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We continue our reviews of SDGs. Previous Newsletters have dealt with SDGs 1 and 2 (September 2019 Newsletter), SDGs 3 and 4 (October 2019 Newsletter) and SDGs 5 and 6 (November 2919 Newsletter) and SDGs 7 and 8 (December 2019 Newsletter).
 Focus on SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
SDG 9 calls on countries to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. Inclusive and sustainable industrial development is the primary source of income and allows for rapid and sustained increases in living standards for all people. Research & development (R&D) and innovation drive economic growth, job creation, labour productivity and resource efficiency. They are crucial for a knowledge-based economy ensuring EU companies remain competitive. Similarly, investments in sustainable and energy efficient transport and mobility systems are key elements for achieving sustainable development.
Targets for SDG 9 would include the development of a quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure (9.1) and an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation (9.2). Access of small-scale enterprises to financial services is considered indispensable (9.3) to upgrade infrastructure and make industries sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes (9.4). Scientific research should aim to upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries and increase the number of research and development workers per 1 million people (9.5).
Eurostat has set up a series of indicators for SDG 9. The most important is the “Gross domestic expenditure on R&D” which comes together with the “Employment in high- and medium-high technology manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services” and the number of “R&D personnel”. Also important to assess the level of innovation is the “Number of Patent applications to the European Patent Office (EPO)”. A resilient and innovative infrastructure and its impact on environment can be measured through the “Share of busses and trains in total passenger transport”, “Share of rail and inland waterways activity in total freight transport”, and “Average CO2 emissions per km from new passenger cars”.
How can European libraries be relevant in the Europe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
The Cohesion policy, which is so relevant for programmes aiming to fight poverty, is also pivotal to support industry, innovation and infrastructure. Enhancing access to, and use of information and communication technologies is done, in particular, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) Funds, while the European Social Fund (ESF) is the financial instrument for digital literacy, education and training. The EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy establishes an ambitious programme of action, with measures covering the whole cycle, from production and consumption to waste management, with a view to recycling 65% of municipal waste by 2035 and to recycling 70% of packaging waste by 2030. Through a 6-Target Strategy the EU Plan on Biodiversity aims to halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU. A strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas is set in place.
Innovation in libraries is often pursued through the organisation of makers fairs. Some libraries are also starting to work on artificial intelligence schemes applied to library operations. Libraries should develop permanent infrastructures for innovation having social purposes and links with private companies of philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature. Partnerships should be tied with social enterprises whose “bottom line” cannot be restricted to "profit" or "loss" accounting as in traditional business, but extend to social and environmental concerns - what is called “Triple Bottom Line”. Libraries as “third” place is the concept that often designates a socially committed library.
Focus on SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
 It is widely agreed that economic prosperity alone will not achieve social progress. High inequality levels risk leaving much human potential unrealised, damage social cohesion, hinder economic activity and undermine democratic participation. Although economists believe that some income inequality is necessary for a market economy to function effectively because it allows for incentives that support investment and growth, an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor is a matter of concern.
EU action complements national governments' policies on social protection and inclusion. The EU Cohesion Policy covers social inclusion and fights poverty and discrimination. The European pillar of social rights promotes equal opportunities, access to the labour market, fair working conditions, adequate and accessible social protection and inclusion. The EU relies on racial and employment equality legislation in order to tackle discrimination arising from racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation and sex.
SDG 10 Targets include sustaining income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average as well as the promotion of the social, economic and political inclusion of all. SDG 10 targets also provide for equal opportunity and reduction of inequalities of outcome through the adoption of fiscal, wage and social protection policies ensuring enhanced representation and voice in global international economic and financial institutions. More effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions are needed in order to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people.
Indicators for Goal 10 are both economic and social. A socio-economic indicator is the “Reduction of inequality within and among countries” which is often combined with the “Purchasing power adjusted GDP per capita”, “Adjusted gross disposable income of households per capita”, “Relative median at-risk of-poverty gap”. Targets are also measured through the “Income distribution” and, more in detail, the “Income share of the bottom 40 % of the population”. Migration flows are evaluated through the number of “Asylum applications”. Multipurpose indicators are: “People at risk of income poverty after social transfers”, “EU financing to developing countries” and “EU imports from developing countries”.
How can European libraries be relevant in the Europe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
EU Programmes of active inclusion are extremely useful in helping citizens getting a job. They are mainly achieved through the European Social Fund. EU action includes both funded programmes and legislative, incentive-based measures. The series of EU legal instruments shows the indivisibility of civil and political rights on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights and is illustrated by the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Other instruments include the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms against Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to name a few. Incentive-based measures include EU programmes supporting integration, such as the EU framework for national Roma integration, the EU programme for employment and social innovation (EaSI), and other measures. Support is also given to projects supporting public understanding of EU's history, values and diversity.
A wide range of instruments is designed to integrate minimum rights at work concerning health and safety, equal opportunities for women and men, protection against discrimination based on sex, race, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation. Fight against all discriminations also include migration policies, residence of non-EU nationals for highly qualified employment and the protection of a non-EU national or stateless person. Standard for the reception of applicants for international protection are also implemented together with incentives for family reunification, migration and integration Fund.
Activities providing support to the individual development and the integration of socially excluded people (from people below the level of poverty to immigrants, from minorities to imprisoned people) help reduce inequalities. Library unites are in close proximity to people living in socially sensitive areas or in difficult situations; they provide access to media and culture, exchange systems for books and other cultural products.
In this respect, the implementation of library exceptions to the EU Copyright Directive approved in 2019 is a measure which supports libraries in their effort to reduce inequalities where the free market fail. Digital illiteracy is a serious problem and library contribution to repair it is a strong drive for sustainable development.
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Some decades ago, any study concerning library legislation would have followed an uncontroversial approach:
Despite the unquestioned development of e-books, libraries still encounter many difficulties in implementing e-lending. The nature of these difficulties is disparate; they can be legal (in most European countries, e-lending is not regulated by law), linked to the access-to-information chain (editorial offer, use of DRM systems, etc.), and financial.
