Since Manuela Ripa entered the European Parliament in July 2020 as a member of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party), one of her political priorities has been the issue of post-growth.

The starting point is the realization that there can be no unlimited growth in a world with limited resources. But despite this fact, the ideal of unbridled growth is not called into question. However, the negative consequences of our economic model are not taken into account in the growth figures. The environment, future generations and the countries of the global South have to endure these: for example, the consequences of man-made global warming or the ruthless exploitation of resources. The decline in biodiversity, land consumption and scarcity of resources are a direct consequence of our economic model, which is only ever geared towards sustainable growth.

A key step towards making Europe less dependent on growth and more resilient is the strict implementation of the "European Green Deal". As a follow-up to the post-growth conference organized in the European Parliament in May, the conference "A Blueprint for a Social and Green Deal" took place on 7 December, which dealt with the question of how the "Green Deal" can be transformed into a "social and ecological deal".

The conference began with a keynote speech by Eloi Laurent (Senior Economist at OFCE, Sciences Po Centre for Economic Research (Paris)), followed by a panel discussion with EU officials, academics, representatives of trade unions and civil society organizations, most of whom were partners and/or speakers at the post-growth conference in May. After the exchange with the attendees, Agata Meysner (President of Generation Climate Europe) gave the closing remarks.

It was important to Manuela Ripa to support this conference, as her party, the "ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party", is a natural ally of the post-growth movement due to its clear positioning. The ÖDP MEP is committed to ensuring that this movement continues in the next European Parliament. In particular, she will advocate the creation of an intergroup working group on the limits to growth and call for an own-initiative report on the post-growth economy so that legislative proposals as such have a post-growth approach.