The 90 participants of the IV International Conference on Ethics and Environmental policies devoted to "Environment and work in Europe"
coming from the 26 following countries: Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Holy Seat.
- convictedthat work, unemployment and environment constitute today one of the most crucial problems of our societies, which can be directly or indirectly connected to conflict situations and the stability of democracy, and essential for every country;
- considering that European’s activities and development cannot be isolated from the world problem;
- convinced that the present status of natural resources, both from a quantitative and qualitative point of view, is regressing or threathened globally considered, and especially in many regions (as well as air, water, oceans, soils, biodiverisity);
- having taken note of
- that unemployment represents today really the most important socio-economic challenge for the most European States with often dramatic consequences;
- that the ecological requirements are too often not enough taken into consideration in respect of the principle of sustainability;
- the participants
- have expressed their serious concern about the possible negative consequences of the present trends of economic development such as globalization, completely open concurrence and free market, mega fusions (OPA, ...); these consequences could affect employment through the disappearance of small or regional enterprises;
- recognize the importance of establishing a new concept of society to arrive to a civil society in which
the cost of labour is redifined and the cost of resources re-evaluated (with the introduction of ecotaxes, ...)
- encourage the development of the principle of subsidiarity and promote less administrative constraints;
- to reduce unemployment and promote sustainable development the participants
- insist on the diversification of different types of jobs;
- have taken note with high interest of the often important request for part-time work (until 80% in certain countries) and encourage a significant reduction of working time;
- recognize the great interest of a new approach of the repartition of working time during the day, the week, the month or the year. A high flexibility should accompany this new conception of working time;
- admit that the present situation can conduct to a greater geographical mobility of workers who will have to undertake perhaps different tasks during their whole working years (life). Eventual damages to the environment must always be kept in mind.
All these considerations show that human being has to change his mentality, his customs regarding his job. But it is not enough because he has to re-orient his traditional conception of work, considereing as productive activity not only those working hours passed in an office or conducting lorries (trucks), but also that work undertaken by a mother with children at home, the time spent visiting elderly people, etc.
Let’s even undertake a further step: it is not only during the daily working period that changes have to occur; the complete life-cycle has to be considered!
It (is) appears more and more evident, we need a new ethical approach concerning human being’s activities, as (since) man is not made for work, but it is his work that should contribute to his well-being and to societies’. This must also include a re-examination of the concept of growth, development, progress!
This implies of course other activities to sustainable development principle. Hence we shall contribute to a harmonious well being intra-and inter-generational concerning justice and participants in the real sustainable society. The consequence of this reflection will certainly implies small or big revolutions in our habits and conduct to a new concept of society.
Concerning concrete recommendations, the participants have been impressed, in several interventions, by the high diversity of actions, programmes and other initiatives developed at regional and local level which simultaneously create new working places and preserve the environment, and illustrate the appropriate balance between ecoefficiency and ecosufficiency strategies. They also demonstrate the applicability of Agenda 21 at regional and local scale.
The participants are convinced that this kind of initiatives constitutes one of the best keys (ways) to reduce substantially unemployment and, as consequence, insist on the absolute necessity to increase the regionalization process, both at political and financial (aids) levels.
(Concrete realizations showing the importance of sincere cooperation between all partners concerned, the complementary action of public bodies and associations, the necessity of personal contracts and Internet cooperation, ..., are appendet to the present conclusions).
Everybody agreed on the decisive importance (which can never be overestimated!) of information, education, training at all levels of human life, and of course also at all levels of the school period, including University.
One of the main goals being the development of a critical approach regarding the increasing information delivered by the media, including of course publicity. This personal evolution should include an ethical approach, where we re-discover also the basic and authentic values which should guide our way of life and develop our personal responsibility instead of referring so often to the help of the State or other established authorities.
This very ambitions goal, but the most fundamental, has to be reached thanks to school action, associations, (for youth, seniors, local movements...) the families and the churches. These last bodies can play a decisive role in this big challenge.
The struggle
for life, the struggle for working places, new markets, higher society
and bank profits, can reduce human solidarity to an inacceptable level.
"Il
est mínuìt moins cinq, A. Schweitzer".
Will
we show enough faith, convictions and hope to succeed??