The wait is over. On 1st November the widest group of CEOs ever mobilised in Europe will be knocking on the doors of Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and David Maria Sassoli, newly elected Presidents of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Parliament, to implement together an overarching strategy for a Sustainable Europe by 2030.
Around 200 CEOs have joined so far, and many more are expected to endorse CSR Europe’s Call to Action for A New Deal for Europe: a Europe with a shared sustainable vision for its future.
Only by joining forces it will be possible to innovate business models and accelerate the transformation necessary to tackle the current climate crisis in an inclusive way. Our CEOs Call to Action, voiced by Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay, at the 2019 Brussels SDG Summit did not fall on deaf ears. “We are calling for closer collaboration between politics, civil society and business to urgently act together and tackle global warming, accelerate inclusive growth, and sustainable prosperity with the SDG’s as our compass” said Kadri. Already 100 CEOs supported her appeal in May and in July that number has almost doubled thanks to the ongoing support of CSR Europe’s network of National Partner Organisations. The CEOs and their companies are ready to work together with the EU Leaders and civil society for a future Europe that has sustainability, climate action and inclusiveness at its core.
Positive indications for the success of this joint action came last Tuesday from President von der Leyen, who expressed her desire to make Europe a place that leaves no one behind and that will bethe first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050. Last June, Heads of States and Governments echoed our Call to Action, recognising the importance of “building a climate-neutral, green, fair and social Europe” as one of the four priority areas of the new Commission.
Join the call
The Call is open to every CEOs. If you are a CEO who takes the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a compass and are ready to play your part in tackling the climate crisis, endorse our Call to Action before 30 September 2019.
The Next Step
“It is imperative for CEOs to take a stance and respond to the public concerns on the path to the future of Europe. As the European Business Network on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, CSR Europe will engage leading companies to develop a Sustainability European Industry Alliance with one clear ambition: to ensure that Europe’s industry becomes climate-neutral, circular and resource-efficient, with reliable access to low carbon energy and raw materials in a sustainable way”, stated Stefan Crets, CSR Europe Executive Director.