Industrial Development

Abstract

• Industrialisation has the potential to help achieve a variety of social objectives such as employment, poverty eradication, gender equality, labour standards, and greater access to education and healthcare. • At the same time, industrial processes can have negative environmental impacts, causing climate change, loss of natural resources, air and water pollution and extinction of species. These threaten the global environment as well as economic and social welfare. • The overriding policy challenge for the EU is to promote the positive impacts of industrial development while limiting or eliminating its negative impacts throughout the world. • The development and application of environment-friendly technology, products and services, and management systems have the potential to achieve both environmental sustainability and economic growth. • The EU is determined to ensure a pattern of economic and industrial development that is sustainable. A high level of environmental protection and sustainable resource use, economic growth and social cohesion are mutually reinforcing policy goals.