EUROPEAN Commission president Romano Prodi is 'not up to the job of delivering a sustainable Europe', Greens in the European Parliament warned today, after he published a 'progress report' on the EU's long-term economic strategy.
London's Green Party Euro-MP Jean Lambert said: "This vision is simply inconsistent with the aim of a sustainable Europe and member governments must ensure it does not prevail."
Prodi's report, published ahead of negotiations to update the so-called 'Lisbon strategy' at the Spring European Council meeting, ignored calls by Green MEPs and environmentalists to incorporate the EU's sustainability strategy and environmental goals into the strategy.
Mrs Lambert, a member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, commented: "Social and environmental sustainability must inform the Lisbon strategy on an equal footing with economic goals. We are in danger of adopting renewable energy targets that are unattainable because there is no strategy for training the people needed to design, manufacture, fit and maintain solar panels, for example.
"We need to pull the elements of environment, economy and employment together. The environment is the bedrock of our activity not an optional extra. For too long, the Lisbon strategy has been viewed as high tech and competition based. It is time for a radical rethink."
ENDS
For more information
please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk