Economic prosperity, care for the environment and people's well-being can and must go hand in hand. This was the key message delivered by the EESC president, Christa Schweng, at the debate on A post-COVID economy that works for all - Towards a well-being economy? held at the EESC plenary session on 7 July 2021.

Ms Schweng argued that in future, we would clearly need to monitor and value broader aspects than those reflected in GDP: "Aspects such as our health, our nature, our education, our ability to innovate and our communities really matter," she said.

Referring to "combining the idea of prosperity with the possibility of social progress on a global scale", with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as the foundation, Ms Schweng added: "The time has come for the EU to work on a comprehensive strategy: the EESC is ready to support the reflection on the foundations for a post-COVID economy that works for all and includes new indicators for economic performance and social progress that can provide a comprehensive picture of people's well-being."

Peter Schmidt, president of the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (NAT) and rapporteur for the EESC opinion on The sustainable economy we need, pointed out that a well-being economy was based on serving people and that the EU must take the opportunity afforded by the pandemic to reflect on our weaknesses and come up with proposals. (mp)