A survey by Chamber of Labour Vienna and University of Vienna on the consumer behaviour of the Austrian population shows: consumers want to use their household appliances longer and they want the option to have them repaired rather than having to throw them away.

Mit dem Grünen Deal soll Europa bis 2050 der weltweit erste klimaneutrale Kontinent werden. Das erfordert einen grundlegenden Wandel unseres Wirtschaftssystems. Die AK kämpft dafür, dass dieser Übergang zur Klimaneu­tralität sozial gerecht gestaltet wird und nicht zu Lasten der ArbeitnehmerInnen geht. Im Kern geht es um die gewerkschaftliche Forderung nach einer „Just Transition“ – einem sozial gerechten Übergang.

The European Commission has published the Communication on the “EU Renovation Wave” to ensure that the building sector too makes its contribution to achieving the Green Deal. The Austrian Chamber of Labour has scrutinised the Communication and reached the conclusion that many of the planned strategies are to be welcomed; however, a socially balanced implementation has to be ensured and the fight against energy poverty must be at the forefront.

In December 2020, the EU institutions agreed on a 750 billion euros stimulus package to finance the recovery after the Covid-19 crisis. Now the question has arisen, which projects are to be funded with this money. Together with 15 other organisations, AK EUROPA is now urging the EU Finance Ministers: Europe must seize this chance to build a bridge to a new economy that is sustainable, resilient, and guarantees better living standards for everyone!

Within the scope of the Action Plan for Circular Economy the EU Commission plans, among other,  to introduce a more sustainable design not only for electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, but also with regard to textiles. In view of both initiatives, the Commission has organised two consultations, in which the Austrian Chamber of Labour is also participating.

Inhumane working conditions and exploitation are the reality for many agricultural workers in the EU. In an open letter, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) demands more social rights for the agricultural workers within the scope of the common agricultural policy, which is supported by more than 300 other organisations – among them AK EUROPA.

In order to achieve a climate-neutral Europe by 2050, the EU wants to use the Just Transition Fund to support those regions, which will be confronted with serious socio-economic challenges. Following the European Commission’s presentation of its proposal on 13 January 2020, the negotiations between European Parliament, Council and Commission have now, a year later, been successfully completed.

The European Parliament (EP) has, within the scope of an Initiative Report, mapped out a number of demands, which are necessary to accomplish a socially just transition. Now it is up to European Commission and Council to implement the important measures to ensure that no one is left behind when implementing the Green Deal or during the course of the pandemic.

The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK) supports the EU’s aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. However, AK believes that it is vital that the concerns of workers and the impact on employment and social cohesion are thoroughly examined and understood when developing policy, and that measures in this respect should be optimised to balance the social impact and be democratically justifiable.

Exactly one year after introducing the Green Deal, the European Commission presented on 9 December 2020 the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. This Strategy outlines the path that the transport sector has to take to ensure the goal of a carbon neutral EU by 2050.