Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Rio+20: towards the green economy and better governance

In June 2012 all eyes will be on Rio de Janeiro, where twenty years after the first "Earth Summit", Heads of State and Government will attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or "Rio+20"). Rio+20 will build on previous global summits: the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm (1972), the Conference on Environment and Development ("Earth Summit") in Rio de Janeiro (1992), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002). It also follows on from the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000 and the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The European Commission is determined to help make Rio+20 a success. As a basis for further dialogue with EU institutions, civil society, business and countries globally, this Communication sets out the Commission's initial views on potential concrete outcomes for Rio+20. It builds on the EU's range of policies pertaining to sustainable development and the EU 2020 Strategy, and also takes account of a public consultation launched in February 2011 (see Related URLs).

EUR-Lex: COM(2011)363: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2011:363:FIN

United Nations: Rio+20: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/

European Commission: DG Environment: Consultation on the planned European Commission Communication for the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio+20") http://ec.europa.eu/environment/consultations/un_2012.htm

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