Kommissionsbericht: EU-Wirtschaft ‚nicht nachhaltig’[en] 

In June 2006, European leaders signed a renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) to invigorate the previous, faltering strategy agreed upon in Gothenburg in 2001 (EurActiv 18/06/06). 

The renewed SDS underlines the need for better regulation and full integration of sustainable development in all policies, and identifies seven key challenges, with corresponding targets and actions (most of which are repetitions of targets already defined in other policy papers):

• Climate change and clean energy;
• sustainable transport;
• sustainable consumption and production;
• conservation and management of natural resources;
• public health;
• social inclusion, demography and migration; and; 
• global poverty and global sustainable development challenges.
  

The Commission published the results of its first review of the renewed SDS on 24 October.

"Action to turn around persistent unsustainable trends must be significantly stepped up", the Commission said in a press statement announcing the review. Concerns are most evident in "energy consumption, transport, bio-diversity and health", according to Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

• Meeting the climate challenge? 

The report hails the EU's March 2007 climate change commitments as "significant forward-looking policy developments", and notes that almost all EU member states have adopted national climate change strategies.

Promotion of renewable energies, emissions trading and sustainable biofuels are listed as important building blocks for further success in fighting climate change.

• Transport emissions up

There are "no real signs of decoupling" between GDP growth and energy consumption increases in the transport sector, according to the report, which cites an average annual increase in transport-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 1.2% for the period 2000-2005. 

 "Europe is not yet on a sustainable transport path", it says.

• Using less to make more?

On average, the EU uses slightly less materials to produce consumer goods than the US but still twice as much as Japan, according to the report. Moreover, improving, from an environmental point of view, the way in which products are made and consumed could lead to energy savings of up to €60 billion, it predicts.

Before the end of 2007, the Commission is scheduled to release an action plan on sustainable production and consumption (an extension of the existing Integrated Product Policy), which may feature new product labelling schemes. An action plan to 'green' the EU's industrial policy is also expected before the end of the year.

• Fewer creatures

Biodiversity loss is accelerating, particularly for mammals and in the marine environment, the report warns. 

• Europeans have the blues

Despite a significant decrease in deaths from serious work accidents and chronic diseases, 11.5% of Europeans suffer from depression and deaths from suicide still outnumber traffic-related deaths.

Health indicators for the 12 new EU member states are significantly worse than indicators for the EU-15, according to the report.