Motion for a resolution | Doc. 12495 | 25 January 2011

Investing in a low-carbon economy for growth and development

Signatories: Mr Petré TSISKARISHVILI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Mr Aydin ABBASOV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Doris BARNETT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Brian BINLEY, United Kingdom, EDG ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Mr Fernand BODEN, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Erol Aslan CEBECİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Ms Marie-Louise COLEIRO PRECA, Malta, SOC ; Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Tuur ELZINGA, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Erich Georg FRITZ, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Jim HOOD, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Michael L. MacDONALD, Canada ; Mr Dirk Van der MAELEN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Yevhen MARMAZOV, Ukraine, UEL ; Ms Lilja MÓSESDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Mr Gebhard NEGELE, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Ms Mirosława NYKIEL, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Massimo PACETTI, Canada ; Ms Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Petar PETROV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Vyacheslav TIMCHENKO, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Mihai TUDOSE, Romania, SOC ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Vladimir ZHIDKIKH, Russian Federation, EDG

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The current world-wide economic crisis and its consequences in terms of levels of unemployment, social hardship and social unrest have highlighted the need for new economic models and sustainable development policies.

The low-carbon economy is widely seen as an area for global and long-term economic growth and has attracted the interest of most political parties in recent years. The drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is today a world-wide concern and many European governments have committed themselves to targets for the reduction of their national carbon dioxide emissions. This commitment requires governments’ long-term support and strategic intervention in the development of low-carbon economic activities through the implementation of clear policy choices.

In the present economic climate, most organisations will face many years of stringency measures. Banks will remain adverse to risk-taking, and many governments themselves face the daunting task of reducing national debt levels. In this context, the challenge will be to transform existing economic models through investment and innovation with low levels of public finance.

The undersigned members consider that the Parliamentary Assembly should prepare a report and debate this important issue and encourage the member states of the Council of Europe to draw on one-another’s experience and knowledge.