Senior bishops in the Church of England have called on the EU to put sustainability and the needs of citizens at the forefront of its strategy for the coming decade.

Their call was made in a submission to the European Commission’s consultation on the draft 10-year strategy for Europe, EU2020.

The bishops, led by the Bishop of Guildford the Rt Rev Christopher Hill, said it was “disconcerting” that the focus of EU2020 was understood “almost exclusively economic terms”.

“Its treatment of climate change, education, immigration or Europe’s role in the world is evaluated solely in terms of their contribution to economic growth,” they said.

“If the financial crisis and economic recession has shown anything it is that the very fabric of our economic and society was unstable.

“Europe’s citizens are now looking for something more stable and sustainable.”

The bishops said the policy objective for Europe in the coming years had to be sustainability and creating a secure foundation for future generations and the most disadvantaged.

They went on to urge structural reform to help safeguard Europe’s economic and social models in the face of challenges like population growth, an ageing population, and addressing climate change.

“All this coupled with the financial crisis and a deep recession has prompted warnings that Europe is facing a ‘perfect storm’ which can only be addressed through decisive and structural reforms,” they said.

While the bishops welcomed a focus on the environment, they lamented the emphasis “on being environmentally friendly for the sake of more growth and
more efficient growth at that”.

They said: “The environment doesn’t just mean emissions, carbon budgets and
consumption but the whole “life world”. Just attaching green words to new
developments doesn’t make them green or sustainable.”

EU ministers are due to meet in March to discuss the draft and make a decision on whether to approve it by June.