Article written by Cristina Sanz Rutherford – Policy and Project Officer at EURADA
Defining sustainable prosperity in the European Union requires a fundamental shift in how we measure progress. On 16 January 2025, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted an event, co-organised by Pro(to)topia and the Club of Rome, to explore the development of indicators that better reflect societal wellbeing and environmental sustainability, to which ToBe Research attended. The discussion, emanating from this recently published study on GDP+3 for the Commission, underscored the urgent need to move beyond GDP as the primary indicator for economic success and to adopt a framework that aligns with citizen aspirations and long-term sustainability.
Sandrine Dixson-Decleve, Co-President of the Club of Rome, opened the debate by highlighting the structural issues embedded in our current economic models, emphasising how profit, power, and patriarchy (and, arguably, imperialism) continue to shape economic narratives. With global wellbeing in decline, not only between the Global North and South but also within high-income countries, she argued that GDP growth, combined with population growth and climate change, are leading to greater social tensions and declining wellbeing. As an alternative for a more holistic and human-centred approach, she presented the recently developed “GDP+3 proposal”, which incorporates social, environmental, and institutional dimensions into economic measurement. She also warned against the conceptual confusion surrounding degrowth, postgrowth, and green growth, arguing that an overly complex and fragmented message may hinder effective policy change, and thus advocating for a united approach.
Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, challenged the prevailing assumption that progress is dependent on growth. While political realists advocate for complementing GDP with additional indicators, due to pragmatic reasons (i.e., GDP’s global stance), he argued that the idea of green growth itself is flawed, as the absolute decoupling of economic expansion from environmental degradation remains unachievable. He therefore advocated for replacing rather than complementing the current GDP-centred narrative. Moreover, despite growing recognition among economists that growth cannot be infinite, and that the ills of economic growth have overcome its benefits, policymakers continue to treat growth as a prerequisite for prosperity, even as inequality deepens. He pointed to the inherent contradictions in policy, stating that the very measures designed to tackle inequalities often perpetuate the very system that creates them, as they are constrained by the imperative to stimulate growth. He closed his speech calling for a fundamental shift in taxation and investment, due to the prevailing notion that failing to stimulate and invest in growth will inevitably weaken competitiveness. On the contrary, sustainability itself is a crucial driver of long-term competitiveness. Looking ahead to a world in which growth can no longer be the main driver of stability, ensuring the sustainability of high levels of debt is a challenge that must be addressed by the new macroeconomic models we intend to develop.
Preceded by these though-provoking speeches, the panel discussions further examined how a GDP+ framework could be integrated into EU policymaking, and how the Commission is supporting initiatives and research on this topic, as evidenced by Horizon projects such as ToBe Research, SPES, MERGE, or MAPS. Sylvan Aubry (Human Rights Watch) argued that member states bound by international human rights treaties have the legal obligation to develop economic models that uphold human rights standards. Namely, they must prioritise a human-rights centred economic model that guarantees social, cultural, and economic rights through policy choices; and that is one that a wellbeing economy, guided by wellbeing indicators can achieve.
In order to conclude, it is noteworthy to mention that one of the main concerns raised by participants during the discussion was the fact that there seems to be a mismatch between academia and policy making. While extensive research has already been conducted on alternative economic models, the focus should now shift toward translating these findings into concrete policymaking and business strategies and bringing the discussion to a wide array of stakeholders. Surveys already indicate strong public support for wellbeing-focused economic models, but the challenge remains in ensuring that these perspectives are transformed into concrete policy action and that new legislation is grounded in a notion of prosperity that is detached from growth. As momentum grows for a shift beyond GDP, fostering collaboration between researchers, policymakers, businesses, and civil society will be key in building economic frameworks that serve both people and the planet.
