating role and monitoring role. We apply this framework to the European Union and ASEAN. The case studies are analyzed on the basis of document analysis from primary and secondary sources, voluntary national reviews and interviews. We show that regional organizations play different roles in the implementation of the SDGs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olesea Sirbu ◽  
Rodica Crudu ◽  
Augustin Ignatov

Abstract In the present conditions when the demographic pressure upon the environment is higher than ever, the humanity faces the challenge of sustainability. Namely the sustainability of human activities is important and nothing can assure it better than sustainable energy supplies. The European Union is the leading global power in terms of adjusting its policies to increase innovation to assure a sustainable growth of its energy sector as a key to an advanced economic system. The present research focuses on the impact of European Union policies on the sustainable development of its energy sector by analyzing quantitatively and qualitatively various indicators intended to offer a throughout insight. The results obtained focus on the identification of the main innovation paradigms; the description of the main modern environmental challenges, especially in the energy domain; the determination of the relation between innovation and energy sustainability, and its analysis at the level of European Union.


2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 1309-1336
Author(s):  
Vlad Turcea

The present paper aims to highlight the discrepancies between two countries of the European Union, Romania and Denmark, in the perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals. As Denmark is seen as a primer European and Global nation in achieving the United Nations' targets, Romania can use this example as a guideline on how to act and to obtain the most notable results. The article proposes some key principles that Romanians could follow in order to successfully fulfill the 2030 Action Plan having, as an example, the strategies and indicators reached by Denmark. The current work paper is structured as a review of the two reports that voluntarily summarize the situation of the Sustainable Development Goals in each state, followed by a statistical analysis of investment behavior and concluded with an analysis of the most notable differences between the states based on the dataset published by Eurostat.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Ignjatovic

The Sustainable Development Strategy implies a targeted long-term process that affects economic, social, environmental and institutional aspects of life. The goal is to meet the social and economic interests of citizens, reduce poverty, reduce unemployment and gender inequalities and reduce negative impacts on natural resources and the environment, resulting in long-term economic growth with economic efficiency, technology and innovation. Accordingly, in 2015, the United Nations adopted Resolution A / RES / 70/1 - Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, based on three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. At the end of the 20th century, parallel with the theory of development, which turned into the concept of sustainable development, there was globalization that integrated the entire world regions in order to gain as strong economic and financial positions as possible on the world stage. Today, Serbia is not in a position to choose whether to engage in modern globalization processes, but it must continue the initiated transitional reforms and accession to the European Union, regardless of the economic, political or environmental consequences. By implementing national policies, Serbia should aim at national and economic sovereignty, which will further influence sustainable development. Only by changing the current economic policy, by creating a national strategy based on the exploitation of domestic economic and industrial potentials, by reducing unemployment, social responsibility and individual freedom, economic growth and sustainable development can be achieved. This work, besides the introduction, consists of materials based on the presentation of the sustainable development strategy of the Republic of Serbia and also presents the results and discussion that draft the current situation with possible solutions to achieve sustainable development in the future. Finally, the final ratifications are provided.      


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