PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

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Most of these documents underwent extensive review processes within the EU,
typically with repeated consultations not only between various Commission Directorate
Generals but also between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament. The
opportunity to carry out this particular type of analysis is especially timely. Over the
course of the last few years, several crucial documents have been officially released by
the Commission providing rather concise, up-to-date statements on the EU’s
understanding on sustainability and transport. Most importantly, the EU released both its
first-ever Sustainable Development Strategy (Commission of the European Communities
2001a) and its long-awaited new White Paper on Transport in 2001 (Commission of the
European Communities 2001f). Several additional papers on sustainable development
were released in preparation for the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Additionally, I look at some more informal documents I was referred to during my
investigation, including the Transport and Energy Directorate’s self-presentation on the
World Wide Web.
5.2 EU Discourses on Sustainable Development
5.2.1 Growth with respect for people’s needs and the environment
In the 1999 European Commission Glossary on institutions, policies and
enlargement (Commission of the European Communities 1999a), sustainable
development is defined in a typical three-dimensional manner:
The concept of sustainable development refers to a form of economic growth which
satisfies society's needs in terms of well-being in the short, medium and - above all -
long terms. It is founded on the assumption that development must meet today's needs
without jeopardising the prospects of future generations. In practical terms, it means
creating the conditions for long-term economic development with due respect for the
environment. The Copenhagen world summit for sustainable [correct: “social”]