On January 25, 2024, the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2023/24 (ESDR) was unveiled during a high-level event jointly hosted by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and SDSN Europe. In its fifth edition, the report underscores a concerning projection that the European Union (EU) is on track to fall short of achieving one-third of its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets by 2030. Emphasizing the need for decisive action within the EU, the report warns of potential environmental and social “tipping points” that must be averted.
The report urgently calls for decisive EU interventions to forestall irreversible environmental harm and address critical social tipping points, both essential for meeting the objectives of the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. Utilizing the SDG Index and Dashboards, the ESDR2023/24 monitors progress on the SDGs for the EU, its Member States, and partner countries. It warns that, at the current pace, the EU is at risk of missing a significant portion of its SDG targets by 2030, with notable disparities among European nations. Stagnation and regression in social targets, encompassing challenges related to access to quality services, poverty, and material deprivation, are highlighted in several European countries. The report also identifies substantial negative “international spillovers” from the EU, driven by unsustainable consumption and global supply chains. To address these issues, the report provides crucial recommendations for the EU to enhance its leadership on SDGs, both domestically and internationally.
In tandem with the ESDR 2023/24, the coalition of 200+ scientists, experts, and practitioners from 25 European countries issued a joint Call for Action, targeting political parties and urging the future EU leadership to lay the groundwork for a new European Deal for the Future with ten priority actions.
Authors
Guillaume Lafortune, Grayson Fuller, Adolf Kloke-Lesch, Phoebe Koundouri and Angelo Riccaboni (2024). European Elections, Europe’s Future and the SDGs: Europe Sustainable Development Report 2023/24. Paris: SDSN and SDSN Europe and Dublin: Dublin University Press, https://doi.org/10.25546/104407
