European Union's secret receipt for a sustainable environment, public health and food safety

by Edoardo de Stefani

European Union's secret receipt for a sustainable environment, public health and food safety is simple enough to be replied at home. Indeed, citizens are the most important ingredients for the success of the "circular economy". 

On 29 January 2015 the European Parliament (EP) acknowledged the need to include citizens in the policy making process for exploiting the benefits of the "circular economy", through the technology of social innovation. What is really necessary in Europe, as mentioned at the conference, is to change mentality and to make use of all our assets, including the young generation and the Erasmus one: “Young people are said to be less politicized, but at least they maintain a strong idealistic push that can sustain Europe as a symbol for everyone". 

Though, civic engagement is not only about idealism or an institutional practice to increase the social acceptance of EU. People can contribute to the correct functioning of the delicate clockwork, for instance by participating at the design of those projects that aim at delivering community services. The general idea is that established decision-making structures can be sustained in policy formation and projects implementation by active networks of civic stakeholders.

For instance, in the field of recycling, it is not possible to imagine safe environmental objectives without the help of civil society. Europe is a great importer of external resources and yet it does not exist any comprehensive strategy to address the issue of the environmental impact of wastes and industrial residuals. If people are not educated, sensitized and included in the planning of EU policies it will never exist a good strategy for the communities. The same goes for public health, which is composed by a myriad of components that can function only if they work aligned. 

For this reason, nowadays, innovation in Europe requires a complete review of our mindsets and not only an overload of regulations. The European Parliament advises that institutions have to communicate that they can support communities and work with them, while nurturing their ideas, skills and expertise. EU and in particular the European Parliament are "for and by" the people, as civil society can multiply results and contribute to a collective mobilization for common goals. 

At last, but not least, the civic community inclusion responds to a mounting interest in democratic reasons and in general as a source of legitimacy for policy actions. If the objective is to create a user-friendly Europe and to be tangible in results, then, it is really necessary to start from the people.