COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS EU Voluntary Review on progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Date: 2023-05-15
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: UNO, climate change policy, education, energy policy, environmental protection, industrial policy, international cooperation, social policy, sustainable development, town planning, water management

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 15.5.2023  SWD(2023) 700 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS EU Voluntary Review on progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development {COM(2023) 700 final} - {SWD(2023) 701 final} - {SWD(2023) 702 final} - {SWD(2023) 703 final}  
 
 
Contents 

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2 

SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere  ......................................................................... 6 

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable 
agriculture .................................................................................................................................14 

SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages .....................................23 

SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning 
opportunities for all ....................................................................................................................34 

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls ..........................................44 

SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all ...........53 

SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all ...............61 

SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive 
employment and decent work for all ..........................................................................................72 

SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and 
foster innovation ........................................................................................................................83 

SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries ...........................................................94 

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable ........... 103 

SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns ........................................ 112 

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts .................................. 122 

SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable 
development ........................................................................................................................... 132 

SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably 
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt 
biodiversity loss ....................................................................................................................... 141 

SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access 
to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels ............ 151 

SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for 
Sustainable Development ....................................................................................................... 162 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction  

This annex accompanies the EU Voluntary Review  (EUVR) and is organised around 17 chapters providing a 
qualitative assessment of the progress made on achieving each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 
the policy and enabling environment as well as the most important means of implementing the SDGs at EU level. 
The  EUVR  is  further  supplemented  by:  i)  a  statistical  and  analytical  annex,  which  presents  quantitative 
information  on  relevant  SDG  indicators,  synergies,  trade-offs  and  interlinkages,  ii) an  annex  highlighting  the 
essential role of youth engagement in delivering the UN 2030 for Sustainable Development (‘the 2030 Agenda’), 
and iii) an annex dedicated to the stakeholder consultation activities and the views of civil society.  

This structure, inspired by the voluntary common reporting guidelines for voluntary national reviews (VNRs), is 
used to present the relevant information in an organised manner. It also makes for an accessible and transparent 
structure  to  present  the  strategic  framework  laid  down  in  the  EUVR,  consisting  of  leading  EU  targets  and 
commitments for each SDG.  

The EU’s goal of accelerating its twin green and digital transitions, as well as implementing the SDGs through its 
recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, is reflected across this EUVR. The EU is fully committed to becoming greener, 
more digital, more socially just, more inclusive and more resilient. The EU is fully committed to a human rights 
based approach in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

SDG integration in the EU policy framework 

Together  with  partners  across  the  world  and  a  broad  range  of  stakeholders,  the  EU  played  an  active  part  in 
shaping the universal 2030 Agenda, which is fully consistent with EU values and policy objectives. 

The Commission followed up on the adoption of the 2030 Agenda with a forward-looking approach outlined in 
the  2016  Communication:  ‘Next  steps  for  a  sustainable  European  future:  European  Union  action  for 
sustainability’1. This entailed assessing the state of play, identifying the most relevant sustainability concerns, 
and triggering the active integration of the SDGs in the European policy framework.  

In 2019, the Commission adopted a reflection paper – ‘Towards a sustainable Europe by 2030’ – as part of the 
reflection process on the future of Europe. The reflection paper took stock of the main SDG-related EU internal 
and external initiatives, laid out an overview of the progress  carried out since the 2030 Agenda was adopted, 
including the outcome of the reflections of a high-level multi-stakeholder platform, and presented scenarios for 
the  future.  The  reflection  paper  also  informed  President  Ursula  von  der  Leyen’s  political  guidelines  for  2019-
2024. 

The current ‘whole of government’ approach, placing the SDGs at the core of EU policy, legislation and funding, 
was detailed in the 2020 staff working document ‘Delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – A 
comprehensive  approach’2.  The  key  strands  of  this  approach  are:  designing  and  effectively  applying  deeply 
transformative  policies;  coordination  of  economic  policies  through  the  European  Semester;  the  multiannual 
financial framework and the recovery instrument NextGenerationEU; mainstreaming the SDGs in policymaking 
using  better  regulation  tools;  ensuring  policy  coherence  for  sustainable  development;  EU  engagement  in  the 
world; monitoring and reporting; and engagement of civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders. 

The preparation of the EU’s first-ever Voluntary Review 

Sustainable  development  requires  a  comprehensive  and  cross-sectoral  policy  approach  and  is  ultimately  an 
issue of governance, which needs to be pursued in partnership with all stakeholders at all levels.  

The EUVR was prepared across several phases.  

1 COM(2016)739 final 
2 SWD(2020)400 final  

2 

 
 
                                                           
  Planning,  collecting  information,  and  engaging  with  stakeholders  (February  2022  –  December 
2022).  The  coordination  team  liaised  with  the  UN  and  engaged  with  stakeholders  through  various 
complementary work strands, which allowed for broad and transparent consultation during the drafting 
period  (detailed  in  the  synopsis  report).  Essential  inputs  in  the  preparation  included  the  regular 
exchanges  with  Member  States  (including  a  questionnaire  on  SDG  implementation)  and  other  EU 
institutions,  the  views  of  civil  society  and  the  feedback  received  from  the  public  through  the  ‘call  for 
evidence’.  

  Compiling  and  finalising  the  review  (December  2022  –  April  2023).  All  the  draft  elements  of  the 
Voluntary Review were brought together, made coherent and progressively streamlined, in parallel with 
continued dialogue with Member States and engagement with stakeholders.  

Importance of addressing interlinkages between the SDGs in EU policymaking 

In 2015, the global community agreed that the SDGs  are universal, integrated and indivisible. The SDGs are 
interdependent by design, particularly through a complex network of interlinkages. These interconnections can 
be positive, negative, or of  a mixed nature, and can occur at different geographical and temporal scales with 
different impacts.  Given  their  interdependent  nature,  the  17  SDGs  are best  implemented  in  a  comprehensive 
manner  –  all  simultaneously  –  and  this  is  precisely  what  the  EU  is  aiming  for  with  its  whole-of-government 
approach.  

The EU pays particular attention to such interlinkages and integrated actions that can create mutual benefits and 
meet  multiple  objectives  in  a  coherent  way.  It  is  actively  assessing  synergies  and  trade-offs  as  it  progresses 
towards sustainable development in an integrated manner, balancing the economic, social and environmental 
dimensions.  This  is  also  a  central  requirement  to  fulfilling  the  commitment  to  ensure  policy  coherence  for 
sustainable development.  

This annex contains specific examples of how these SDG interlinkages are addressed at EU level. In fact, several 
EU targets and commitments, as well as related Eurostat indicators, are often relevant to several SDGs, although 
in this review they are mentioned in only one chapter for practical reasons. The statistical and analytical annex 
also contains illustrations of how the EU addresses SDG interlinkages in its policymaking and in the context of 
international partnerships.  

SDG interlinkages: the case of the cultural dimension of sustainable development  

Addressing interlinkages within the 2030 Agenda goes beyond connecting the headlines of the 17 goals, and 
requires  a  more  granular  understanding  of  the  multiple  interconnections  across  targets,  having  regard  to  the 
three  dimensions  of  sustainable  development.  This  is  illustrated  by  the  role  played  by  cultural  policies,  as 
described in the Commission Report on the cultural dimension of sustainable development. Consistent with the 
multidimensional approach laid down in the 2018 European Agenda for Culture, culture is a cross-cutting driver 
of  a  range  of  interconnected  targets  under  different  SDGs.  The  various  aspects  of  EU  cultural  policy  action 
connect  among  others  with  social  cohesion  and  well-being,  education,  participation,  the  protection  of  cultural 
heritage,  professional  mobility  and  employment  in  the  cultural  and  creative  sectors,  and  international  cultural 
partnerships.  In  the  case  of the  EU,  the  main  actions  to  pursue  the  twin  digital  and  green  transition,  and  the 
various  related  SDGs  to  these  headline  ambitions,  rely  on  a  contribution  from  the  cultural  sectors  in  all  their 
diversity. To take further this cross-cutting perspective, the Creative Europe programme 2021-2027 supports the 
EU policy approach on the cultural dimension of sustainable development under its various programme strands, 
including media, culture and cross-sectoral aspects. 

Internal and external implementation, including policy coherence and spillover effects 

Given  the  universality  of  SDGs  and  because  the  2030  Agenda  should  be  implemented  globally,  the  EU  is 
committed to implementing the SDGs internally and at the same time supporting its partner countries in their own 

3 

 
 
efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda. As such, each of the following SDG-specific chapters is organised around 
these two complementary internal and external dimensions. 

The  EU  pays  particular  attention  to  ensuring  that  the  internal  and  external  dimensions  of  the  SDGs  are 
consistently addressed as two sides of the same coin. This EUVR therefore includes sections on ‘internal/external 
coherence and policy coherence for development’ at the beginning of the external section of each SDG chapter.  

These sections address, among other things, the external aspects of EU policies, as a continuum with the internal 
section of each chapter, and then addresses the impacts on partner countries where relevant. In this manner, 
the EUVR integrates the reporting on policy coherence for development, having regard to the EU Treaties (Art. 
208  TFEU).  As  stated  in  the  Better  Regulation  toolbox,  ‘as  part  of  the  EU’s  commitment  to  ensure  SDG 
implementation  internally  and  externally,  the  assessment  of  potential  impacts  of  internal  EU  policies  and 
initiatives on partner countries is crucial. It must be applied in a manner that integrates the SDGs, given that they 
are a shared universal framework.” Since policy coherence for development relates to the external impacts of 
internal policies, the EUVR is a vehicle to presenting this orientation in a clear and consistent manner.  

Main elements on the internal implementation in each SDG chapter 

The beginning of each of the sections on internal implementation aims to provide an honest overview of the state 
of progress across each SDG as well as the challenges. In some cases, progress towards achieving a specific 
SDG was not sufficient prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The accompanying impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, and 
the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have in many cases further hampered the level of progress. 
The pursuit of the SDGs remains challenging, but it is more important than ever to redouble efforts and ensure a 
sustainable and long-lasting recovery, which accelerates the green and digital transitions.  

Central to each of the chapters is a strategic framework laying down the main targets and commitments set by 
EU  policies  that  contribute  directly  to  the  progress  made  towards  achieving  each  SDG.  The  selection  of  EU 
targets is based on a thorough screening of meaningful policy commitments, which are most often time-bound 
and accompanied by measurable elements, including indicators from the Eurostat annual monitoring report on 
SDGs. In this manner, the EUVR takes into account the views of those stakeholders who called for an integrated 
presentation of EU SDG targets in the EUVR. Additional information on the progress made on Eurostat indicators 
is found in the statistical and analytical annex.  

The internal section of each SDG chapter then lays out  the key initiatives, key enablers for  implementing the 
SDGs within the EU (related to the UN Global Sustainable Development Report, including financial instruments 
and resources and leading research programmes), as well as main strands of stakeholder engagement relevant 
to each SDG, and illustrative examples of multi-level governance to stress the critical role EU Member States, 
cities and regions play in implementing the SDGs. The ‘SDG mapper’ tool (see statistical annex) provides useful 
complementary  information  for  mapping  EU  policies  Further  information  can  be  found  on  the  relevant 
Commission  websites.  Besides,  more  information  on  action  at  national,  regional  and  local  levels  is  available 
directly from the VNRs of EU Member States and the voluntary local reviews of European regions and cities. 

Main elements on external action in support of the SDGs 

The EU and its Member States are determined to support the SDGs at global level. Each SDG chapter contains 
a part with a range of relevant details on the EU’s external action. After a brief overview of global trends and after 
addressing the issue of internal/external coherence, each external section then describes the main orientations 
of  EU  external  engagement,  support  provided  to  partner  countries  to  implement  the  SDGs  across  our 
international partnerships, neighbourhood and enlargement policies, and humanitarian action.  

This  EUVR  integrates  the  commitment  to  report  every  4  years  on  the  implementation  of  the  2017  European 
Consensus on Development to show EU support to partner countries in their efforts to progress in achieving the 
SDGs. In several chapters, the external sections focus on the deployment of the Global Gateway strategy as a 

4 

 
 
concrete vehicle for supporting the implementation of SDGs globally. It shows a range of EU actions that were 
carried out at regional and country level, including actions with Member States acting as Team Europe. 

In terms of EU financial support for implementing the SDGs outside the EU, the section contains several strands 
of complementary information. It first highlights the support provided by EU institutions per SDG, as reported to 
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This contains some general messages 
on  the  interlinkages  between  SDGs  in  the  design  and  reporting  of  EU  actions,  as  shown  graphically  in  the 
statistical and analytical annex. The EUVR also contains complementary information of the collective action of 
the EU and those Member States who report on the SDGs. Coordination is being stepped up with EU Member 
States,  within  the  overall  SDG  reporting  to  OECD,  to  further  improve  the  consistency  in  the  way  SDGs  are 
reported.  

For some specific SDGs, such as on climate change, biodiversity and gender equality, the respective chapters 
also contain statistical information from the reporting under existing OECD markers related to these cross-cutting 
policy  issues.  The  preparation  of  the  EUVR has  shown there  is  scope  to  improve  consistency  between  SDG 
reporting and the reporting under such specific markers, to be further addressed as part of the follow-up.  

Looking ahead  

As a whole, not only does the EU’s Voluntary Review take stock of the progress made towards achieving each 
of  the  SDGs  by  laying  out  the  main  contributing  policies  and  actions,  but  it  also  contains  forward-looking 
elements. This EUVR lays out a number of EU initiatives that can contribute to advancing the achievement of the 
SDGs, which have yet to be launched. These initiatives, some of which are stemming from the Conference of 
the Future of Europe and the latest Commission work programme, are indicated in the relevant SDG chapters.  

On external actions, this EUVR also highlights some of the expected work ahead, based on programming and 
the deployment of the Global Gateway strategy in support of the SDGs. This annex complements the forward-
looking elements laid out in the main report, thereby putting together a range of actions that are planned to be 
carried out as a follow-up. 

At  the  High-level  Political  Forum  on  Sustainable  Development,  the  EU  looks  forward  to  exchanging  best 
practices, as well as renewing our commitments to working among partners for mutual benefits as we advance 
together the 2030 Agenda.  

5 

 
 
 
SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere   

EU internal action  

Overview and challenges  

Poverty  harms  people’s  lives  and  hampers  social  inclusion,  cohesion  and  well-being.  Without  effective 
educational, health, labour market and social protection systems, the risk of poverty is handed down from one 
generation to the next. This in turn leads to productivity losses and hampers inclusive and sustainable growth. 
To deliver on SDG 1 in an EU context, it is therefore necessary to tackle the multiple dimensions of poverty and 
social exclusion, such as income poverty, social deprivation and participation in the labour market, and to ensure 
that basic housing needs are met, while prioritizing the most vulnerable, as pledged in the leave no one behind 
promise. 

Progress towards reducing poverty and social exclusion (SDG 1) in the EU has been significant. Between 2015 
and  2020,  fewer  people  have  been  affected  by  income  poverty,  suffered  from  severe  material  and  social 
deprivation, or lived in (partly) jobless households. Poverty and inequality also remained fairly stable despite the 
shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, an outcome linked to exceptional public intervention. 

Challenges  nonetheless  remain  in  relation  to  further  alleviating  poverty,  especially  as  regards  the  number  of 
children who live in poor households. In addition, the recent energy and food price rises, further aggravated by 
the  war  in  Ukraine,  hit  the  poorest  households  the  hardest  as  they  spend  a  higher  share  of  their  disposable 
income on basic goods such as energy and food. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends 

Reduce the number of people at risk 
of poverty or social exclusion by 
15 million by 2030 compared with the 
situation in 2019, including at least 
5 million children  

In 2021, 95.4 million people, equalling 21.7% of the EU population, were 
at  risk  of  poverty  or  social  exclusion.  This  represents  a  substantial 
decrease  since  2015,  when  104.9  million  people  (or  24.0%  of  the 
population) were at risk.  

Set in the European Pillar of Social 
Rights Action Plan  

The number of children aged less than 18 who are at risk of poverty or 
social  exclusion  amounted  to  19.6  million  in  2021,  corresponding  to 
24.4% of the population of this age group. This is a substantial decrease 
compared with 2015, when 22.3 million children were at risk across the 
EU.  

Poverty can also affect working people. The numbers of people at risk 
of  income  poverty  despite  being  in  work  –  the  working  poor  –  has 
generally decreased over recent years. In 2021, the in-work poverty rate 
was  8.9%,  a  decrease  of  0.8  percentage  points  compared  with  2015 
when it stood at 9.7%.  

6 

 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Since 2015, in the area of basic housing needs, the numbers have fallen 
of  people  overburdened  by  their  housing  costs  (down  from  11.2%  in 
2015 to 8.3% in 2021) or facing severe housing deprivation3 (down from 
5.3% in 2015 to 4.3% in 2020).  

If,  over  the  next  decade,  the  EU  can  maintain  the  pace  of  decrease 
currently  observed,  the  overall  poverty  reduction  target  will  be  within 
reach.  However,  to  meet  the  sub-target  of  lifting  at  least  5  million 
children out of risk of poverty or social exclusion, the pace would need 
to speed up during the decade.  
More details on indicators and trends for SDG 1 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs.  

Key initiatives   

Addressing multidimensional poverty and basic needs is among the  main priorities of  the European Pillar of 
Social Rights and its Action Plan. The plan turns the 20 Pillar principles into concrete actions to benefit citizens. 
It also proposes headline targets on employment, skills and poverty  reduction for the EU to reach by 2030, a 
commitment confirmed at the Porto Social Summit of May 2021. The revised social scoreboard is the key tool 
to  monitor  progress  towards  its  implementation.  Delivering  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  is  a  shared 
responsibility for the EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, social partners, and civil society.  

Breaking the intergenerational cycles of disadvantage starts with investing in children to reduce the gap between 
children in need and their better-off peers. Adopted in 2021, the  European Child Guarantee helps to ensure 
that,  in  the  EU,  every  child  in  need  has  equal  access  to  early  childhood  education  and  care,  education, 
healthcare, housing and nutrition.   

The Directive on adequate minimum wages, adopted in October 2022, aims at tackling in-work poverty, ensuring 
fair competition, stimulating productivity improvements, and promoting economic and social progress.  

The Council Recommendation on access to social  protection stresses the right to adequate social protection, 
regardless  of  the  type  and  duration  of  their  employment  relationship,  for  workers  and,  under  comparable 
conditions, the self-employed.  

To also address poverty risks for people outside the labour market or in transition, the Council Recommendation 
on adequate minimum income calls on Member States to gradually bring income support to the level of national 
poverty thresholds and provides guidance on how to improve the coverage and take-up of these programmes.  

The EU is also actively involved in ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality. In this respect, in June 
2022, the Council agreed on a  Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality. This 
provides guidance to all EU countries on how to address relevant employment and social aspects of the green 
transition.  

The report of the high-level group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state in the EU develops 
a vision over the years to 2030 on how to improve social protection systems and the welfare state in the midst of 
ongoing and new changes.  

The Commission also presented the affordable housing initiative in October 2020 as part of its renovation 
wave strategy for Europe; this aims to improve the energy consumption of buildings and to create green jobs.  

The social economy action plan, adopted in December 2021, seeks to enhance social innovation, support the 
development of the social economy and boost its social and economic transformative power, including poverty 
reduction. It proposes a series of actions for the period 2021-2030.  

7 

 
 
  
Selected enablers  

Financial resources, reforms and investments, in a people-centred approach, as well as science and innovation, 
are strong means to implement measures to support the SDGs in the EU. Within Cohesion policy, a budget of 
EUR 99.3  billion  (2021-27)  is  dedicated  to  the  European  Social  Fund  Plus  (ESF+).  It  provides  a  major 
contribution to the EU’s efforts to end poverty and support social inclusion, because Member States are required 
to  allocate  at  least  25%  of  their  ESF+  resources  to  promote  social  inclusion.  For  example,  the  current 
programming  period  includes  a  specific  ESF+  objective  to  promote  the  socio-economic  integration  of 
marginalised communities such as the Roma.  

The  Fund  for  European  Aid  to  the  Most Deprived  (FEAD)  specifically  supports  actions  by  EU countries  in 
providing food, clothing and other essential goods to the poorest in society. It also provides support through non-
material social inclusion measures. Since April 2020, FEAD could support specific measures for addressing the 
COVID-19  crisis.  For  people  living  on  the  streets  of  Sweden,  the  risks  of  exploitation,  poor  health,  and  hate 
crimes are particularly serious if individuals are from another country or culture. Supported through FEAD, the 
Pentru Tine - För Dig (‘For you’) project in Sweden gave marginalised people who were homeless vital information 
and the support they needed to find their way out of material deprivation and social isolation. 

Beneficiaries of these EU funds must respect gender equality and non-discrimination principles.  

The Regulation on the common agricultural policy (CAP) strategic plan for 2023-27 also links the CAP to the 
SDG poverty reduction objectives by providing income support in remote areas. Poverty in rural areas decreased 
significantly from 30% in 2010 to 22.5% in 2021.  

As part of the revision of the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS), the Social Climate Fund will address any 
social impacts that arise from the new system and will support those affected by energy and transport poverty in 
particular.  

Long-standing EU initiatives were complemented by additional EU efforts to address the impact of the pandemic 
on the poorest households, including under the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII and CRII+) 
taken  in  the  framework  of  cohesion  policy.  Some  Member  States,  through  their  national  recovery  and 
resilience  plans,  are  investing  in  the  modernisation  and  digitalisation  of  social  benefit  systems,  which  will 
improve their coverage. A few investments also focus on fighting energy poverty and on improving access to 
food and water sanitation for the poorest households. In addition, according to the Governance Regulation3, the 
objective of Member States' National energy and climate plans is closely linked to addressing energy poverty 
and shall outline policies and measures to tackle it.  

For  example,  Portugal  has  set  up  a  new  strategy  to  combat  poverty  through  the  development  of  a 
multidimensional, integrated, medium- and long-term approach. This reform is further complemented by specific 
investments in the  most deprived  metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto. It provides a framework to  support 
dedicated actions targeting specific groups, from children to older people, including the most vulnerable groups. 
For  instance,  it  sets  out  conditions  for  the  development  and  implementation  of  policies  focusing  on  specific 
challenges  of  social  exclusion  and  poverty  at  the  local  level.  In  addition,  it  also  creates  a  single  monitoring 
framework for poverty-related indicators.  

Research  and  innovation  actions  under  Horizon  Europe  explore  the  root  causes  and  drivers  of  inequalities, 
social inclusion and poverty in Europe. The project MapIneq takes a life-course perspective to map and visualise 
drivers of inequalities. It seeks to understand how various socio-economic conditions, policies, societal changes 
and changes over the life course affect inequalities in the domains of family, health, education and work. The 
aim  of  the  Solutions  to  Tackle  Energy  Poverty  (STEP)  project  is  to  alleviate  energy  poverty  by  facilitating 

3 Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy 
Union and Climate Action. 

8 

 
 
                                                           
behavioural change through trusted, tailored advice, provided directly to consumers in or at risk of energy poverty, 
and by implementing low-cost energy efficiency solutions in energy-poor households.  

Another example is the project ‘Plan for and evaluate the European Child Guarantee in Luxembourg’ supported 
by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2022. The project aims at implementing the European 
Child Guarantee and reaching the objectives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its 
main goal is to prevent and combat child poverty and social exclusion. The project will provide Luxembourg with 
help to improve monitoring and evaluation tools and  to conduct meaningful stakeholder consultations that are 
necessary for an envisaged action plan.  

Stakeholder engagement  

The  EU  delivers  on  its  poverty  reduction  agenda  in  a  collaborative  approach.  For  example,  through  the  EU 
Programme  for  Employment  and  Social  Innovation  (EaSI),  the  EU  supports  the  European  Anti-Poverty 
Network (EAPN). This is the largest European network of national, regional and local networks involving anti-
poverty non-governmental organisations and grassroots groups, as well as European organisations, active in the 
fight against poverty and social exclusion.  

In June 2021, European institutions, EU governments and civil society committed to working together towards 
combating homelessness in the EU. The European Platform on Combating Homelessness serves to trigger 
dialogue,  facilitate  mutual  learning,  improve  evidence  and  monitoring,  and  strengthen  cooperation  among  all 
players that work to combat homelessness. The  platform offers an opportunity to engage and work with local 
players, including cities and service providers. This will enable all involved to better exchange their knowledge 
and practices, and identify efficient and innovative approaches, to make progress on eradicating homelessness. 

To tackle societal challenges of poverty and social exclusion, the European Social Innovation Competition is 
supporting early-stage ideas and facilitating a network of radical innovators to shape our society for the better. It 
awards four prizes for the best socially innovative projects for a more inclusive, just and sustainable Europe. In 
2022,  social  innovators  tackled  the  'future  of  living'  and  submitted  proposals  for  affordable  and  sustainable 
housing districts.  

Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. At national level, for example, Latvia launched its minimum 
income level reform in 2021. The establishment of a minimum income threshold and its periodic review ensures 
that households and people with revenues below that level can claim municipal social assistance, and they are 
entitled to a higher state minimum pension and state social security benefits. The minimum income reform applies 
to people in need, retired people and people with disabilities who receive the minimum benefits and pensions.  

At local level, the city of Košice in Slovakia is committed to SDG 1 through a project co-funded by the European 
Social Fund and based on a Housing First approach. The project provides affordable housing and a range of 
support measures to 23 families - with the plan to double this number - enabling 150 people, both parents and 
children, to live more stable lives, with no stigma of homelessness. It focuses on helping individuals and families 
to find and maintain accommodation, matching families and young people with housing, social and healthcare 
services, and legal support.  

EU external action 

Global trends  

While world poverty rates decreased from 27.7% in 2000 to 8.6% in 2018, 660 million people were still living 
below the poverty line in 2019, of  whom 347 million were in least developed countries. During the COVID-19 
pandemic, the UN estimates that an additional 93 million people were pushed into extreme poverty in 2022, when 

9 

 
 
compared with pre-pandemic levels. These estimates are expected to be further revised upwards when taking 
account of the global impacts of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.  

As  to  the  measures  to  prevent  and  combat  poverty,  despite  the  significant  expansion  of  social  protection 
programmes  during  the  COVID-19  crisis,  only  47% of  the  global  population  is  covered by  at  least  one  social 
protection programme. In Africa, this rate falls to 17%.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development  

Given the multidimensional nature of poverty, SDG 1 is closely interlinked with other SDGs. High in-work poverty 
rates show that employment does not necessarily prevent poverty, with about 21% of all employees worldwide 
living in poverty in 2021. To tackle this challenge and to ensure that European consumption does not contribute 
to poverty worldwide, the EU provides comprehensive tools to promote decent work in the EU and worldwide. 
The Communication on decent work worldwide includes EU policies and initiatives with outreach beyond the EU, 
EU  bilateral  and  regional  relations,  the  EU  in  international  and  multilateral  fora,  and  its  engagement  with 
stakeholders and in global partnerships.  

A key objective of the EU’s international partnership policy is to promote decent work, including social protection, 
in line with the EU’s strong commitment to fully implement the 2030 Agenda. This is also reflected in the 2017 
European Consensus on Development. The EU actively contributes to International Labour Organization 
processes of setting labour standards, supervising their application, and promoting their implementation.  

Furthermore,  specific  existing  and  upcoming  EU  tools  consist  of  legislative  proposals  to  tighten  the 
responsibilities of companies in their global value chains, such as the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due 
Diligence Directive. 

The EU also recognises that child and family poverty is a key driver of child labour, which is a breach of  both 
international labour rights and the rights of the child. The EU strategy on the rights of the child commits to making 
EU  supply  chains  free  of  child  labour,  and  to  provide  technical  assistance  to  strengthen  labour  inspection 
systems. The proposed forced labour product ban aims to prohibit the entry into the EU market of products made 
with forced labour, including forced child labour. In parallel, EU development cooperation seeks to eliminate child 
labour  in  value  chains  through  initiatives  such  as  CLEAR  Cotton,  the  Sustainable  Cocoa  initiative,  and  the 
recently adopted action in value chains with high child labour prevalence and exports to EU.  

In  addition,  through  sector-specific  initiatives,  the  EU  further  promotes  decent  work  and  social  protection  in 
specific  areas.  Hence,  the  Farm  to  Fork  Strategy  aims  at  ensuring  decent  work in  global food  supply  chains, 
including  safe  and  fair  working  conditions  and  rights.  The  considerations  of  workers’  social  protection,  their 
working and housing conditions, and their health and safety protection all play a major role in building fair, strong 
and sustainable food systems, which benefit all tiers of the value chain, including through poverty reduction.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions4 reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 8.1 billion in projects contributing to SDG 1. 
The greatest share of the EU contribution to SDG 1 is accounted for by projects that target SDG 1 as the main 
SDG. These projects also contribute to several other interlinked SDGs such as SDG 8, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 4, 
SDG 5 and SDG 2. Other SDGs also contribute to SDG 1 as a significant objective. The main contributors are 
SDG 8, SDG 16 and SDG 2. When taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized through 

4 Based on OECD methodology, this includes ODA as reported by the European Commission (Development Share of Budget and 
European Development Fund) and European Investment Bank. 

10 

 
 
                                                           
public  intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to  Sustainable 
Development (TOSSD) 5 of the EU to SDG 1 amounted to EUR 9.7 billion in 2021.  

 Collectively,  the  EU  and  those  Member  States  that  reported  on  SDGs6  to  the  OECD  in  2021  contributed 
EUR 17.8 billion  to  SDG 1.  Financial  flows  from  the  EU  and  Member  States  to  SDG 1  have  a  strong  global 
component (41%). At regional level, support to SDG 1 predominantly focuses on projects in Africa (45%) and 
Asia (25%). There are also a substantial number of global contributions which target SDG 1 at a broader level 
(20%).  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement  

Eradicating poverty in all its dimensions, tackling discrimination and inequalities, and leaving no one behind are 
all at the heart of the EU’s development cooperation policy and international partnerships, as laid down in the 
2017 European Consensus on Development. Consistent with the EU Treaties and the EU’s current  external 
financial instrument, poverty reduction and attention to the most vulnerable segments of the population are at the 
forefront of all cooperation programmes.  

In this context, and in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans for eradicating poverty globally, the EU’s 
priorities for its external actions contributing to SDG 1 and interlinked SDGs are to:  

 
 
 

reduce the overall number of people living in poverty; 
establish solid social protection systems, in particular for the most vulnerable; and 
create educational and economic opportunities to get people out of poverty. 

To this end, the EU supports through its partnerships policies that seek to maximise positive social outcomes 
and  impacts,  notably  for social  inclusion  and  human  development.  The  EU also  promotes  domestic  resource 
mobilisation and redistributive public policies that enable the sharing of benefits of growth and improved access 
to  opportunities.  Given  the  multidimensional  nature  of  poverty,  the  EU  pays  particular  attention  to  the 
interlinkages  between  the  SDGs,  with  actions  that  can  create  co-benefits  and  meet  multiple  objectives  in  a 
coherent way.  

EU budget support is a modality of action that can be instrumental in supporting policy development aimed at 
benefiting the poor. It is estimated that, between 2014 and 2020, 75% of the EU budget support portfolio (around 
EUR 11.3 billion globally) contributed to achieving SDG 1. Social protection is at the core of these efforts, as it 
protects  people  along  the  life  cycle  from  poverty  and  risks.  Social  protection  also  enables  access  to  basic 
services,  such  as  education,  water,  sanitation,  and  adequate  nutrition.  Social  protection  is  contributing  to  the 
implementation of the Global Gateway strategy.  

Poverty, conflict, fragility and forced displacement are deeply interlinked and must be addressed in a consistent 
and comprehensive way by addressing their various root causes. Tackling extreme poverty, especially in fragile 
situations, requires a strengthened link between relief, rehabilitation, and development. It further needs a multi-
stakeholder approach, action at various levels, and sustained international engagement. EU and Member States 
actions  operate  in  the  humanitarian-development-peace  nexus,  recognising  the  need  for  conflict-sensitive 
approaches to development. Social protection support measures, delivered through a combination of short-term 
humanitarian  action  and  mid/long-term  cooperation,  directly  contribute  to  achieving  resilience,  peace, 
stabilisation, and economic growth in countries in crises. The guidance package on social protection across the 

5 TOSSD is an international standard for measuring the full array of resources in support of the 2030 Agenda. TOSSD monitors all 
resources  flowing  into  developing  countries  for  their  sustainable  development.  This  includes  official  resources  as  well  as  private 
resources mobilised through official means. TOSSD also measures with no geographical restrictions all contributions to international 
public  goods  which  provide  global  benefits  such  as  for  instance  a  stable  climate  or  biodiversity.  More  details  can  be  found  on 
http://www.www.tossd.org 
6 At this stage, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, 
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden. 

11 

 
 
                                                           
nexus  is  an  EU  initiative  that  generates  and  expands  the  body  of  knowledge  in  this  area.  The  2017  Joint 
Communication A Strategic Approach to Resilience in the EU’s external action aligns the EU approach with a 
broad definition of resilience and to the multidimensional fragility model developed within the OECD.  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives)  

Eradicating poverty is closely linked to social protection, designed to protect individuals and their families and to 
ensure they can meet their basic needs throughout their lives. Explicitly addressed in SDG 1, eradicating poverty 
and strengthening social protection is also instrumental in making progress towards other goals, including SDGs 
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10.  

Against  this  background,  the  EU  supports  human  development  and  implements  several  social  protection 
initiatives. The Socieux+ programme is a demand-driven technical assistance facility aiming to enhance partner 
countries’ capacity to design, manage, and monitor inclusive, effective and sustainable employment strategies 
and  social  protection  systems.  Implemented  since  2013  in  partnership  with  several  Member  States,  it  has 
supported the creation of comprehensive national social protection systems and employment and labour policies 
in 74 countries, by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and good practices between EU Member States and 
partner institutions around the world through targeted, short-term activities.  

In addition, the EU, along with some Member States, has launched a new Team Europe Initiative to strengthen 
social protection in Georgia. It aims to improve and extend social protection services through facilitating access 
to social services at local level and supporting the development of social protection legislation.  

Further,  the  initiative  ‘Improving  synergies  between  social  protection  and  public  finance  management’ 
aims  to  strengthen  national  social  protection  systems  by  addressing  links  with  public  finance  management, 
including  the  mobilisation  of  domestic  resources  to  tackle  underinvestment  in  social  protection.  In  2021,  this 
thematic programme supported the adoption of national social protection policies and laws in Nepal, Cambodia, 
Senegal and Togo. It also supported a response to the COVID-19 crisis that focused on vulnerable population 
groups, such as workers in the informal economy, in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Togo, Ethiopia, and Uganda.  

In the context of the COVID-19 response and hence contributing both to SDG1 and SDG 3, the EU has been 
working  closely  with  the  Nigerian  authorities  and  other  partners  on  swift  and  effective  action  to  combat  the 
pandemic and its effects on the poorest and more vulnerable. Under the project ‘A hand of fellowship: helping 
vulnerable communities in Nigeria’, the EU has contributed to Nigeria’s national response, channelled through 
the UN COVID-19 Basket Fund. The EU has also helped UNICEF to procure vital health supplies for infected 
people, while further containing the spread of the virus in the country.  

The EU actively fosters social inclusion, in a manner closely interlinked with several SDGs. The Team Europe 
Initiative on Demography and Social Inclusion, as part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment 
Package, will support Uganda in achieving its SDG targets related to the delivery of inclusive social services, 
with a particular emphasis on healthy lives and well-being, gender equality and empowerment of all women and 
girls, and inclusive and equitable quality education. In line with SDGs 1 and 10, the EU and Member States will 
define  support  actions  on  the  basis  of  national  governance,  and  sub-national,  community-based  and 
geographical approaches. Youth will also be consulted during the formulation and implementation of the Team 
Europe Initiative.  

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually supportive and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and deliver an impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming 
and Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 1. For illustrative purposes, Portugal contributes to the reduction of poverty and vulnerability to food 
and  nutritional  insecurity  in  the  southern  provinces  of  Angola  through  the  project  FRESAN,  which 
addresses at the same time family agriculture, food and nutrition security, resilience, rural development, water 
and adaptation to climate change. 

12 

 
 
Looking ahead 

The Conference on the Future of Europe showed broad support to the need to ensure the full implementation 
of the European Pillar of Social Rights. This includes its relevant headline targets for 2030, at EU, national, 
regional and local levels, in the area of social protection and inclusion. EU citizens also called on the EU, Member 
States and social partners to work together to end in-work poverty, address the rights of platform workers, and 
ban unpaid internships.  

The  Commission  will  continue  its  work  on  essential  services,  with  the  aim  to  ensure  the  reliable  provision  of 
services fundamental for social or economic activities in many different sectors. To address in-work poverty, new 
guidelines  will  be  published  about  collective  agreements  regarding  the  working  conditions  of  solo  self-
employed people. The  quality  framework for traineeships will also be reviewed to ensure that traineeships 
provide for good-quality learning content and appropriate working conditions and should not be a substitute for 
regular jobs or a precondition for a job placement.  

Globally,  the  EU  will  continue  to  take  determined  action  to  accelerate  implementation  measures  to  achieve 
SDG 1. This will include the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries where 
poverty eradication and/or social protection are a shared priority, and joining partners in efforts to build nationally 
appropriate  social  protection  floors,  with  a  view  to  achieving  universal  social  protection.  The  Commission  will 
support a new regional Team Europe Initiative on Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will also support the 
implementation strategy of the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions. Through a 
new thematic programme under the Universal Social Protection 2030 initiative, the EU will also support the digital 
convergence initiative in pursuit of more inclusive and interoperable social protection information systems. The 
EU also supports the initiative to establish a global fund for social protection. 

13 

 
 
 
 
SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and 
improved nutrition, and promote sustainable 
agriculture  

EU internal action 

Overview and challenges  

Various  crises  –  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  Russian war  against  Ukraine  and  the  triple  planetary  crises  of 
climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – have increased pressures on global food systems and placed 
food security at the top of the political agenda.  

The EU is largely self-sufficient for key agricultural products. It is a main wheat and barley exporter and is able 
to  cover a  high  share of  its consumption  for other  staple  crops  such  as  maize  or sugar. The  EU is  also  self-
sufficient  for  most  animal  products,  including  dairy  and  meat;  the  notable  exception  is  seafood.  Agricultural 
production trends have been favourable over the past 5 years. Labour productivity in the EU’s agricultural sector 
has improved  and public investments in agricultural R&D have increased. In addition, the area under  organic 
farming has grown steadily.  

Agricultural production in the EU does have some adverse impacts, most notably water use stress, rising nitrate 
concentrations in EU groundwater bodies, and the continued decline of common farmland birds and pollinators. 
The EU land area at risk of severe soil erosion by water has decreased slightly, as have the ammonia emissions 
from agriculture.  

In the EU, 36.2 million people cannot afford a quality meal every other day. At the same time, it is estimated that 
around 10% of food made available to EU consumers (retail, food services and households) may be wasted. 
Reducing food losses and food waste has the potential to reduce the resources we use to produce the food that 
we  eat  and  to  address  some  food  security  challenges.  Food  accounts  for  around  45%  of  the  environmental 
impacts of EU consumers. More than 80% of agricultural emissions are attributable to the livestock sector.  

In the current EU food environment, most people are exposed and predisposed to unsustainable food choices 
and unhealthy eating patterns; these are closely related to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases. In 
2019, 16.5% of the population aged 18 or over suffered from obesity, a 1.1 percentage point increase since 2014. 
Recent surveys show that one in three children aged 6-9 and 52% of the adult population in the EU are overweight 
or obese. Up to 70% of national health budgets were spent on the treatment of diseases linked to obesity. Indeed, 
obesity alone was responsible for reducing life expectancy by up to 4 years, reducing GDP growth by up to 4.5 
percentage points, and consuming up to 7% of health budgets.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends 

At least 25% of the EU’s agricultural land 
should be under organic farming by 2030 

Set in the Farm to Fork and biodiversity 
strategies  
The use of pesticides and the use of more 
hazardous pesticides should be reduced by 
50% by 2030  

The area under organic farming increased by 55.6% between 
2012  and  2020  and  constituted  9.1% of  the  EU’s  agricultural 
land.  However,  greater  progress  will  be  required  to  meet  the 
2030 target.  

In both cases, the target is a 50% reduction by 2030 compared 
with the baseline period of 2015-2017. The  most recent  data 
show that the use and risk of chemical pesticides declined by 

14 

 
 
 
  
14% from 2015-2017 to 2020 while the use of more hazardous 
pesticides declined by 26% over the same period.  

The gross nitrogen balance was 46 kg per hectare of utilised 
agricultural  area  and  gross  phosphorus  balance  1 kg  per 
hectare of utilised agricultural area (EU average 2012-14). The 
EU  average  share  of  groundwater  monitoring  stations  with 
nitrates  concentrations  above  50 mg/L  was  14.1%  in  2016-
2019, slightly up from 13.2% in the period 2012-15.  
By  2021,  Member  States  had  already  achieved  around  one 
third of the overall Farm to Fork reduction target.  

Set in the Farm to Fork and biodiversity 
strategies  
Reduce nutrient losses by at least 50% by 
2030, while ensuring that there is no 
deterioration in soil fertility 

Set in the Farm to Fork and biodiversity 
strategies  
Reduce the sale of antimicrobials for farmed 
animals and in aquaculture by at least 50% by 
2030  

Set in the Farm to Fork strategy  
Ensure that at least 10% of agricultural area is 
under high-biodiversity landscape features  

Support  provided  by  the  EU  common  agricultural  policy  is 
allocated  to  around  2.86  million  hectares  for  maintaining  or 
include  habitats 
landscape 
preserving 
supporting the lifecycle of pollinators. 

features,  which 

Set in the biodiversity strategy and the Nature 
Restoration Law  
More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG 2  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and  in 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs.  

Key initiatives  

The EU has a wide range of policies in place that address or touch on the various aspects of SDG 2. This section 
provides an overview of some of the most recent and relevant initiatives.  

The  EU’s  common  agricultural  policy  provides  income  support,  market  measures  and  rural  development 
measures  to  safeguard  farmers’  income  and  to  increase  agricultural  productivity  in  a  sustainable  way  while 
protecting rural landscapes and the environment.  

The EU farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system, adopted in May 2020, 
aims  at:  i)  ensuring  that  the  food  chain,  covering  food  production,  transport,  distribution,  marketing  and 
consumption, has a neutral or positive environmental impact; ii) ensuring food security, nutrition and public health, 
including sustainable seafood production through sustainable aquaculture and fisheries; and iii) preserving the 
affordability  of  food  while  generating  fairer  economic  returns  in  the  supply  chain,  so  that  ultimately  the  most 
sustainable  food  also  becomes  the  most  affordable,  fostering  the  competitiveness  of  the  EU  supply  sector, 
promoting fair trade, and creating new business opportunities, while ensuring integrity of the single market and 
occupational health and safety.  

The  biodiversity  strategy  for  2030  aims  to  bring  back  at  least  10%  of  agricultural  area  under  high-diversity 
landscape features in order to provide space for wild animals, plants, pollinators and natural pest regulators.  

An EU contingency plan for food security in times of crisis was published in November 2021. The plan aims 
to ensure a sufficient and varied supply of safe, nutritious, affordable and sustainable food to citizens at all times.  

The  March  2022  Communication  on  safeguarding  food  security  and  reinforcing  the  resilience  of  food 
systems  presented  a  range  of  short-term  and  medium-term  actions  to  increase  global  food  security  and  to 
support  farmers  and  consumers  in  the  EU  in  light  of  rising  food  prices  and  input  costs,  such  as  energy  and 
fertilisers.  

The May 2022 Solidarity Lanes Communication set out an action plan to establish Solidarity Lanes to ensure 
Ukraine can export grain, but also import the goods it needs, from humanitarian aid to animal feed and fertilisers.  
15 

 
 
 
 
 
  
In June 2022, the Commission proposed a Regulation for the sustainable use of plant protection products. 
This seeks to support the Farm to Fork strategy and will establish a legal basis for the calculation and publication 
of progress towards both pesticide reduction targets in the Farm to Fork strategy.  

The  November  2022  Communication  on  ensuring  availability  and  affordability  of  fertilisers  presented  a 
wide range of actions and guidance on how to tackle the challenges that EU farmers and industry, as well  as 
partner countries , are currently facing.  

In January 2023, the Commission published a staff working document that analyses the main drivers of food 
security.  

Selected enablers  

The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund has a budget allocation of EUR 291.1 billion. Up to EUR 270 billion 
will be provided for income support schemes, with the remainder committed to supporting agricultural markets.  

For the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the total allocation amounts to EUR 95.5 billion. 
This includes EUR 8.1 billion from the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument to help address the challenges 
posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The EU4Health programme is the key financial tool for protecting public health and fighting major public health 
threats. Under this programme, the EU will invest EUR 5.3 billion in actions with a view to complementing policies 
in EU countries and achieving 10 specific objectives, including health promotion and disease prevention.  

The Fund for European aid to the most deprived (FEAD) supports actions by EU countries in providing food, 
clothing and other essential goods to the poorest in society. It also covers non-material social inclusion measures. 
In April 2020, new amendments to the FEAD Regulation entered into force, introducing specific measures for 
addressing the COVID-19 crisis.  

The Recovery and Resilience Facility also supports measures to promote sustainable agriculture. For instance, 
Italy's  recovery  and  resilience  plan  includes  a  measure  to  support  a  variety  of  investments  in  digitalisation, 
transport and innovation for the agri-food sector to reduce the costs of food production and promote precision 
farming and traceability. This action also aims to improve the sector's energy efficiency by increasing the use of 
electric vehicles and renewable energy.  

The project ‘Enabling politically sensitive climate change impact assessments for the 21st century (POLIMPACT)’ 
is financed by a European Research Council grant under Horizon Europe 2021. Using cutting-edge methods, 
including dynamic statistical simulations, machine learning, and expert elicitation, the project will develop a new 
portfolio  of  empirically  grounded  and  rigorously  validated  scenario  projections  on  governance,  conflict,  and 
economic  development.  This  will,  for  the  first  time,  enable  accounting  for  political  sources  of  vulnerability  in 
climate change impact assessments. If successful, POLIMPACT will initiate a major revision in climate change 
impact modelling, radically improving the quality and real-world relevance of climate change impact assessments 
for key social risks over the 21st century.  

The  objective  of  the  BrightSpace  project,  funded  under  Horizon  Europe  2022,  is  to  design  effective  and 
sustainable strategies for assessing and addressing the challenges of EU agriculture to navigate within a safe 
and just operating space, including planetary boundaries. BrightSpace will provide a set of analytical instruments 
to experiment, analyse, and coordinate the effects of innovative governance structures and policies related to 
agriculture to navigate within a safe and just operating space. The project is expected to run from the end of 2022 
to the end of 2027 and features 14 different partners from all over the EU.  

Another example is the project 'Implementation and embedding a reform programme for the better regulation of 
food in Ireland' supported by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2021.  The Irish agri-food 

16 

 
 
sector  has  been  negatively  affected  both  by  Brexit,  due  to  the  high  trade  intensity  with  the  UK,  and  by  the 
coronavirus crisis. The objective of the project is to restructure food control systems in Ireland to strengthen the 
food safety, authenticity and competitiveness of its agri-food sector.  

Stakeholder engagement  

The EU delivers on SDG 2 in a collaborative approach. Some example are as follows.  

  The  EU  Platform  on  Food  Losses  and  Food  Waste  is  a  multi-stakeholder  platform  bringing  together 
international organisations, Member States and actors in the food value chain. It aims to accelerate the 
EU’s progress towards SDG target 12.3, by defining measures needed to prevent food waste, sharing 
best  practice  and  evaluating  progress  made  over  time.  The  Platform  has  a  sub-group  dedicated  to 
facilitating food donation.  

  The Advisory Group on Sustainability of Food Systems will provide the Commission with stakeholder 

views on the sustainability of food systems.  

  The EU Code of Conduct  on Responsible  Food Business and Marketing Practices sets out the 
actions that actors ‘between the farm and the fork’, such as food processors, food service operators and 
retailers, can voluntarily commit to undertake to tangibly improve and communicate their sustainability 
performance.  

  EIT Food is a Knowledge and Innovation Community with a unique combination of public engagement, 
education,  innovation  and  support  to  new  business  models  allows  the  partnership  to  tackle  the 
challenges of healthier diets, circular food systems and ensuring food security and safety. 

  Relevant  stakeholders  in  the  food  supply  chain  are  part  of  the  European  food  security  crisis 

preparedness and response mechanism.  
In 2022, the EU organic awards took place for the first time.  

 

Multilevel approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 2 include the following.  

  At  national  level,  France  has  launched  its  national  food  programme  (Programme  national  pour 
l’alimentation (PNA) for the years 2019 to 2023. The PNA aims at improving the nutritious quality and 
diversification of food distributed within the country, and at tackling food insecurity and food waste. This 
is achieved through a yearly call for projects to support local initiatives and associations, giving awards 
to outstanding initiatives, and a national communication campaign to promote the PNA.  

  Czechia facilitates food donation and tackles food waste with the help of food banks. Food business 
operators  may  donate  food on  a  voluntary  basis.  However,  there  is  a  legal  obligation  for food stores 
bigger than 400 m2 to donate to charity organisations any safe food that cannot be sold. The Ministry of 
Agriculture  is  providing  financial  support  to  food  banks  in  the  form  of  subsidies.  Thanks  to  these 
measures, more than 21 000 tonnes of food were saved in 2019 and donated to 100 000 beneficiaries. 
In 2020, Czech food banks registered a 60% increase in the number of people applying for food aid as 
a  result  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and  in  2021  they  helped  more  than  200 000  beneficiaries.  In 
Czechia, there are currently 15 food banks and they have collected food  to a value of over CZK 425 
million (over EUR 17 million).  
In  Sweden,  the  Mistra  Food  Futures  programme  will  create  a  science-based  platform  to  enable 
transformation  of  the  Swedish  food  system.  It  considers  sustainability  in  all  its  three  dimensions: 
environmental, economic and social.  

 

  With  the  support  of  the  EU,  the  city  of  Maribor  in  Slovenia  has  developed  a  project  to  deal  with  its 
internal waste while meeting the city's needs. Maribor uses biological waste, waste from green trimmings 
and  excavation  materials  from  construction  to  produce  innovative  urban  soil  with  a  tailor-made  pilot 
production  plant.  The  new  urban  soil  is  then  made  available  for citizens  to  use for urban  agricultural 
activities, increasing their food self-sufficiency and minimising the city's environmental footprint.  

17 

 
 
EU external action 

Global trends  

In recent years, the absolute number of people going hungry and suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition 
has  been  gradually  rising.  According  to  the  latest  State  of  Food  Security  and  Nutrition  report,  as  many  as 
828 million people worldwide were suffering from hunger in 2021 and almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a 
healthy diet in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed as many as 150 million more people into hunger, and the 
impacts of the war in Ukraine on food and fertiliser prices have significantly worsened the situation.  

Conflicts, climate change and environmental degradation, and economic shocks have been eroding the resilience 
of food systems around the world. According to the Global Network Against Food Crises, an initiative founded by 
the EU, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, a total of 205 million people 
were in food crisis, emergency or famine in 2022. This makes 2022 the fourth consecutive year of rising levels 
of acute food insecurity.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development  

A global systemic transformation is necessary to make food and agricultural systems sustainable and resilient. 
The  EU  is  working  actively  with  its  international  partners  to  develop  pathways  for  the  global  food  system 
transformation,  including  through  better  data  and  evidence-based  policymaking.  The  EU  also  substantially 
contributed to the success of the UN Food Systems and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) summits.  

The DeSIRA initiative on the development of smart innovation through research in agriculture aims at contributing 
to  a  climate-relevant,  productive  and  sustainable  transformation  of  agriculture  and  food  systems  in  partner 
countries. The EU pledged EUR 140 million to support CGIAR, the largest international network on agricultural 
research for development,  in furthering food systems research to tackle hunger, preserve natural resources 
and improve livelihoods.  

Furthermore, the EU Space Programme is providing innovative solutions to make agriculture more productive 
and  sustainable.  For example,  Earth  observation  data  provided  by  the  Copernicus Land  Monitoring  Service 
helps national bodies in partner countries to monitor crop conditions, providing early warnings on failing crops 
and predicting crop yields. This enables a considerable improvement in how to use fertilisers, fuel and pesticides 
resulting in healthier food and a reduced environmental impact.  

The EU is pursuing the transition towards more sustainable food systems consistent with actions in other 
key areas such as trade. With the launch of the Farm to Fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally 
friendly  food  system,  the  EU  seeks  to  reduce  the  environmental  and  climate  footprint  of  its  food  system  and 
strengthen its resilience, and to ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. As the 
world’s  largest  food  importer,  and  in  line  with  the  EU  trade  policy  review,  the  EU  is  also  using  its  free  trade 
agreements to stimulate and incentivise more sustainable practices by its trade partners. One example is the 
inclusion of a chapter on sustainable food systems in the free trade agreement (FTA) agreed with New Zealand 
and Chile and proposed in ongoing FTA negotiations with Australia and Indonesia. The EU will strive to promote 
international  standards  in  relevant  international  bodies.  It  will  encourage  the  production  of  agri-food  products 
complying with high safety and sustainability standards, and will support small-scale farmers in meeting these 
standards and in accessing markets.  

Furthermore, the recognition and protection of geographical indications are key aspects of trade agreements 
concluded by the EU with partner countries. Such recognition gives consumers a guarantee of authenticity and 
quality linked to its origin, reputation and know-how developed to produce genuine products.  

Throughout the reforms of the common agricultural policy (CAP), the EU focused on providing income support 
to  farmers  and  ensuring  targeted  measures  aimed  at  environmental  protection  whilst  minimising  the  risk  of 

18 

 
 
creating distortions in global agricultural markets. The CAP contributes to the EU’s international commitments 
by:  

 

 

focusing on an enhanced environmental and climate delivery, helping to secure resource efficiency 
and fight the consequences of climate change in the EU and globally;  
aiming to better use the potential of knowledge, innovation and technologies with a view to a more 
sustainable farming sector and to provide opportunities for rural economies;  

  maintaining  the  very  favourable  terms  of  trade  in  agricultural  products  for  partner  countries  , 

 

particularly for least developed countries; and 
encouraging non-EU countries, both through bilateral and multilateral initiatives, to add value to agri-
food production, for example by adopting and developing systems for the protection of geographical 
indications or organic production.  

As concerns environmental impacts, the EU is highly dependent on natural resources embodied in goods and 
services consumed within the EU. This is illustrated by the land footprint, an estimated amount of land needed 
to produce one unit of a given final product consumed in a country, regardless of where in the world this land 
was used. With regard to imported agricultural products, the EU’s global farmland footprint, combining cropland 
used  to  cultivate  crops  and  grassland  used  to  produce  meat  and  dairy  products,  represented  around  4%  of 
farmland  worldwide  in  2019.  In  addition,  the  EU’s  food  demand  is  responsible  for  5%  of  the  EU’s  total  CO2 
consumption-based footprint and the EU imports about 70% of its seafood consumption. These spillover effects 
take place both within and outside the EU, and therefore require high levels of policy consistency between internal 
and external actions (an issue described below in other areas, such as SDG 14). Measures such as the new 
Regulation  on  deforestation-free  supply  chains  for  a  range  of  agricultural  commodities  and  derived  products 
mainly linked to deforestation and forest degradation aim at reducing the footprint of EU consumption linked to 
deforestation driven by land conversion for agricultural use.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 1.1 billion in projects contributing to SDG 2. 
The main share of the EU contribution to SDG 2 is accounted for by projects that target SDG 2 as the main SDG. 
These  projects  also  contribute  to  other  interlinked  SDGs  such  as  SDG 1,  SDG 5,  SDG 8  and  SDG 13.  Other 
SDGs also contribute to SDG 2 as a significant objective. The main contributors are SDG 1, SDG 13 and SDG 14. 
When taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized through public intervention and support 
to international public goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 
2 amounted to EUR 3.6 billion in 2021.  

In terms of selected results of the assistance7, EU assistance to food-insecure people reached 28 million people, 
while nearly 19 million women of reproductive age, adolescent girls and children were reached by EU-funded 
nutrition-related interventions. In addition, over 21 million smallholder farmers benefited from EU interventions 
aimed at increasing their sustainable production, access to markets, and/or land security. 

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 5.4 
billion to SDG 2. EU and Member State funding to SDG 2 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in Africa 
(42%) and Asia (32%). The collective response as Team Europe to global food insecurity exacerbated by the 
war of aggression against Ukraine is supported by an envelope of around EUR 18 billion from the EU and its 
Member States for the period 2021-2024 which contributes to SDG 2.  

7  Selected  results  from  EU-funded  interventions  managed  by  NEAR  (European  Neighbourhood  Instrument)  and  INTPA.  Further 
information on scope and methodology in Chapter 6 of the Report on the Implementation of the European Union's External Action 
Instruments in 2021 (SWD(2022) 353). 

19 

 
 
                                                           
 
Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement  

The deteriorating situation on SDG 2 requires both longer-term and immediate life-saving responses. In terms of 
longer-term  assistance,  the  EU  focuses  on  actions  targeting  sustainable  agriculture  and  seafood  production, 
resilience of food systems, research and innovation, and nutrition. With regard to immediate action, the EU is a 
main provider of humanitarian food assistance. The EU applies a nexus approach to support synergies between 
the short- and long-term responses.  

To accelerate progress in cooperation with Africa, the EU launched two major initiatives. One is on sustainable 
agri-value chains, which aims to boost public and private investments in African agri-value chains. The second 
is on resilient food systems, which supports African food systems to become more resilient to unfavourable 
trends, shocks and crises.  

The fight against acute hunger and acute malnutrition is also at the centre of the EU’s humanitarian interventions. 
Food assistance, where possible through cash transfers, addresses the most vulnerable. As for the immediate 
and underlying causes of malnutrition, these are addressed through nutrition interventions targeting the specific 
needs of vulnerable groups. A collective Team Europe commitment amounting to EUR 4.3 billion for 2021-2024 
was made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2021, of which the EU pledged EUR 2.5 billion, to address all 
forms of malnutrition in humanitarian and development settings.  

In the current context of the Russian war against Ukraine and the ensuing increases in food and energy prices, 
the Commission took action to urgently support the most vulnerable groups in countries and regions affected by 
food price increases in north Africa, the Middle East, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa by increased commitments in 
humanitarian aid, short-term tailor-made support and actions facilitating trade and supporting food systems, while 
working through the multilateral system to tackle global challenges.  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives)  

In relation to SDG 2, inspired by the EU Farm to Fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food 
system, in the framework of the European Green Deal, the EU and Member States are joining forces to support 
Uzbekistan’s agri-food sector and rural development through a Team Europe Initiative supporting private sector 
growth,  job  creation,  inclusion,  and  climate  change  mitigation  and  adaption  aiming  for  inclusive  and  green 
growth. The initiative supports the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy. 

In Rwanda, under the Team Europe Initiative Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Transformation, the EU 
and  Member  States  are  supporting  the  shift  towards  market-oriented  high-value  cropping  systems  geared 
towards feeding the cities. This initiative, in support of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe investment package, 
also  aims  to  contribute  to food  and  nutrition  security  by supporting  the  agricultural  transition  to  more climate-
resilient and inclusive food systems.  

The Team Europe Initiative Climate-Smart Agriculture-Based Resilience Building supports building a more 
resilient agriculture sector in Zimbabwe, combining smart agricultural practices with improvements on territorial 
planning  and  access  to  renewable  energy  at  community  level.  Through  climate-smart  and  environmentally 
conscious agro-ecological principles, the initiative aims to contribute to enhanced food security, economic and 
environmental resilience, and new export possibilities, all in support of the Global Gateway.  

The EU supports nutrition and food security in Honduras as a response to the country’s worsening inequality, 
poverty  and  food  insecurity  problems  following  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  Over  60%  of  the  funds  target  food 
security and resilience in the most vulnerable regions, supporting food assistance, agricultural production, access 
to credit and markets and improved water infrastructure. Overall, the EU helped 39 vulnerable municipalities to 
develop food security and nutrition development plans, benefiting more than 700 000 inhabitants.  

20 

 
 
In Benin, EU budget support prompted a substantive reform of the agricultural sector and helped double the 
value of agricultural exports between 2014 and 2020 even despite the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Since 2017, the EU has provided budget support to Georgia’s strategy for agriculture and rural development 
contributing  to  a  strengthened  policy  framework  for  rural  development,  improved  agriculture,  diversified  rural 
economic opportunities, and an enhanced environment for a more effective impact on poverty alleviation.  

EU humanitarian funding for nutrition, which aims at providing life-saving interventions to the most vulnerable 
populations, has targeted severely malnourished children such as in Sudan, as well as children under 5 years of 
age  and  pregnant  and  lactating  women  in  many  countries  including  Syria.  Moreover,  the  EU  supports  WFP 
initiatives such as a voucher programme for fresh food with high nutritional values in Syria or emergency food 
distribution and cash in South Sudan. To help address the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel and Lake Chad 
regions of Africa, which affects more than 38 million people, the EU has deployed a combination of humanitarian 
and development funding (as of April 2022, EUR 654 million committed for food security and resilience in the 
region over the period 2021-2024) implemented under a humanitarian-development-peace approach.  

In a regional approach for the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan), the EU supports UNICEF in 
a  three-year  partnership  aimed  at  fighting  children’s  malnutrition  through  improved  access  to  efficient  and 
integrated management of severe acute malnutrition.  

In Central America, actions to address food security and nutrition needs, and the humanitarian response, have 
been concentrated in the Dry Corridor countries (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador) where the 
EU has provided food assistance as well as direct cash transfers, vouchers and in-kind assistance, while helping 
to build resilience.  

In Venezuela and Colombia, the EU supports the WFP to address the food and nutrition consequences of the 
Venezuelan crisis. Actions tackle education needs, food insecurity and socio-economic vulnerabilities of affected 
populations, with a focus on children, and vulnerable indigenous and migrant populations.  

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda, including 
SDG 2, such as the following initiatives for illustrative purposes.  

Apart from being a major funder of CGIAR, Sweden supports agricultural development projects targeting SDG 2 
with strong interlinkages to other SDGs. Its Beog-Puuto project (Farms of the future) aims at restoring eroded 
abandoned farmland, increasing productivity in family farms, and strengthening resilience of 50 000 vulnerable 
households  in  dry  areas  in  northern  and  eastern  Burkina  Faso.  The  GROW  project  in  Liberia  focuses  on 
improving  the  quality  of  cocoa  through  training  in  good  agricultural  practices,  setting  up  traceability  systems, 
investment  in  organic  certification,  branding  and  marketing,  partner  coaching,  and  linking  partners  with 
international premium market buyers.  

Germany’s  support  to  food  security,  agriculture  and  rural  development  ranges  from  action  through  global 
programmes to initiatives such as the establishment of Green Innovation Centres and Centres of Excellence 
in  15  African  partner  countries.  Centres  of  Excellence  on  climate  change  and  sustainable  land 
management have been established in Southern and West Africa. The Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chain 
Initiative brings together more than 70 stakeholders from the private sector, civil society and politics, with the 
aim of achieving more sustainability in global agricultural supply chains, notably in relation to resource efficiency 
and preventing deforestation, creating jobs and improving the incomes and living conditions of smallholders.  

Looking ahead 

21 

 
 
The Commission will continue its work on strengthening food security and building sustainable and resilient food 
systems. For example, going forward, the Commission will table proposals on the following.  

  A general legislative framework for sustainable food systems, which will aim to accelerate and 
facilitate the transition to sustainability. It will mainstream sustainability in food-related policies and 
across the entire value chain, from primary producers to consumers. In addition, the framework will 
help facilitate favourable food environments.  

  Setting EU-level targets as part of the EU’s commitment to reduce food waste.  
  Revising  EU  marketing  standards  for  agricultural  and  seafood  products  in  order  to  update 

these standards and encourage the supply of more sustainable products to consumers.  

  A new soil health law as announced in the EU soil strategy for 2030.  

The Commission will also consider new areas of action, such as legislation for plants produced by certain new 
genomic techniques. 

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined actions to accelerate the implementation of SDG 2 
globally.  This  includes  promoting  sustainability  in  the  key  multilateral  organisations,  such  as  the  Food  and 
Agriculture Organization (FAO), to support partner countries to ensure a sustainable future for the global food 
system8. Its action is undertaken through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner 
countries  where  ending  hunger,  achieving  food  security  and  improved  nutrition,  and  promoting  sustainable 
agriculture,  is  a  shared  priority.  A  tangible  contribution  to  SDG 2  (and  other  interlinked  SDGs)  will  be  the 
deployment  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy  at  regional  and  national  level,  including  the  following  initiatives 
presented during the sixth EU-Africa Summit as part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package.  

  Sustainable Agri-Value Chains: these aim to boost public and private investments in African agri-value 

chains, of which 95 have been identified so far in 23 sectors. 

  Resilient  Food  Systems:  these  support  African  food  systems  in  becoming  more  resistant  towards 

unfavourable trends, shocks and crises.  

In addition, while working towards the transition to sustainable food systems, the EU will continue to focus on 
short-term humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable.  

8 Notably the ongoing FAO work on Guidelines for sustainable aquaculture and the sustainable management of fisheries in regional 
organisations (see SDG 14 as well). 

22 

 
 
 
                                                           
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-
being for all at all ages 

EU internal action 

Overview and challenges  

Helping to ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages is a major priority for the EU. SDG targets 
related to this goal include the following: 

 
 
 

 

 
 

reducing the global maternal mortality ratio; ending preventable deaths of new-borns and children; 
ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis and other communicable diseases; 
achieving universal health coverage and access to safe, effective and affordable medicines and vaccines 
for all; 
strengthening country capacities for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global 
health risks; 
reducing mortality from non-communicable diseases; and 
halving the health impact of air pollution and the number of road deaths. 

While  progress  had  been  made  in  many  of  these  areas  in  recent  years,  the  COVID-19  pandemic  severely 
undermined some of these efforts by overwhelming healthcare systems in the EU and causing disruptions and 
delays in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases other than COVID-19. Life expectancy, which had been on the 
rise, decreased across the board, and we expect to see rising incidences of cancer, HIV, tuberculosis and viral 
hepatitis (B and C), which can only be controlled effectively through timely prevention, diagnosis and treatment. 
There  is  also  a  dramatic  rise  in  mental  health  problems,  resulting  from  isolation,  anxiety  and  fear  during  the 
pandemic, further exacerbated by continuing global crises.  

Lifestyle-related  risk factors such  as  poor diet  and  physical inactivity  are fuelling  the  rising  burden  of  obesity, 
including childhood obesity, and non-communicable diseases. This too was an impact of the pandemic, when 
many people were more inactive and resorted to unhealthy habits as coping mechanisms. Poor lifestyle choices 
directly affect the quality of life and life expectancy and they have a negative impact on national health and social 
systems. SDG 3 targets will only be met through sustained, concentrated efforts focused on relevant policy areas.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends 

By 2030, reduce by one third premature 
mortality from non-communicable diseases, 
through prevention and treatment, and 
promote mental health and well-being. 

SDG target 3.4 has been addressed at EU level in 
the Healthier Together – EU non-
communicable diseases initiative dealing with 
key disease areas including diabetes, 
cardiovascular diseases, mental health and 

Trends in this area have been negative in the short term, 
with preventable  mortality  rising by 8.2%, from  166.3 per 
100 000 population in 2015 to 180 per 100 000 in 2020. On 
the  other  hand,  treatable  mortality  has  fallen  by  4.3%,  
from 95.9 per 100 000 population to 91.7 per 100 000 over  
the same period. 

In  addition  to  these  numbers,  mental  health  also  plays  a 
significant role. In the EU in 2017, there were, on average, 
almost 10.5 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants resulting from 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
neurological disorders, chronic respiratory 
diseases, and health determinants.  

By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, 
tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical 
diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne 
diseases and other communicable diseases  

SDG target 3.3. has been addressed at EU level 
in the following:  
  EU Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and the EU 
Action Plan on Drugs setting the reduction 
of the prevalence and incidence of drug-
related infectious diseases as a priority area 
for the EU 

  Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 on serious 

cross-border threats to health which sets 
out common rules for epidemiological 
surveillance and includes HIV/AIDS, viral 
hepatitis and tuberculosis in the list of 
notifiable diseases subject to epidemiological 
surveillance.  
In its prevention pillar, Europe’s Beating 
Cancer Plan specifically addresses hepatitis 
B and the hepatitis C virus aiming to prevent 
cancers caused by infectious diseases, such 
as liver cancer.  

 

Less than 5% of the population uses tobacco 
by 2040, compared with around 25% today  

Major tools to implement SDG target 3.a at EU 
level include a revision of the Tobacco 
Products Directive, the Tobacco Advertising 
Directive and the Tobacco Taxation Directive 
as well as of the Council Recommendation on 
smoke-free environments. These are further 
supported by the strengthened implementation of 
the World Health Organization Framework 
Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as 
appropriate.  
Reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 
more than 55% (premature deaths) by 2030  

SDG target 3.9 has been addressed at EU level in 
the Zero Pollution Action Plan.  

suicide. The latest figures show that 84 million Europeans 
are affected by mental health issues (1 in every 6 citizens) 
and  depression  among  young  people  has  more  than 
doubled in 2022. Disruptions in, and growing demand for, 
mental  health  support  have  challenged  already-stretched 
mental  healthcare  services,  resulting  in  nearly  half  of  all 
young  Europeans  reporting  unmet  needs  for  mental 
healthcare in the spring of 2022.  
Data  across  EU/EEA  countries  up  to  2015  indicated 
increasing  trends  in  rates  of  mortality  from  liver  cancer 
(deaths  attributed  to  hepatitis  B  and  hepatitis  C  are 
estimated  to  account  for  around  55%  of  liver  cancer 
deaths). Modelling has suggested that mortality due to viral 
hepatitis could increase if responses are not scaled up.  
Deaths due to HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis have been 
falling steadily in the EU between 2005 and 2020: deaths 
per  100  000  people  fell  from  1.8  to  0.6  for  tuberculosis, 
from  1.3  to  0.4  for  HIV/AIDS  and  from  1.7  to  0.8  for 
hepatitis. 
However, substantial inequities within and across the EU 
exist around the prevention and care of HIV, tuberculosis 
and viral hepatitis B and C. Resources have been diverted 
from  SDG  areas  due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and 
countries  are  still  struggling  to  regain  pre-pandemic 
momentum.  Addressing  barriers  faced  by  key  affected 
populations is essential for reaching the SDGs. Concerted 
efforts  (service  integration,  cross-sectoral  collaboration, 
sufficient  financing,  political  commitment)  are  needed  to 
ensure progress towards the SDG 3 targets.  

from  31% 

Smoking prevalence among the population aged 15 or over 
fell  between  2006  and  2020, 
to  25%. 
Nevertheless, this still means a quarter of adults in the EU 
smoke.  In  2020,  more  men  (28%)  than  women  (22%) 
reported that they smoke. However, the decline in smoking 
prevalence is less evident for women than for men, which 
can  partially  explain  the  narrowing  gender  gap  in  life 
expectancy.  

Air  pollution  is  the  number  one  environmental  cause  of 
death  in  Europe.  The  number  of  life  years  lost  due  to 
exposure  to  air  pollution  by  fine  particulate  matter  has 
decreased over the years. The Third Clean Air Outlook of 
December  2022  shows  that  the  2030  target  of  the  Zero 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
Halve the overall number of road deaths in the 
EU by 2020 compared with 2010, with a further 
50% reduction target for deaths and injuries 
between 2021 and 2030.  

The target is set in the strategic action plan on 
road safety and the EU road safety policy 
framework 2021-2030.  

Pollution Action Plan on health impacts from air pollution 
can be achieved. As the impacts of air pollution would still 
remain high, the Commission has proposed to  revise the 
Ambient Air Quality Directives, including a closer alignment 
of EU air quality standards with WHO guidelines by 2030, 
and a 2050 zero pollution objective.  
Between  2010  and  2020,  the  number  of  deaths  on  EU 
roads fell by 36%, helped by a sharp decrease in 2020 due 
to lower traffic levels related to the  COVID-19 pandemic. 
This was short of the target of 50% fewer deaths over the 
decade.  

Early indications for the new decade (baseline year 2019, 
as  agreed  with  Member  States)  are  that  the  number  of 
fatalities  continues  to  fall  but  not  at  the  pace  needed  to 
meet the 2030 target of 50% fewer deaths.  

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 3 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs.  

Key initiatives  

The EU has a wide range of policies in place that contribute to meeting SDG 3. Some of the most recent and 
relevant initiatives are set out below.  

The  Europe’s  Beating  Cancer  Plan,  launched  in  2021,  sets  out  a  new  EU  approach  to  cancer  prevention 
(including by vaccination), treatment and care through an integrated, health-in-all-policies and multi-stakeholder 
approach.  It  will  work  in  tandem  with  the  Horizon  Europe  Mission  on  Cancer,  ensuring  coherence  between 
ambitious research goals and realistic policy aims. The EU4Health programme and other funding programmes 
have earmarked a total of EUR 4 billion for actions addressing cancer.  

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan has also put forward actions to help create a  tobacco-free generation where 
less than 5% of the population uses tobacco by 2040, compared with around 25% today. The Commission will 
continue to prioritise protecting young people from the harmful effects of tobacco and related products, especially 
given the growing popularity of emerging tobacco and nicotine products.  

The Healthier Together – EU non-communicable diseases initiative, with a budget of EUR 353 million, was 
launched in 2022 to support EU countries in identifying and implementing effective policies and actions to reduce 
the burden of major non-communicable diseases and to improve citizens’ health and well-being. Actions on the 
five strands are being taken forward under the EU4Health programme’s annual work programmes for 2022 and 
2023.  

The  Council  Recommendation  on  strengthened  cooperation  against  vaccine-preventable  diseases, 
adopted in  2018, calls  for  a  multitude of  actions  with  a  common  goal  of  increasing  the  uptake  of  vaccination 
across the EU in a life-course perspective. 

Access  to  healthcare  is  one  of  the  20  principles  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  and  its  Action  Plan. 
Directive  2011/24/EU  on  patient  rights  in  cross-border  healthcare  gives  EU  citizens  the  right  to  access 
healthcare in the EU and to be reimbursed. The Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021–2030 
aims  to  ensure that  all  people  with  disabilities  can fully participate in  society  and  the  economy.  Fostering  the 
development  of  digital  health  services,  the  European  Health  Data  Space  promotes  access  to  health  data  to 
improve healthcare, research and policymaking. The European Care Strategy promotes quality, affordable and 
accessible care services across the EU and supports the improvement of the situation both for care receivers 
and for the people caring for them, professionally or informally.  

25 

 
 
 
  
 
The  Zero  Pollution  Action  Plan,  adopted  in  2021,  includes  targets  to  reduce  the  health  and  environmental 
impacts of pollution by 2030. It also envisaged legislative proposals, including to implement stricter standards for 
industrial emissions and air pollution. Several of these proposals have been adopted in the meantime.  

The  EU Road Safety  Policy  Framework  2021-2030  establishes  and  underpins  the  EU’s  goal  of  halving  the 
number of fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2030 as a milestone on the way to ‘Vision Zero’ – 
zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050. The Commission has also proposed to revise the existing Directive 
on Intelligent Transport Systems. This will, inter alia, ensure that essential safety-related services are made 
available to drivers along the TEN-T road network.  

The Commission has also pioneered a major safety eCall initiative. This aims to save lives by speeding up the 
emergency response times in the event of a road crash anywhere in Europe. This initiative requires all new cars 
sold  in  the  EU  to  be  fitted  with  eCall  devices  that  use  space  data  from  Galileo  and  EGNOS,  the  EU  Space 
Programme flagships for satellite navigation. The device will automatically dial the European emergency number 
112 to alert rescue services in the event of an accident and provide the vehicle’s exact location.  

Selected enablers  

The Commission has coordinated and continues to implement a common European response to the coronavirus 
outbreak.  The  key  part  of  this  response  is  reflected  in  the  legislative  package  forming  part  of  the  European 
Health  Union.  The  package  aims  to  expand  EU  capacity  for  prevention,  preparedness,  surveillance,  risk 
assessment, early warning and response, to address cross-border health threats and better protect EU citizens. 
It strengthens the EU health security framework (Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health), bolsters 
mandates of the key agencies, namely the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and 
the  European  Medicines  Agency  (EMA),  and  provides  for the  functioning  of  the European  Health  Emergency 
Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) in times of crisis. 

In the same vein, EU preparedness by implementing existing medical capacities under the Union Civil Protection 
Mechanism (UCPM) will be boosted through the rescEU reserve. To date, eleven medical stockpiles exist and 
comprise of countermeasures, equipment and relevant items to fight cross-border threats to health. This comes 
on top of the already existing assets in the field of medical evacuation and will soon be further complemented by 
four CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) stockpiling reserves and Emergency Medical Teams 
complemented by specialised care teams being set up under rescEU, and of the existing fully operational and 
deployable medical capacities included in the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP). 

Moreover, resolute action has been taken to reinforce EU public health sectors and mitigate the socio-economic 
impact  in  the  EU.  Support  to  Member  States  was  quickly  mobilised  to  help  them  coordinate  their  national 
responses and contain the virus. In 2020, the Commission joined the COVID-19 vaccine global access facility 
to  accelerate  the  development  and  manufacture  of  COVID-19  vaccines  for  everyone  who  needs  them,  and 
contributed EUR 400 million for vaccine purchasing.  

In  November  2022,  the  European  Health  Emergency  Preparedness  and  Response  Authority  (HERA) 
published its first work plan for preparedness and response to health emergencies in terms of improving access 
to medical countermeasures. With a budget of EUR 1.3 billion, HERA can now start implementing actions, in 
collaboration with other services, to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities within the EU for medical 
countermeasures, address  vulnerabilities and strategic dependencies, and contribute to reinforcing the global 
health emergency architecture in this field.  

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) was also set up as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic; 
it has a budget of EUR 723.8 billion in loans and grants. These are not exclusively reserved for health, but health 
is  one  of  six  areas  that  the  RRF  will  fund.  According  to  the  most  recent  figures,  some  EUR 43  billion  will  go 
towards health (8.6% of all funding planned under the RRF).  

26 

 
 
NextGenerationEU is a temporary recovery instrument with a budget of more than EUR 800 billion to help repair 
the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Part of the budget is 
reserved for building a safer and healthier EU. All EU countries will be supported: to protect themselves against 
health threats; to invest more in research and innovation to develop vaccines and treatments; to modernise their 
health  systems  so  that  hospitals  in  every  EU  country  have  better  access  to  new  technology  and  to  medical 
supplies; and to fund training for Europe’s medical and healthcare professionals.  

Cohesion policy funds proved to be the first port of call in helping Member States shouldering the effects of the 
COVID-19  pandemic.  EU  Member  States  made  use  of  the  extra  flexibility  provided  through  the  Coronavirus 
Response  Investment  Initiatives  (CRII  and  CRII+)  to  prioritise  measures  to  increase  spending  on  healthcare. 
Under the NextGenerationEU, a specific EUR 50.6 billion under the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the 
Territories  of  Europe  (REACT-EU)  supported  crisis  repair  measures  through  the  2014-2020  Cohesion  policy 
funds. REACT-EU was the very first instrument to be used under NextGenerationEU, with the first payment made 
on 28 June 2021 to fund medical institutions, researchers, and vulnerable people. 

The EU4Health programme, with a total budget provision of EUR 5.3 billion is the main financial instrument for 
funding the EU’s health initiatives. The programme provided the necessary support in an emergency to address 
the pandemic, but it also aims to improve the general health of people living in the EU, reduce health inequalities, 
and strengthen health systems in general. It provides co-funding in the fields of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and viral 
hepatitis B and C. 

The Horizon Europe Cancer Mission call has a budget of EUR 60 million to design and conduct randomised 
investigator-initiated  pragmatic  clinical  trials.  The  aim  is  to  deliver  effective  and  evidence-based  treatment 
interventions for implementation by healthcare systems at the level of local communities, EU regions, Member 
States  and  associated countries,  taking into  account  socio-economic  and  biological stratification, such  as  the 
biology of the disease, gender, cancer stage, and age. Investments are also planned to establish, scale up or 
improve primary cancer prevention programmes and to address underlying barriers that prevent their uptake and 
effective implementation.  

The European Commission has also shortlisted 11 new projects worth EUR 120 million from Horizon Europe 
for  supporting  and  enabling  urgent  research  into  the  coronavirus  and  its  variants.  It  will  contribute  to  the 
Commission's overall action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the impact of the virus and its variants. The 11 
shortlisted  projects  include  312  research  teams  from  40  countries,  with  38  participants  are from  23  countries 
outside of the EU. Among the projects are ‘Cohorts united against COVID-19 variants of concern’ and ‘Clinical 
trials for therapeutics and vaccines’.  

Under the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the ‘Multi-country viral hepatitis community screening, vaccination, and 
care’ project was launched in November 2022. The objective of this proposal is to scale up and adapt community-
based  viral  hepatitis  testing  and  hepatitis  B  vaccination  models  of  care.  It  will  put  a  particular  focus  on 
marginalised populations with a documented high incidence and prevalence, and will use diagnostic tools and 
patient-centred referral processes to reduce mortality associated with liver cancer. 

Another  example  is  the  project  ‘Health  impacts  of  air  pollution’  in  Slovakia,  supported  by  the  EU  Structural 
Reform Support Programme under the 2019 call. Slovakia is one of the Member  States with insufficient air 
quality and has one of the highest concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Despite some improvements 
achieved  before  the  project,  the  situation  remained  unsatisfactory  and  Slovakia  lacked  a  deeper  air  quality 
analysis with estimates of health impacts at the micro level. The primary goal of the project was therefore to build 
a toolbox for cost-effective policies in order to improve air quality and thus reduce human health impact.  

Stakeholder engagement  

The Commission uses a range of different tools to engage with stakeholders over the lifecycle of public health 
policies. These include the following.  

27 

 
 
  The  EU  Health  Policy  Platform  is  an  interactive  tool  to  promote  discussions  about  public  health 
concerns,  and  share  knowledge  and  best  practices.  The  platform  hosts  thematic  networks  led  by 
stakeholders, such as a network on HIV, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 
and mental health.  

  EU  Antimicrobial  Resistance  (AMR)  One  Health  Network  includes  government  experts  from  the 
human health, animal health and environmental sector, EU scientific agencies (ECDC, EMA, and  the 
European Food Safety Authority) and Commission experts. The network aims to present national action 
plans and strategies, to share best practices, and to discuss policy options.  

  The  new  Commission  expert  group  on  public  health  will  advise  the  Commission  on  policy 
development and transfer of best practices related to major public health challenges. These challenges 
include non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and 
hepatitis, vaccination, and antimicrobial resistance. The aim is to promote coordination between Member 
States.  
In 2015, the Commission launched the EU Health Award to recognise the work of NGOs in stopping 
Ebola. Since then, the awards have expanded to NGOs and educational institutions seeking to promote 
communication  and  health literacy  on  cancer prevention  among  children and  young  people,  to  those 
seeking to prevent and reduce obesity, and to community-based initiatives alleviating the mental health 
impacts of COVID-19.  

 

  The annual EU Road Safety Results Conference brings together Member State authorities, senior EU 
policymakers  and  the  wider  European  road  safety  community  to  discuss  progress  made  towards 
implementing Vision Zero (zero road deaths by 2050).  

  The EU Excellence in Road Safety Awards celebrate the achievements of specific and measurable 

actions by organisations aimed at improving road safety across Europe. 

Multilevel approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 3 include the following.  

At national level, Slovenia is implementing an e-care project to improve the quality of life, autonomy and safety 
of  older  people  in  their  home  environment.  The  E-Home  Care  project  is  co-financed  by  the  EU  under  the 
European Social Fund and runs until September 2023, with funding available for up to 5 000 EU beneficiaries. 
Thanks to technological solutions, individuals can rely upon free telehealth and telecare services and receive 
faster intervention in the case of accidents and other events.  

At  local  level,  an  action  by  the  city  of  Thessaloniki  in  Greece  to  implement  SDG 3  is  an  EU-funded  project 
dealing with the urban heat island effect and its impacts on human health, primarily human mortality. The project 
is developing a set of modelling systems for short-term prediction and for future projection, to define high-quality 
health warning systems related to heat. An online forecasting system and a mobile app are available for free to 
citizens and visitors. The network of dissemination includes the public health system, emergency services, civil 
protection, social services and GPs.  

EU external action 

Global trends  

The improvement in coverage and quality of health systems and services in the period 2010-2022 has resulted 
in a slow but steady improvement of most health indicators, with sub-Saharan Africa systematically performing 
less well than the average. However, much of this progress has been halted or reversed since the COVID-19 
pandemic.  During  this  time,  the  EU and  its  Member States  showed commitment  to  strive  for equal  access  to 
vaccines and health technologies for partner countries, including improving manufacturing capacity and support 
to  research.  The  latest  2022  UN  report  on  SDGs  underlined  the  pandemic’s  devastating  impact,  with  deaths 

28 

 
 
 
 
directly attributed to COVID-19 of totalling 5.4 million people globally. But with nearly 15 million excess deaths 
during this period, the figure might actually be three times higher. 

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

The new EU Global Health Strategy launched in November 2022 guides global, regional and bilateral actions of 
the EU, its institutions and its Member States in supporting partner countries in a coordinated way. Using a Team 
Europe  approach  wherever  feasible,  it  aims  to  design  appropriate  measures  to  regain  lost  ground  and  make 
substantial progress towards their respective national SDG targets on health.  

The  European  Medicines  Agency  (EMA)  together  with  Member  State  national  regulatory  agencies  and  the 
European  Centre  for  Disease  Prevention  and  Control  (ECDC)  and  its  Member  State  counterparts  play  a 
significant role in building capacity in partner countries. In this context, the European and Developing Countries 
Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) focuses on neglected diseases affecting people living in  partner countries 
and promotes scientific cooperation between European  researchers and counterparts in developing countries 
with a strong focus on Africa.  

The EU responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting the establishment of ACT-A (Access to COVID-19 
Tools Accelerator with COVAX as the vaccine-sharing structure) as a mechanism to promote global solidarity 
and  justice.  Throughout  the  pandemic,  the  EU  was  the  world's  first  exporter  of  COVID-19  vaccines,  having 
delivered more than 2.6 billion doses of finished vaccines to 168 countries outside the EU. The EU also supports 
national COVID-19 vaccination strategies in partner countries as well as the development of local pharmaceutical 
manufacturing capacity.  

Additionally, global health funds and structures were directly supported at a large scale to support national efforts 
in partner countries around the world to strengthen their health systems to deliver needed services to safeguard 
people’s lives. Among the funds and structures were the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 
(GFATM), the global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the 
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Translating the emergency 
measure ACT-A into a permanent solution to address Pandemic Preparedness and Response at a global level, 
the World Bank and the EU have together initiated the Pandemic Fund, which launched its first call for proposal 
to  support  countries  in  their  national  efforts  to  be  better  prepared  for  next  global  health  threat.  This  will  be 
complemented  by  a  global  platform  to  provide  for  Medical  Counter  Measures  in  times  of  future  global  health 
emergencies building on the experience gained during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Furthermore, the EU has been at the forefront of the work of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its response 
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a proposal by a group of WTO members to waive parts of the Agreement 
on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) in response to the pandemic, the 
EU has actively engaged in formal and informal discussions to work on a compromise outcome to be agreed by 
consensus at the WTO. The EU has also advocated for a comprehensive approach in relation to trade and health, 
which  included  elements  such  as  trade  facilitating  measures,  improved  transparency,  restraint  from  export 
restrictions,  and  expanding  production  capacity.  This  resulted  in  a WTO  joint  response  to  the  pandemic  and 
preparedness  for  future  pandemics.  It  included  a  decision  that  waives  certain  obligations  of  eligible  WTO 
members in respect of the TRIPS Agreement, and which allows developing countries to authorise a company to 
manufacture and export COVID-19 vaccines in a fast and simplified manner without the consent of the patent 
owner. The objective is to enable partner countries to scale up their production capacity and supply vaccines to 
other countries in the region. It should also support the establishment of manufacturing hubs that rely on supply 
chains in multiple countries. 

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

On the EU’s longer-term support, EU institutions reported  to  OECD commitments of EUR 4 billion in projects 
contributing to SDG 3 in 2021. The largest share of the EU contribution to SDG 3 is accounted for projects that 

29 

 
 
target  SDG 3  as  the  main  SDG.  These  projects  also  contribute  to  other  interlinked  SDGs  such  as  SDG 5, 
SDG 17,  SDG 10  and  SDG 9.  Other  SDGs  also  contribute  to  SDG 3  as  a  significant  objective.  The  main 
contributors  are  SDG 1,  SDG 6  and  SDG 8.  When  taking  into  account  also  other  official  flows,  private  funds 
mobilized  through  public  intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to 
Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 3 amounted to EUR 5.2 billion in 2021. In terms of selected 
results  of  assistance9,  from  2018  to  2021,  30 674 000  women  of  reproductive  age  were  using  modern 
contraception methods with EU support. 

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 11.3 
billion  to  SDG 3.  At  regional  level,  support  to  SDG 3  predominantly  focuses  on  projects  in  Africa  (33%),  Asia 
(21%) and America (9%). EU and Member State financial support for SDG 3 also has a strong global component 
(30%). This global component is partly explained by EU and Member State contributions to global funds in the 
health sector. 

The EU and Member States have contributed a total of EUR 22 billion to the five main global health funds. The 
largest  of  these  funds  is  the  Global  Fund  to  Fight  AIDS,  Tuberculosis  and  Malaria  (GFATM)  with  a  total  EU 
contribution of over USD 17 billion. The GFATM does not only focus on the three illnesses, but it also includes 
components focused more broadly on strengthening health systems.  

Moreover, the EU's Member States are among the most important and reliable funders of the WHO. They have 
pushed for a more reliable funding of the WHO’s budget to make the WHO less dependent on short-term project 
funding or earmarked voluntary contributions. The EU has pursued for several years a project funded by multiple 
donors aimed at supporting the WHO’s crucial role at country level on strengthening health systems for universal 
health coverage, which is at the centre of SDG 3. Additionally, there are numerous EU projects responding to 
the local requirements of WHO country offices to address specific needs for a specific disease or systemic health 
challenge.  

The EU and several Member States are also among the main contributors to the UN Road Safety Fund, which 
carries out strategic projects to increase road safety to lower death rates arising from road-related accidents.  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement  

EU  external  policies  in  the  field  of  health  are  guided  by  the  World  Health  Organization’s  concept  of  ‘health 
systems strengthening’. This fosters national ownership of health strategies by aiming to sustainably improve 
the quality, coverage and affordability of healthcare and to enhance health systems. The end goal is to provide 
equitable access to quality health services and products, thereby achieving universal health coverage. This 
is to be enabled by sufficient health financing policies and the development of comprehensive health strategies 
in partner countries, with a focus on:  

 
 
 
 

investments in both infrastructure and the health workforce;  
the establishment of reliable health information systems;  
access to essential medicines at an affordable price; and 
encouragement  of  government  leadership  and  ownership  of  health  sector policies  that  serve  the 
needs of the people and lead the way to the various SDG 3 targets.  

The  EU  aims  to  promote  and  support  a  comprehensive  and  inter-sectoral  approach  to  health,  ranging  from 
research and development of new health technologies, and taking action against global health  related threats 
such as air pollution, antimicrobial resistance and climate change, to the continued fight against the spread of 
communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS at country level, or enhancing road safety efforts. Given the inter-

9 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

30 

 
 
                                                           
 
linkages  that  these  varying  forms  of  support  imply,  the  EU  and  Member  States  support  partner  countries  in 
pursuing a ‘health in all policies’ approach.  

Health  is  also  a  priority  focus  of  the  EU’s  humanitarian  assistance,  to  limit  preventable  excess  mortality, 
permanent  disability  and  diseases  associated  with  natural  or  man-made  humanitarian  crises.  In  fragile  and 
heavily  disrupted  systems,  humanitarian  health  funding  contributes  to  the  provision  of  primary  healthcare, 
vaccinations,  access  to  medicines  and  medical  devices.  An  emergency  health  response  to  outbreaks  and 
building  national  capacities  for  preparedness  are  important  to  cope  with  increased  recurrence  of  epidemics. 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a key humanitarian contribution was providing vaccines in the ‘last mile’, an 
initiative led by Germany and the G7. Mental health and psychosocial support are an integral part of humanitarian 
health assistance in cases of sexual violence, mental disorders, trauma and high distress.  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives)  

In Africa, the EU and Member States have launched three regional Team Europe Initiatives on health as part 
of the Africa-Europe Investment Package supporting the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy, with a 
combined commitment of EUR 400 million over 2021-2027. Firstly, the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing 
and  Access  to  Vaccines,  Medicines  and  Health  Technologies  (MAV+)  in  Africa,  launched  at  the  EU-AU 
Summit in February 2022, focuses on promoting the development of an African pharmaceutical industry and its 
integration into the global pharmaceutical supply chain. This will lead to enhanced future pandemic preparedness 
and the continent’s increased self-sufficiency with regard to medicinal products.  

Secondly,  a  regional  programme  on  Health  System  Strengthening  combines  three  different  Team  Europe 
Initiatives: (i) on sustainable health security using a One Health approach; (ii) on digital health for health systems 
strengthening and universal health coverage; and (iii) on African-based public health capacity through support to 
public health institutions. The third regional Team Europe Initiative relates to Sexual and Reproductive Health 
and Rights, which are being taken further within the framework laid down in the 2017 European Consensus on 
Development10. The combined allocated budget for these three regional programmes during the budget cycle 
2021–2027 is EUR 400 million.  

EU bilateral support related to SDG 3 focuses on achieving universal health coverage through measures to 
strengthen health systems with a particular emphasis on primary healthcare services currently reaching the poor 
and vulnerable in the 28 partner countries. To this end, the EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2021–2027 
commits EUR 1 billion for actions in partner countries. This is complemented by commitments for global actions 
over the same time period of EUR 1.2 billion with contributions to GFATM, GAVI, WHO and the United Nations 
Population Fund (UNFPA). Another example of EU support is the EU financial contribution to the WHO initiative, 
Health Security in Türkyie, which aims at strengthening health security through integrated preparedness and 
response to epidemic threats of all origins in line with the International Health Regulations core capacities. The 
EU is also providing direct support to improve road safety in Africa at  various levels, from local to continental, 
with actions such as data collection and management, traffic police training and post-crash care.  

To help partner countries address urgent and longer-term needs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, support to 
health increased substantially in 2020. The EU, Member States and European financing institutions, in a Team 
Europe approach, swiftly responded to the pandemic and committed EUR 46 billion, of which over EUR 5 billion 
was provided to the COVAX Facility to ensure fair and equitable access to safe COVID-19 vaccines for all, and 
over EUR 7 billion to the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator. The EU’s support to the COVAX Facility ensured 
access to COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (250 million vaccine doses by the end of 
2021, making the EU and Member States the largest donor in this regard by 2021) and contributed to achieving 
global vaccine equity by securing vaccines for the 92 poorest countries.  

10 See paragraph 34, 2017 European Consensus on Development.  
31 

 
 
                                                           
 As part of a common European response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Eastern Partnership countries, the 
European Union Solidarity for Health Initiative aims to address short-term emergency needs, and the longer-
term structural impacts; it has a special focus on the most vulnerable countries that have weak health systems. 
The initiative supports Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine and helps them 
to address better the needs of the most vulnerable people. Furthermore, the EU signed a state- and resilience-
building contract with the government of Kosovo11. This focuses on the implementation of the fiscal measures 
set out in the government’s economic emergency package to increase resilience and mitigate the socio-economic 
impact of the COVID-19 crisis in society.  

Furthermore, also in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, several EU humanitarian air bridge operations 
took  place  in  2020.  For  instance,  a  total  of  82.5  tonnes  of  life-saving  material  (personal  protection  gear, 
medicines,  water  purification  equipment  and  family  hygiene  kits)  was  delivered  to  Venezuela  to  supply 
humanitarian partners in the field. More than 500 000 Venezuelans benefited from this aid, including children, 
women, and health professionals. In Ethiopia, the EU, with WHO and various emergency health agencies, has 
supported the response to COVID-19 and other outbreaks in conflict settings by ensuring access for operational 
agencies to vaccine pipelines, access for displaced and conflict-affected communities to public health campaigns, 
and the coordination of a common quality and timely response among emergency health actors. 

In 2022, with its of humanitarian aid, the EU supported Afghanistan’s health and nutrition sector to provide 
primary and secondary health. Since September 2021, the EU has delivered 840 tonnes of life-saving medical 
equipment through a dedicated humanitarian air bridge to Afghanistan, supporting the humanitarian operations 
of more than 15 partners (NGOs, UN agencies and international organisations) and reaching approximately 16.3 
million beneficiaries in the country. In Chile, the EU has been providing emergency health services to refugees 
from Venezuela and other countries, providing life-saving/basic medical treatment and information on possibilities 
for further treatment and follow-up on more complicated medical issues at destination. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually supportive and are coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and a positive impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming 
and Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 3, such as the following illustrative initiatives.   

Malta has contributed to the efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic by sharing more than 700 000 vaccines with 
countries  in  need,  including  Libya,  Egypt,  Rwanda,  Ghana,  Iran,  Antigua  and  Ivory  Coast.  In  addition,  Malta 
supported Ghana, doctors were trained and the capacity of the local hospital in Kumasi was increased.  

France’s  bilateral  support  to  the  health  sector  aims  to  fuel  a  virtuous  circle  for  the  achievement  of  various 
interlinked  SDGs  emphasising  basic  education,  including  comprehensive  sexuality  education,  and  the 
empowerment of girls and women; as well as to fight inequalities, improve care for older people, and mitigate the 
impact of urbanisation, pollution, and climate change on the health of populations. Among others, the French 
Muskoka Fund (FFM) implements high-impact interventions in nine countries in West and Central Africa (Benin, 
Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo). This joint programme aims to 
improve the health and well-being of women, newborns, children, adolescents, and youth and the rights of women 
and  girls.  France’s  funding  (more  than  EUR  150  million  between  2010  and  2020,  another  EUR  50  million 
committed over 2021-2025) is part of France's overall action in favour of maternal and child health and sexual 
and reproductive health and rights, which amounts to EUR 400 million.  

Looking ahead  

11 This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the International Court of 
Justice opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 

32 

 
 
                                                           
Implementing  SDG 3  will  require  unwavering  effort. In  this  respect,  the  recently  adopted  EU  Global  Health 
Strategy aims to improve global health security and deliver better health for all in a changing world. The strategy 
aims to strengthen the EU’s leadership and reassert its responsibility for tackling key global challenges and health 
inequalities.  

Tools and legislation are in place, like Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, that will help build a more secure, better-
prepared and more resilient EU. It will not only help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer 
care and support structural improvements for a more sustainable cancer pathway, but will also help reach the 
WHO  target  of  a  30%  reduction  in  tobacco  use  by  2025  as  compared  with  2010. In  2023,  a  revision  of  the 
Tobacco  Taxation  Directive,  an  update  of  the  Council  Recommendation  on  smoke-free  environments  and  a 
Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers are planned. 

Healthier Together will also have long-reaching impact in the field of non-communicable diseases, particularly 
in the five key areas: health determinants; cardiovascular diseases; diabetes; chronic respiratory diseases; and 
mental health and neurological disorders.  

Other  proposals  are  also  being  drafted,  including  those  addressing  shortages  and  supplies  of  affordable 
medicines and reducing the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals.  

The Commission expects to table proposals to revise EU pharmaceutical legislation to ensure faster access to 
quality, safe, affordable and greener medicines in all Member States. It is also looking to revise legislation on 
medicines for rare diseases and paediatric care. It is also  considering proposals for innovative approaches to 
research and public procurement for antimicrobials and their alternatives.  

In addition to reviewing existing work to make it more fit for purpose, the Commission will consider new areas of 
action, such as ways to promote participation in the European Public Health Week and studying the impact of 
legislation designed to create smoke-free environments.  

The Commission has also announced its intention to present in 2023 a new comprehensive approach to mental 
health. This proposal responds to the Conference on the Future of Europe conclusions, which call for initiatives 
to improve the understanding of mental health issues and ways of addressing them.  

To help meet the SDG target 3.6 of halving road deaths by 2030, the Commission proposed to revise the EU’s 
rules on driving licenses and the rules for cross-border enforcement of road traffic offences in March 2023. The 
Commission is also planning to propose a revision of the EU’s roadworthiness rules. All of these initiatives are 
expected to help bring about a reduction in preventable deaths and injuries.  

On the external dimension, the EU aims to improve global health security and deliver better health for all in a 
changing world. The EU will continue to take actions to accelerate the strengthening of partner countries’ health 
systems, thus contributing to achieving SDG 3 globally. The instrument NDICI - Global Europe will support the 
implementation of a range of concrete planned actions, such as the regional Team Europe Initiatives on health 
in Africa, notably the Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, medicines & health technology products in 
Africa, which aims to deliver on the Global Gateway strategy. 

33 

 
 
  
 
 
SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality 
education and promote lifelong learning 
opportunities for all 

EU internal action 
Overview and challenges 

A skilled and culturally literate workforce is key for a prosperous and inclusive economy. Quality and accessible 
education  and  training  systems  are  the  foundations  for  lifelong  learning,  employability,  innovation  and 
participation in society. Implementing the measures to achieve SDG 4 in the EU focuses on basic skills, early 
childhood education and care, early school leaving, tertiary education, adult learning and digital skills. 

Developments on SDG 4 indicate that the EU made substantial progress on meeting most 2030 targets, boosting 
participation  in  early  childhood  education,  reducing  the  share  of  early  school  leavers,  and  increasing  tertiary 
educational attainment.  

Progress in other areas is more mixed. Adult participation in learning and share of adults with at least basic digital 
skills has not improved since 2015. One in five young Europeans still lacks adequate reading, maths or science 
competences. Reducing educational inequalities remains a major concern for the EU. The share of low-achieving 
15-year-olds  increased  between  2015  and  2018,  undoing  the  improvements  of  the  previous  years.  School 
closures  disrupting  many  children’s  and  young  people’s  access  to  quality  education  during  the  COVID-19 
pandemic increased the impact of the socio-economic background on the learning outcomes of disadvantaged 
children and young people, including those with a migrant or minority ethnic background. 

Investing  in  skills  will  remain  a  crucial  factor  for  ensuring  that  no  one  is  left  behind  in  the  digital  and  green 
transition. The challenge remains to not only speed up progress towards achieving targets but also ensure that 
policies reach the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. 

2030 SDG targets and trends at EU level 

Target and policy reference 

Trends 

The share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in 
reading, mathematics and science should be 
less than 15% by 2030 

Reading up from 20% to 22.5% (2015-2018). 

Maths up from 22.2% to 22.9% (2015-2018). 

Set in the European Education Area strategic 
framework 

At least 96% of children between 3 years old 
and the starting age for compulsory primary 
education should participate in early childhood 
education and care by 2030 

Set in the European Education Area strategic 
framework 

Science up from 21.1% to 22.3% (2015-2018). 

Progress has stalled. The challenge posed by the 
persisting large share of low-achievers has yet to be 
resolved. 

Participation in early childhood education increased 
slightly from 92% in 2015 to 93% in 2020. The EU is on 
track to reach this target. 

34 

 
 
 
The share of early leavers from education and 
training should be less than 9% by 2030 

Set in the European Education Area strategic 
framework 

The share of early leavers from education and training 
declined from 11% in 2015 to 9.6% in 2022. The EU is 
on track to reach the ambitious target given this steady 
long-term improvement. 

The share of 25 to 34 year-olds with tertiary 
educational attainment should be at least 45% 
by 2030 

Set in the European Education Area strategic 
framework 

Increase the share of people aged 25 to 64 who 
stated that they received formal or non-formal 
education and training in the 4 weeks preceding 
the survey12 

Set in the European Education Area strategic 
framework 

At least 60% of all adults should participate in 
training every year by 2030 

Set in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action 
Plan 

Tertiary educational attainment increased from 36.5% 
2015 to 42.0% in 2022. The EU is on track to reach the 
target given this long-term rise of tertiary education 
attainment. 

There was an improvement from 10.1% in 2015 to 11.9% 
2022. The approach to measuring adult learning will be 
thoroughly overhauled. 

37.4% of adults aged 25–64 participated in some form of 
education or training (last 12 months) in 2016 (last 
available data point). 

By 2030, at least 80% of those aged 16 to 74 
should have basic digital skills13 

Set in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action 
Plan 

The share of adults with at least basic digital skills has 
made very limited progress between 2015 and 2019 
(from 54% to 56%). In 2021, a measurement based on 
the new Digital Competence Framework showed a result 
still far from the target (54%).  

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 4 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards achieving the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

The  EU has  a  wide  range  of  policies in  place  addressing  or touching  upon  the  different  aspects  of  SDG 4  in 
different  education  and  training  phases  and  systems.  Ensuring  that  everyone  can  access  quality  education, 
training and lifelong learning is a key objective of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan. It sets 
out several targets in the area of education and skills. 

European  Commission  President  von  der  Leyen  announced  the  ‘European  Year  of  Skills’.  The  European 
Parliament and the Council agreed that it will last between 9 May 2023 and 8 May 2024.The European Skills 
Agenda launched in July 2020, is a five-year plan aiming to help individuals and businesses develop more and 
better skills and to put them to use by strengthening sustainable competitiveness. 

12 The methodology of this indicator is currently being revised. The new indicator will use a 12-month reference period instead of 4 
weeks. 
13 The Digital Skills Indicator (DSI) has been revamped in its second edition, 2.0. The revised indicator is the result of work carried out 
in 2019-2022 within Eurostat’s Information Society Working Group to modernise the indicator by adapting it to the revised conceptual 
framework (DigComp 2.0) as well as to keep it aligned with technological progress since the first version was published in 2015.  

35 

 
 
 
                                                           
A  Council  Resolution  on  a  new  European  agenda  for adult  learning  2021–2030,  adopted in  November  2021, 
highlights the need to significantly increase adult participation in formal, non-formal and informal learning. 

The Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the 
European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030), adopted in February 2021, is an umbrella initiative that helps 
EU Member States work together to build quality and inclusive education and training systems that people with 
disabilities can access. It embraces a future-looking, comprehensive and people-centred vision of education. 

The Reinforced Youth Guarantee, adopted by the Council in October 2020, aims to ensure that all young people 
under  30  years  of  age  receive  a  good  quality  offer  of  employment,  continued  education,  apprenticeship  and 
traineeship within a period of 4 months of becoming unemployed or leaving education. 

In the field of vocational education and training (VET), the Council adopted in March 2018 a Recommendation 
on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeship which aims to improve and further develop 
apprenticeships schemes in the Member States. Furthermore, the Council also adopted in November 2020 the 
Recommendation  on  VET  for  sustainable  competitiveness,  social  fairness  and  resilience  which  defines  key 
principles for ensuring that VET adapts swiftly to labour market needs and provides quality learning opportunities 
for young people and adults alike. 

In  June  2021,  the  Commission  adopted  a  proposal  for  a  Council  recommendation  on  Pathways  to  School 
Success. This is a flagship initiative to boost the inclusive aspect of education by reducing low-achievement in 
basic skills and increasing secondary education attainment. 

The Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) is a renewed EU policy initiative to help Member States adapt 
their education and training systems to the digital age sustainably and effectively. The plan is key to achieving 
the European Education Area’s vision and helps meet the goals of the European Pillar of Social Rights action 
plan and the ‘2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade’.  

The  cultural  dimension  of  sustainable  development  is  being  promoted  under  a  range  of  EU  policies  and 
programmes to support societal change and lessen the effects of green and digital transitions. The EU’s actions 
in culture contribute to all dimensions of the SDGs, in line with the  New European agenda for culture and the 
European  framework  for  action  on  cultural  heritage.  EU  policy  harnesses  the  power  of  culture  and  cultural 
diversity  for  social  cohesion  and  well-being  by:  i) promoting  cultural  participation,  artists’  mobility  and  the 
protection of cultural heritage; ii) boosting jobs and growth in the cultural and creative sectors through arts and 
culture  in  education,  promoting  skills  and  innovation  in  culture;  and  iii) strengthening  international  cultural 
relations through culture to promote sustainable development and peace. The need to preserve and promote the 
intrinsic value of culture and of artistic expression is also highlighted in the guiding EU cultural policy documents.  

The Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development from June 2022 
calls  for  Member  States  to  establish  the  ‘learning  for  the  green  transition  and  sustainable  development’  as  a 
priority area in education and training policies. This will ensure that learners of all ages acquire the knowledge to 
live more sustainably, get the skills needed in a changing labour market and take action for a sustainable future. 
The Commission also released the European sustainability competences framework (‘GreenComp’) which sets 
out the skills and competences that all learners need to acquire for the green transition.  

In  April  2023,  the  Commission  adopted  two  proposals  for  a  Council  Recommendation  in  the  context  of  the 
European Year of Skills, with the aim to support Member States and the education and training sector in providing 
high-quality,  inclusive  and  accessible  digital  education  and  training  to  develop  the  digital  skills  of  European 
citizens.  

In higher education, the 2022 European Strategy for Universities aims to empower universities to manage the 
impact  of,  and  find  solutions  to,  present  and  future  challenges,  including  the  green  and  digital  transitions.  It 

36 

 
 
recognises  that  the  higher education  sector has  a  key  role  to  play  in  helping  societies  manage  the  impact  of 
climate change, live more sustainably and exercise socially responsible leadership. 

Selected enablers 

The Erasmus+ programme focuses on quality and inclusive education with  over EUR 26 billion allocated for 
2021-2027. Its projects contribute directly to achieving SDG 4 as well as other SDGs in the EU and abroad. Two 
compendia provide a valuable overview of supported projects that contribute to achieving the SDG in relation to 
inclusive education and citizenship. 

As people age and are required to work longer, the European Social Fund Plus promotes the training, reskilling 
and upskilling of workers to prepare for the green, blue and digital transitions. The fund also recognises the need 
to improve structures, e.g. modernising the education system and creating stronger links between educational 
and training systems. The European Regional Development Fund and the Just Transition Fund also supports 
skills for smart specialisation  and  the  upskilling  /  reskilling  of  workers  and  jobseekers  in  the  context  of  a  just 
transition. 

The Digital Europe programme (DIGITAL) is the first EU financial instrument designed to bring digital technology 
to businesses and individuals. It focuses on building the EU strategic digital capacities and on facilitating the wide 
deployment of digital technologies. 

The  2021-2027  Creative  Europe  programme,  the  only  EU  programme  that  targets  the  cultural  and  creative 
sectors, supports the EU’s commitment to achieving the SDGs, in particular as regards their cultural dimension, 
under all three programme strands. 

The research programme  Horizon Europe supports EU priorities in education and training. For instance, the 
‘Emotion-Expressive Robot EmoSan’ project (CybSPEED) designed by the Institute of Robotics of the Bulgarian 
Academy  of  Sciences  is  capable  of  imitating  the  movements  of  the  human  head  in  order  to  improve  the 
pedagogical rehabilitation of children with special educational needs. 

The Recovery and Resilience Facility will advance large-scale investments and reforms in education that have 
the potential to improve the resilience of EU Member States’ education systems. For example, the Romanian 
national recovery and resilience plan aims to implement reforms to address various challenges across education 
levels. The plan envisages reducing early school leaving, building 110 kindergartens, training almost 20 000 staff 
in early childhood education and increasing the share of students taking higher technical education courses from 
17% to 40%. 

Another example is the project ‘Promoting inclusive education: addressing challenges in legislation, educational 
policy and practice’ in Greece supported by the Structural Reform Support Programme under the call for 2019. 
Greece needed assistance in developing the framework and guidelines, and in training staff connected to the 
new law introducing inclusive education practices. The provider helped the Greek Ministry of Education design 
and implement several provisions of the existing legislation as well of the Strategic Plan for the Equitable Access 
of Students with Disabilities to Education. 

Stakeholder engagement 

The  EU  delivers  on  SDG 4  in  a  collaborative  approach  through  various  stakeholder  platforms  such  as  those 
mentioned in the following list. 

  The  Education  for  Climate  Coalition  –  a  community  for  students,  teachers  and  other  stakeholders  to 
develop  innovative  solutions  for environmental  sustainability.  It  encompasses  art  and  science,  taking 
stock of good practice and citizen science endeavours. It promotes community building along language 
lines, and helps run events, from small-scale workshops to big policy and practice forums. 

37 

 
 
  The European Education Area working group on learning for sustainability brings together experts from 
ministries  of  education,  social  partners,  NGOs  and  international  organisations  working  on  ESD, 
sustainability and environmental education. The group works together on topics of common interest (eg 
teacher  training,  curriculum  development,  youth  engagement)  and  regularly  publishes  key  policies 
messages. 

  The Learning Lab on Investing in Quality Education and Training promotes evaluation practices to 
improve evidence and identify investment features for education policies for better learning outcomes 
and equity. It helps Member States make the most of public resources invested in education. 

  The Pact for skills was launched in November 2020 as a shared engagement model for developing skills. 
Companies, workers, national, regional and local authorities, social partners, cross-industry and sectoral 
organisations, education and training providers, chambers of commerce and employment services are 
involved. 
 Since 2013, the European Alliance for Apprenticeships (EAfA) unites governments and key stakeholders 
with the aim of strengthening the quality, supply and overall image of apprenticeships across Europe, 
while  also  promoting  the  mobility  of  apprentices.  These  aims  are  promoted  through  national 
commitments and voluntary pledges from stakeholders. 

 

Multi-level approach 

Achieving the SDGs implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices from Member States in implementing 
SDG 4 include the following examples. 

Czechia provides support to children with special education needs to improve their inclusion and development 
at school. This support includes providing teacher assistants and special aid professionals in schools, granting 
scholarships to students and promoting and adopting quality legislation. 

Germany is committed to carrying out the necessary action that was put forward in the 2021 ‘Berlin Declaration 
on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)’, to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Germany is setting up several 
programmes  in  technical  and  vocational  education  and  training,  and  promoting  lifelong  learning  for  ESD  in 
municipalities  across  Germany.  Innovative  ESD  practices  are  being  highlighted  with  national  ESD  awards 
promoting a whole-institution approach as well as a national endowed ESD prize encouraging the spread of these 
innovative practices.  

At  local  level,  Finland’s  six  largest  cities  are  committed  to  achieving  SDG 4,  as  highlighted  by  the  following 
examples. In Helsinki, schools are educating children on the environment and climate, providing knowledge on 
the circular economy and Agenda 2030. In Tampere, schools, up to secondary level, are offering subjects on 
eco-social  consciousness  and  the  relationship  with  nature.  In  Oulu,  primary  school  teachers  are  active  in 
sustainability  education,  including  the  organisation  of  an  Agenda  of  Hope  event  focusing  on  education  and 
sustainable development for children, young people, and education professionals. 

EU external action  

Global trends  

Progress since 2015 to achieve SDG 4 has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated 147 
million children unable to attend school in 2020 and 202114. 

14 See UN SDG Report 2021 (page 34) and UN SDG Report 2022 (Page 33). 

38 

 
 
 
                                                           
Internal/external coherence, including policy coherence for development 

Education is key to achieving several SDGs, including ending poverty (SDG 1), reducing inequality (SDG 10), 
promoting  gender  equality  (SDG 5)  and  promoting  skills  for  employment  (SDG 8).  Due  to  the  scale  of  its 
investment  in  education,  the  EU  is  a  leader  in  promoting  global  transformation  for  this  goal,  including  in  the 
preparation and follow up of the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, and pursues external 
objectives  consistent  with  its  actions  within  the  EU.  Through  intensified  engagement  as  Team  Europe  with 
partners,  the  Global  Gateway  strategy  and  its  dedicated  regional  investment  packages  strengthen  the  way 
SDG 4 is implemented. This covers inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities 
for  all,  and  promoting  learning  mobility  and  the  digital  transition  in  and  through  education,  as  well  as  quality, 
equity, inclusion and gender equality in education.  

In terms of coherence between internal and external actions, the European Education Area is a driver of reforms 
in  partner  countries  (EU  and  Western  Balkans  Innovation  Agenda),  through  the  strengthened  international 
dimension  of  Erasmus+  2021-2027  with  a  budget  of  about  EUR  2.2 billion  from  EU  external  cooperation 
instruments IPA III and NDICI15. In 2019, the EU was the top global destination for higher education, receiving 
1.1 million students of the world’s total of 5.5 million. The European Education Area serves as a global standard 
for quality and excellence thanks to actions supported under Erasmus+, such as the with its Jean Monnet actions, 
the  Partnerships  for  Excellence  (centres  for  vocational  excellence  and  Erasmus+  teacher  academies), 
highlighting the attractiveness of European education and encouraging progress in accession countries.  

Since 2015, Erasmus+ has also allowed for short-term mobility between EU and other countries for students, 
researchers, and staff who study in a foreign university for 3-12 months and obtain credits recognised as part of 
their degree at home. A grant for staff mobility is also possible for 5-60 days. Erasmus+ mobility with partner 
countries outside the EU involves the movement of 40 000 students and staff per year. Of the 10 top academic 
disciplines covered by Erasmus+ mobility partnerships with partner countries, 9 are relate directly with one or 
several SDGs. The top three are business, engineering and economics which are linked to SDG 8 on decent 
work and economic growth and SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure. Women represent 54% of all 
participants.  A  key  objective  of  Erasmus+  is  to  promote  equity  and  inclusion  by  helping  people  from 
disadvantaged backgrounds and with special needs (over 400 participants from Asia and southern Mediterranean 
countries).  

Erasmus+ also supports Capacity Building projects to improve the quality and relevance of higher education and 
of vocational education and training in EU partner countries worldwide, as well as high-level international joint 
masters degrees involving EU and non-EU higher education institutions.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 2.2 billion in projects  helping to achieve 
SDG 4. The largest share of the EU’s contribution to SDG 4 involves projects that target SDG 4 as the  main 
SDG. These projects also make a strong contribution to other linked SDGs such as SDG 5, SDG 10 and SDG 8. 
The pursuit of other SDGs also contributes to SDG 4 as a significant objective. The main contributors are projects 
targeting SDG 1, SDG 8 and SDG 16. When taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized 
through public intervention and support to international public goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable 
Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 4 amounted to EUR 2.3 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of 
its assistance, EU support helped 38 million students enrol in primary education and 8.2 million students enrol in 
secondary education in 2018-2021.  

15 This budget complements the overall indicative financial envelope of Erasmus+ 2021-2027 which amounts to EUR 26.2 billion. 

39 

 
 
                                                           
Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021, contributed EUR 9.4 
billion to achieving SDG 4. EU and Member States’ flows to SDG 4 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects 
in Africa (34%), Asia (32%) and other countries in Europe (16%).  

Part of the EU and Member States support to SDG 4 has been channelled through global education funds such 
as  the  Global  Partnership  for  Education  and  Education  Cannot  Wait  –  a  UN  global  fund  for  education  in 
emergencies and protracted crises. Up until now, EU and Member States’ contributions to both of these funds 
have amounted to EUR 4.3 billion and account for 52% of all contributions received. 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

Education is essential for eradicating poverty and achieving the SDGs, including by ensuring that no one is left 
behind by reducing barriers to accessing quality education, including for girls, the poorest children or children 
with  disabilities,  and  building  skills16.  The  EU  commitment  to  quality  education  and  vocational  training  is 
embedded in a common vision on education being an enabler for achieving all SDGs, contributing to breaking 
intergenerational  transmission  of  inequalities  and  promoting  equitable,  inclusive,  greener  and  more  digital 
societies. 

In  the  face  of  the  current  global  learning  crisis  and  in  line  with  partner  countries’  own  policies  and  plans  for 
developing education, the EU’s priorities in the field of development cooperation are: 

 
 

 

teachers: focus on well-trained and motivated teachers; 
equality in education: education is one of the most effective ways to tackle increasing inequalities  by 
focusing on inclusion, gender equality and digital innovation; 
skills for life and work. 

The EU’s partnerships in education promote education on all levels, by focusing on marginalised and vulnerable 
people. The EU is also working on improving health, nutrition and social protection. 

The EU actions under the NDICI – Global Europe instrument aim to contribute with at least 20% of the official 
development assistance (ODA) funded under the instrument to social inclusion and human development, which 
includes  education.  The  share  of  investment  to  education  will  increase  from  7%  to  at  least  10%  of  the  EU’s 
budget for international partnerships. The EU and its Member States in a Team Europe approach provide over 
half of the ODA allocated to education. The EU was particularly vocal on education partnerships and financing 
at the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022.  

Education is one of the five investment priority sectors of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the Africa-
Europe  Global  Gateway  Investment  Package.  Several  major  regional  education  initiatives  contributing  to 
achieving various SDGs (including SDG 4) have been launched, such as: i) the Regional Teacher Programme 
for  Africa,  which  aims  at  strengthening  regional  and  national  capacity  to  support  teachers  and  the  teaching 
profession;  ii)  opportunity-driven  skills  and  VET  in  Africa,  a  Team  Europe  initiative  seeking  to  achieve 
systemic and sustainable change in developing skills for employment creation; and iii) Youth Mobility for Africa, 
which  is  aimed  at  greater  international  and  intra-regional  mobility,  increasing  young  people’s  skills  and 
employability,  as  well  as  youth  leadership.  The  economic  and  investment  plans  in  the  European 
Neighbourhood and Western Balkans also help develop people’s skills and potential, including through promoting 
high-quality education and training. 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  major  contributors  to  global  education  initiatives,  such  as  the  Global 
Partnership for Education (where EU and Member States’ funding represents 51% of the total), which aims to 
empower  young  girls  and  vulnerable  groups  through  education.  It  focuses  on  providing  good  quality  basic 
education  and  aims  to  transform  education  systems.  The  EU  supports  Africa  with  an  integrated  continental 

16 Council Conclusions 8856/21 of 14 June 2021, Strengthening Team Europe’s commitment to Human Development. 

40 

 
 
                                                           
approach to transformative education and training systems. The EU also supports Education Cannot Wait (EU 
and Member States fund 41.6% of total spending) and the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report to 
strengthen national, regional and global accountability for education results. 

The EU continues to be a strong advocate for the global approach for Education in Emergencies as part of its 
humanitarian assistance, also in the context of and as follow up to the UN Transforming Education Summit. 
Providing safe and quality education to the most vulnerable children affected by emergencies is a priority of EU 
humanitarian action, with the EU meeting its funding target of 10% of its initial humanitarian aid budget being 
allocated to Education in Emergencies since 2019 (which increased from 1% in 2015). Over 2015-2021, the EU’s 
investment in education in emergencies-related activities enabled 12 million children and young people (50% of 
them girls) caught in crises to return to and stay in education through formal and non-formal pathways at primary 
and secondary levels. The EU also remains strongly focused on protecting education from attack and supporting 
the roll-out of the Safe Schools Declaration. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 4, with the COVID-19 pandemic, EU changed the focus of its education support programmes 
to provide emergency funding and ensure over 355 million children in 66 countries were able to continue their 
education. The EU strengthened its collaboration with global education funds, announcing EUR 700 million in 
support  for  the  Global  Partnership  for  Education  and  furthermore  supported  Education  Cannot  Wait.  It 
actively contributed, in a Team Europe approach, to the reform of the Global Education Coordination Mechanism 
to ensure a joint, coherent and efficient global education aid structure in support of SDGs 4, 5 and 10. 

Over 40 Team Europe initiatives with education and training components are  being developed at country and 
regional level worldwide. In Niger, the Team Europe initiative #nigergenerationsfutures – Emergence d’une 
économie  inclusive  et  verte pour et  avec  les  jeunes  supports  a  green  and  inclusive economy,  offering  young 
people and women opportunities to develop their skills. In Kenya, the Team Europe initiative on Human Centred 
Digitalisation will draw on the potential of digitalisation to create jobs, especially for young people. It will work 
on reducing the digital gap through e-education services. Another initiative following the Team Europe approach, 
is the E-Youth project in Mozambique, which is aimed at unleashing the full potential of Mozambique’s young 
people through decisive action across public, social and private sectors to address education, employment and 
empowerment. In Haiti, the Team Europe Initiative ‘Haiti: Invest in the future’ will focus on further improving 
the governance of the education system (access, quality, higher education through partnerships with European 
institutions, VET reforms). All the above-mentioned Team Europe Initiatives support the Global Gateway strategy 
and, for African countries, the Africa-Europe Investment Package. 

The EU helps partner countries such as Sierra Leone, Nepal or Lebanon lessen the impact of the pandemic in 
order  to  reopen  schools  and  ensure  a  safe  return  for  staff  and  students,  recover  lost  learning  and  transform 
education systems that ensure equitable access to education for all. In Lebanon, 90 175 children were reached, 
including  those  with  disabilities.  In  Tajikistan,  the  EU  supported  the  reform  of  continuous  professional 
development for teachers, the piloting of the first ever national learning assessment in several grades and the 
finalisation of the reform towards a competency-based approach, resulting in over 63 000 teachers being trained 
and  72  school  laboratories  being  set  up.  In  Cambodia,  following  protracted  school  closures,  the  EU  budget 
support for education and the Capacity Building Partnership Fund, managed by UNICEF, prioritised actions on 
inequalities by offering scholarships for up to 250 000 students in basic education per year, increasing operating 
funds for schools, building 750 new, healthy and climate-resilient classrooms.  

In  Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Georgia,  Moldova  and  Ukraine,  the  Connecting  Research  and  Education 
Communities project (EaPConnect) is now in its second phase, bringing together the research and education 
communities from the EU and Eastern Partner countries, reducing the digital divide. In Armenia, a programme 
addresses education as a key priority for reform, with EU support mainly focused on i) Vocational and Educational 
Training  (VET),  ii)  higher  education,  particularly  through  the  Erasmus+  programme,  and  iii)  the  EU  TUMO 

41 

 
 
Convergence  Centre  for  Engineering  and  Applied  Science.  In  Georgia,  the  EU  uses  the  Skills4Jobs 
programme  to  address  the  country’s  constraints  in  better  matching  skills  with  labour  market  demands  and 
providing a better quality of skills. 

Through its humanitarian action, the EU has supported the education of Syrian refugees and Internally Displaced 
Persons as well as host communities in Türkiye, Jordan and Lebanon. In Türkiye, the EU’s Conditional Cash 
Transfers for Education programme assists around 795 000 children, and EU humanitarian funding enabled 62 
000  refugee  children  to  be  referred  to  education  programmes.  This  helped  to  almost  quadruple  the  overall 
enrolment rate of the refugee school-age population over 2014–2022. This led to the project being extended to 
include Afghan and Iraqi refugees and host communities and its scope being expanded to include early childhood, 
technical  and  vocational  education,  and  activities  to  promote  social  cohesion  and  psychosocial  well-being.  In 
Jordan, the challenge of providing education to refugees was addressed through budget support (through the 
EU  Trust  Fund  in  response  to  the  Syrian  crisis,  ‘Madad’).  Measures  implemented  by  UNICEF  and  local  civil 
society organisations (CSOs) were funded to address the challenges of the vulnerable populations in question, 
and higher education scholarships were offered to Syrian refugees and vulnerable people in Jordan. In Lebanon, 
international and local NGOs provided support to refugees out of education as well as Lebanese children to get 
them back into learning and formal education. Refugees and vulnerable children also benefit from humanitarian 
programmes  on  Education-in-Emergencies,  particularly  in  Ethiopia,  Bangladesh,  South  Sudan,  Türkiye, 
Central America and Mexico. Attention is focused on female participation (at least 50%) and often the support 
provided integrates child protection as well as back-to-school initiatives. 

Furthermore, the EU has provided budget support to education and VET reforms in more than 20 countries over 
2015-2021. For example, in Jordan, both education and VET have been supported since 2018 with projects and 
budget support to develop a workforce with skills, qualifications and capabilities. In Tunisia, support to education 
has also been long established and now aims to improve the sector’s governance and digitalisation, the quality 
and  access  to  primary  and  secondary  education  as  well  as  the  matching  of  skills  to  labour  market  needs. 
Meanwhile, the construction and redevelopment of schools for greener and better-digitally connected buildings 
is co-financed and implemented with the EIB. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually supportive and are coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and a positive impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming 
and Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 4, such as the following illustrative initiatives.   

As the world’s largest bilateral donor in the  area of education, Germany relies on close cooperation between 
government  and  businesses  to  assist  partner  countries  in  establishing  high-quality,  inclusive,  practice-based 
vocational  training  systems  reflecting  the  needs  of  the  labour  market  –  with  projects  currently  undertaken  in 
countries such as South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia. 

Many  Member  States  offer  scholarships  and  specialised  training,  such  as  Latvia,  which  offers  training 
programmes at its universities for young professionals working in public administration from countries in Central 
Asia and the Western Balkans. 

Looking ahead 

EU citizens have called on the EU and its Member States to establish by 2025 an inclusive European Education 
Area within which everyone has equal access to quality education and lifelong learning. Emphasis was given to 
the specific needs of young people being considered across all relevant policies in order to offer them the best 
possible conditions to study, work and start an independent life. EU citizens also expressed their wish that the 
EU ensures that everyone can benefit from digitalisation, by empowering them with the necessary digital skills 
and opportunities. The request for establishing the European Education Area was highlighted in Proposal 46 on 
education of the final report of the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

42 

 
 
The 2022 European Year of Youth has offered many opportunities for young Europeans to strengthen their skills 
and competences, and to increase their level of civic engagement. The 2023 European Year of Skills’ activities 
and events will also target  young people, particularly those not in education, employment or training (NEET). 
With only 15% of young people having undertaken studies, training or apprenticeships in another EU country, 
the Commission will propose updating the current EU learning mobility framework to enable learners to move 
more easily between education systems: a key step towards a European Education Area for 2025. 

With the European Year of Skills, the Commission also proposes giving a fresh impetus to lifelong learning. In 
particular, the Commission intends to promote increased, more effective and inclusive investment in training and 
upskilling to harness the full potential of the European workforce, and to support people in changing from one job 
to another. Further attention will also be paid to matching people's aspirations and skill sets with opportunities on 
the job market, especially for the green and digital transition and the economic recovery. To improve digital skills, 
the  Commission  intends  to  help  raise  awareness  of  the  benefits  of  and  opportunities  for  studying  science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics including for women, and improve the way digital skills are taught in 
education and training. More generally, the Commission will promote upskilling and reskilling opportunities, for 
instance,  by  highlighting  relevant  EU  initiatives,  including  funding  possibilities,  to  support  their  take-up, 
implementation and delivery on the ground. 

The  upcoming  Council  Recommendation  on  social  economy  framework  conditions  will  include 
recommendations on supporting social economy in reskilling disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. 

On the external side, building on the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, the EU will help ensure the Summit 
outcomes are translated into tangible benefits at all levels. The EU will work on further promoting a coordinated 
approach on investments in education in partner countries, acting in a Team Europe approach so as to be a more 
effective  driving  force  in  the  education  sector  at  country,  regional  and  global  levels.  It  will  continue  to  take 
determined action to help speed up the implementation of SDG 4 globally, including through rolling out a range 
of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries where education is a shared priority. The EU will 
also  continue  stepping  up  coordination  and  improving  the  quality  of  the  global  response  to  education  by 
strengthening a joint humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, building on the 10% investment target 
for education in both humanitarian and development instruments. 

A tangible contribution to achieving SDG 4 (and other linked SDGs) will be the deployment of the Global Gateway 
strategy  at  regional  and  national  level,  including  the  following  initiatives  presented  during  the  6th  EU-Africa 
Summit in February 2022 as part of the Global Gateway Africa Europe Investment Package, to be carried out in 
a Team Europe approach: 

 

the Regional Teacher Programme, to support at continental, regional and national level effective policies 
and practices for innovation, equity as well as digital and green transformation in teaching; 

  opportunity-driven skills and VET in Africa, to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed 

in the labour market (including digital skills for employment); 

  Youth Mobility for Africa, to promote youth exchanges and mobility between Africa and Europe. 

43 

 
 
 
 
SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all 
women and girls 

EU internal action 
Overview and challenges 

Achieving gender equality is a major priority for the EU. It is a fundamental value enshrined in the Treaties and 
the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The gendered impact of the COVID-19 crisis has continued. From the early 
days of the COVID-19 lockdowns, women’s rights organisations noted a significant increase in reported cases of 
violence against women. As regards progress towards a gender-equal economy, the long-standing challenges 
related to women’s participation in the labour market have continued. Women are still over-represented in lower 
paid  sectors  and  occupations,  and  face  constraints in  professional  choices linked  to care responsibilities  and 
gender stereotypes. The gender employment gap (10.6% in 2022) is mirrored in the gender pay gap (12.7% in 
2021).  The  gender pension  gap  stands  at  27.1%. With  regard  to  gender balance  in  decision-making,  women 
continue to be outnumbered by men in decision-making bodies in the political and economic spheres. Regarding 
women in politics, the proportion of seats in national parliaments held by women has decreased, from 33.1% in 
2021  to  32.5%  in  2022.  Progress  in  improving  female  representation  on  corporate  boards  and  in  business 
leadership positions remains uneven across the EU but improved steadily in the reporting period. In 2022, around 
32.2% of the board members of the EU’s largest publicly listed companies were women, compared to 22.2% in 
2015.  

Despite these challenges, the EU has made considerable progress on measures to achieve SDG 5 since 2015, 
with significant legislative and policy developments that have the potential to become game changers for gender 
equality. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends  

Inclusive high employment rate 

Halve the gender employment gap, to achieve 
the target employment rate of 78% of the 
population aged 20 to 64 by 2030. 

The European Pillar of Social Rights Action 
Plan  

Increased women’s participation in digital 
transformation 

Europe’s digital transformation, guided by the 
Digital Compass, pursues the EU target of 20 
million employed ICT specialists, with 

The  EU  employment  rate  for  men  of  working  age  was 
80.0% in 2022, exceeding the rate for women (69.4%) by 
10.6 percentage points. 

There is still a severe gender balance issue, in particular 
between women and men with more advanced ICT skills, 
with only 19% of ICT specialists and one in three science, 
technology,  engineering  and/or  mathematics  (STEM) 
graduates  being  women.  This  may  affect  the  way  digital 
solutions are devised and deployed. (Digital Economy and 
Society Index (DESI), 2021. 

44 

 
 
 
convergence between women and men, by 
2030. 

Gender parity of 50% at all management 
levels of the European Commission by the 
end of 2024. 

As  of  September  2022, the  share  of  women 
in 
management  functions  is  43.4%  at  senior  management 
level,  46.6%  at  middle  management  level  and  45.9% 
overall.  This  represents  a  significant  increase  compared 
to 2019, when the share of women was 36.6% at senior 
management  level  and  41.5%  at  middle  management 
level. 

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 5 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

The  EU has  a  wide  range  of  policies  in  place, covering  different  aspects  of  SDG  5. This  section  provides  an 
overview of some of the most recent and relevant initiatives. 

The 2020-2025 gender equality strategy sets the current framework for EU action to promote gender equality in 
the  EU.  The  strategy  is  based  on  three  main  pillars:  (1)  freedom  from  gender-based  violence  and  gender 
stereotypes; (2) thriving in a gender-equal economy; and (3) leading equally throughout society. The strategy 
takes  a  dual  approach  of  gender  mainstreaming  combined  with  targeted  measures  and  intersectionality  as  a 
cross-cutting principle supporting its implementation. A task force on equality was set up in 2019 to mainstream 
gender  and  other  equality  considerations  into  all  EU  policy  areas.  It  includes  representatives  of  all  the 
Commission’s Directorates-General and the European External Action Service and supports the work of the first 
EU Commissioner for Equality. 

The  Commission  aims  to  lead  by  example  in  the  field  of  gender  equality:  the  first  female  President  of  the 
Commission Ursula von der Leyen leads the first gender-balanced College of Commissioners (2019-2024). 

The proposal for a directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence adopted in March 2022 
aims to improve the prevention of violence, increase protection of and support for victims and facilitate access to 
justice.  

The Digital Services Act adopted in July 2022 will help to remove illegal content and protect women online.  

The pay transparency directive adopted in April 2023 seeks to empower workers by providing concrete tools to 
claim their right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. The Directive will strengthen the application 
of the equal pay principle by giving employers greater responsibility for implementing this. 

The directive on adequate minimum wages for workers adopted in October 2022 will help reduce the gender pay 
gap and increase gender equality, as women are almost twice as likely to earn the minimum wage as men.  

In November 2022, the co-legislators agreed on the EU’s  gender balance on corporate boards legislation. By 
2026, large listed companies should aim to have at least 40% of their non-executive director positions or 33% of 
their non-executive and executive director positions held by members of the under-represented sex – for the time 
being, this refers overwhelmingly to women. 

45 

 
 
 
In September 2022, the Commission adopted the European care strategy to promote high quality, affordable and 
accessible care services across the EU and support Member States in improving the situation for care receivers 
and the people caring for them. This will help increase gender equality and promote women’s participation in the 
labour market. One of the strategy’s deliverables is a recommendation to revise the 2002 Barcelona targets. 
It aims to encourage Member States to increase participation in early childhood education and care to facilitate 
women participating in the labour market and improve the social and cognitive development of all children, but 
in  particular  children  in  vulnerable  situations  or  from  disadvantaged  backgrounds.  The  Council  adopted  this 
recommendation in December 2022. 

As  of  August  2022,  the  minimum  standards  for paternity,  parental  and  carers' leave  and  rights  set  out  in  the 
Work-Life Balance Directive (adopted in 2019) had to be transposed by the Member States. These include the 
right to request flexible working arrangements, for example. The Commission is monitoring the implementation 
of the Directive in the Member States. 

The Commission has also proposed to the Council to include hate speech and hate crime in the list of EU-wide 
crimes, which would allow the Commission to propose legislation criminalising all forms of hate speech and hate 
crime on all prohibited grounds of discrimination, including sex or gender. 

While the gender equality strategy focuses on actions within the EU, it is consistent with the EU’s external policy 
on gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

Selected enablers 

The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) includes gender equality and mainstreaming 
as  a  specific  objective.  It  promotes  gender  mainstreaming  structurally  under  all  its  activities  and  it  supports 
organisations and projects promoting gender equality by a dedicated biennial call for proposals. The latest edition 
of  the  call,  in  2022,  focused  on  (i)  equal  participation  and  representation  of  women  and  men  in  political  and 
economic decision making and (ii) tackling gender stereotypes, including with accent on youth, and in advertising 
and  the  media,  and  awarded  21  national  and  transnational  multi-beneficiary  projects,  financially  supporting 
organisations in 21 EU Member States. Even though the projects have entered their implementation phase only 
recently,  they  are  promising.  As  an  example,  the  project  “Rewriting  the  story:  tackling  media  gender 
stereotypes in political and public life” will directly address barriers to the fair representation and portrayal of 
women and men in political life. Working with frontline journalists, news media managers, journalists’ unions and 
associations,  gender  experts,  media  self-regulatory  bodies,  women  active  in  political  life,  academics  and, 
crucially, the next generation of media professionals, the project will seek to initiate reforms in European media 
with  regard  to  newsroom  culture,  policies  and  processes  which  improve  the  professional  understanding  and 
practices with regard to gender portrayal of women and men in political and public life. 

In the 2021-2027 programming period  more than 30% (EUR 111 billion) of all  Cohesion policy funding under 
ERDF, ESF+, CF and JTF will support gender equality through direct measures or gender mainstreaming.17 

Gender mainstreaming is a cross-cutting principle of all Cohesion policy funds, including the European Social 
Fund Plus (ESF+), under which the Member States have an obligation to programme targeted actions to promote 
gender-balanced labour market participation, equal working conditions, and a better work-life balance. 

The  regulation  creating  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  (RRF)  recognises  women  as  one  of  the  social 
groups that have been worst affected by the COVID-19 crisis. One of the RRF's central objectives is to mitigate 
the social and economic impact of that crisis, particularly in relation to women. In line with the regulation, EU 
Member States should mainstream and promote objectives relating to gender equality throughout the process of 
preparing  and  implementing  their  recovery  and  resilience  plans.  Additionally,  the  regulation  emphasises  the 
importance  of  investing  in  robust  care  infrastructure,  which  is  essential  to  secure  gender  equality  and  the 

17 Explore the gender equality planned investments in https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/datastories 

46 

 
 
                                                           
economic empowerment of women. It allows more women to take part in paid work and therefore has a positive 
effect on GDP. 

Gender equality is one of the central principles of Horizon Europe - the EU’s key funding framework programme 
for research and innovation. When drafting project proposals, applicants must pay attention to gender equality 
from different angles in terms of human resources (balance between women and men in the research teams) 
and content (analysing and taking into account the gender dimensions of the content of the projects). Despite 
progress  being  made  on  gender  equality  in  research  and  innovation  under  the  Horizon  2020  research  and 
innovation programme, research and innovation organisations in the EU still need to better implement the EU’s 
gender equality objectives.  

The proportion of women graduating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, 
which are better paid and have better career prospects than many other disciplines, is persistently lower than 
that of men. The underrepresentation of women in physics, for instance, profoundly affects the growth and future 
of  the field  by  contributing  to  a  loss  of  potential  talent  and  deprives  industry  of  the  intellectual contribution  of 
women  with  a  physics  background.  The  thesis  of  a  project  financed  under  the  Horizon  Europe’s  Marie 
Skłodowska-Curie  actions,  “Physics  departments’  culture,  structure  and  gender  inequality”,  is  that 
measures  taken  to  increase  representation  will  be  effective  only  when  they  address  the  underlying  hidden 
structures of the physics culture that contribute to gender inequality. The outcomes of this work will empower 
physics departments internationally to move beyond generic strategies and to implement tailored action plans to 
address gender imbalance by ongoing, collaborative self-reflection.  

Another example of an EU-funded project on gender equality is the ‘reducing the employment gender gap in the 
Hungarian labour market’ project, supported by the Structural Reform Support programme under the call for 
2019. A high and growing gender employment gap is persistently reported in Hungary, despite improvements in 
economic conditions. The employment rate is particularly low among women in the 25-39 age group who are 
raising children under the age of 3 years. The project aims to research and analyse the barriers to gender equality 
in  employment  and  subsequent  policy  development  through  exchanges  of  best  practice  and  stakeholder 
consultations that would help close the gender gap. 

Stakeholder engagement 

The  EU  has  a  dedicated  agency  for  gender  equality,  the  European  Institute  for  Gender  Equality  (EIGE), 
located in Vilnius, Lithuania. EIGE works with EU, national, and international institutions and organisations to 
ensure EIGE’s gender equality expertise and resources have the maximum impact on EU policies. EIGE works 
to follow and understand the specific needs of its key stakeholders.  

For example, in October 2022, EIGE held its first Gender Equality Forum. The forum gathered high-level EU and 
national  political  decision-makers,  practitioners  and  members  of  civil  society  to  exchange  views  on  the  most 
pressing issues affecting progress in gender equality. 

Open public consultations are instrumental during the preparation of major initiatives, such as the care strategy, 
to support the development of high-quality, achievable proposals by allowing interested parties to provide input 
and suggestions on the key challenges to be tackled by the initiative. 

In  July  2022,  the  Commission  launched  the  EU  Award  for  Gender  Equality  Champions,  a  new  prize  that 
recognises academic and research organisations that have achieved outstanding results in implementing gender 
equality measures. 

Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 5 include:  

47 

 
 
  Portugal launched its national strategy for equality and non-discrimination for 2018-2030, to promote 
women’s  rights  and  eliminate  discrimination.  The  strategy  will  be  implemented  through  three  action 
plans,  focusing  on:  equality  between  women  and  men;  preventing  and  combating  violence  against 
women and girls; and combating discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and 
expression, and sexual characteristics. 
In Cyprus, to enforce the right to equal pay for the same work or work of equal value, a target of 300 
inspections  was  set  for  2021.  These  inspections  are  preventive,  aiming  to  provide  information  to 
employers and employees on the applicable legislation and practical guidance for employers regarding 
compliance, but they also seek to identify cases of pay discrimination.  

 

  At sub-national level, the La Rioja region in Spain adopted a specific law against gender-based violence. 
It promotes the inclusion of victims of gender-based violence in the labour market and set up a care 
network to ensure victims receive the care they need until they recover. The region works on education 
via a general communication campaign and training for specific audiences such as trade unions, and 
future professionals in the field of health, social services and education. La Rioja also created an inter-
department responsible for integrating gender equality in all policies. 

EU external action 

Global trends  

Instability, fragility, conflict, climate change, environmental degradation, migration, forced displacement and the 
COVID-19  pandemic  all  exacerbate  gender  inequality  and  threaten  the  progress  that  has  been  made.  Deep-
rooted inequalities persist, including in access to basic services, and gender-based violence remains widespread. 
Some  legal  frameworks  continue  to  be  discriminatory.  Civil  society  organisations,  including  women’s  rights 
organisations, are facing shrinking civil, civic and democratic spaces. However, women increasingly take part in 
shaping global transformations, showing that positive change is possible.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

EU external actions mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment to pursue worldwide its own internal 
objectives, as illustrated in the context of trade. In the WTO, the EU has been a strong proponent of the 2017 
Buenos  Aires  Joint  Declaration  on  Trade  and  Women’s  Economic  Empowerment  and  is  active  in  the  WTO 
Informal Working Group on trade and gender. In 2022, the EU funded a project by the International Trade Centre 
that will help to apply a gender lens to the WTO’s work. 

Trade  and  sustainable  development  chapters  in  EU  bilateral  trade  agreements  contain  commitments  to 
implementing  fundamental  ILO  conventions  on  non-discrimination  in  employment.  In  June  2022,  the  EU 
concluded negotiations on a comprehensive trade agreement with New Zealand that includes, for the first time 
for the EU, a dedicated article within the trade and sustainable development chapter promoting gender equality 
and women’s economic empowerment, and a gender focus in the Parties’ trade and investment relationship. The 
modernised EU-Chile trade agreement includes a dedicated trade and gender equality chapter and was politically 
concluded in December 2022.  

Under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), the EU monitors beneficiary countries’ respect of 
the principles of core international conventions, including those promoting women’s rights and gender equality. 
As one of its core values, the EU consistently promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment across its 
internal  and  external  actions,  including  its  international  partnerships,  using  gender  mainstreaming,  targeted 
actions,  or  political  and  policy  dialogues  with  partner  countries.  The  Commission  is  implementing  its  gender 
action plan III 2021-2025 (GAP III), adopted in November 2020, which is aligned with internal action in the EU 
2020-2025 gender equality strategy and sets its external priorities for gender equality and the empowerment of 
women and girls. 

48 

 
 
Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

The five pillars around which the GAP III priorities are set are the following: 

(i) 

(ii) 

(iii) 

(iv) 

(v) 

Making engagement on gender equality more effective as a cross-cutting priority for EU external 
action, including the commitment to having 85% of new EU external actions contributing to SDG 5 
by 2025 and to increase funding for gender-focused actions by requiring at least one such action 
per country. 
Promoting, together with EU Member States, strategic EU engagement at multilateral, regional and 
country  level,  including  through  country-level  implementation  plans,  of  which  129  have  been 
developed so far. 
Focusing on key areas of engagement, including the elimination of gender-based violence, women’s 
economic empowerment, leadership and participation, and access to sexual and reproductive health 
and  rights,  taken  further  within  the  framework  laid  down  in  the  European  Consensus  on 
Development18 . 
Leading by example, by establishing gender-responsive and gender-balanced leadership at top EU 
political and management levels. 
Reporting and communicating on results. 

Among the initiatives with a particular focus on gender equality and combating violence, the Spotlight Initiative, 
launched in 2017, is a global, multi-year initiative by the EU and the UN to tackle violence and discrimination 
perpetrated  against  women  and  girls.  By  2019,  90%  of  the  EU’s  initial  funding  of  EUR  500  million  had  been 
allocated and 12 countries had started implementing Spotlight programmes, most of them as part of the Spotlight 
Initiative Africa regional programme (SIARP). When the COVID-19 crisis hit the world in March 2020, the Spotlight 
Initiative was able in the first 6 months to boost prevention measures, strengthen services for survivors of violence 
and address the acute needs of women and girls facing intersecting forms of discrimination. The EU also works 
with other partner organisations in countering gender-based violence. 

The EU ensures that gender and age considerations are taken into account in all its humanitarian aid operations. 
To  ensure  an  effective  and  quality  response,  humanitarian  action  caters  for  the  differentiated  needs  and 
capacities of women, girls, men and boys, while supporting their active participation. Supporting the prevention 
and response to gender-based violence is a priority. In 2022, the EU funded targeted humanitarian actions to 
prevent  and  respond  to  gender-based  violence  with  approximately  EUR  41.2  million.  In  addition,  the  EU 
continues  to  support  the  global  initiative  “Call  to  Action  on  the  Protection  from  Gender-Based  Violence  in 
Emergencies”, a global, cross-stakeholder initiative with more than 100 members, which aims to drive structural 
change  in  the  humanitarian  system  to  address  gender-based  violence.  In  addition,  EUR  23.5  million  went  to 
targeted sexual and reproductive health services. In April 2023, the EU published its latest assessment report on 
its gender-age marker, showcasing that, for projects starting in 2021, 96% of all EU humanitarian aid 'strongly’ 
or 'to a certain extent' integrated gender and age considerations. 

The principle of empowering women to boost prosperity is also at the heart of the  gender strategy adopted in 
2016 by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB’s policy of ‘protect, impact, invest’ embeds gender equality 
and women’s economic empowerment in all its activities both inside and outside the EU. 

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

There are two main sources of information to track support for SDG 5 and gender equality. As for all SDGs, EU 
support for SDG 5 can be estimated where this specific SDG field is highlighted in projects reported to the OECD-
DAC. In addition, the tagging of the OECD policy marker on gender equality identifies actions that contribute to 
gender equality as a policy objective, which provides useful information in relation to SDG 5. The assessments 

18 See paragraph 34, 2017 European Consensus on Development. 
49 

 
 
                                                           
made  in  preparing  this  review  indicate  that  there  is  scope  to  increase  the  consistency  between  these 
complementary and related reporting tracks.  

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD commitments of EUR 5.4 billion in projects contributing to SDG 5. The 
largest share of the EU contribution was made by projects focusing on SDG 5 as a significant objective, clearly 
underlining the cross-cutting nature of SDG 5. This SDG has been mostly associated with interventions where 
the main SDG was SDG 16, SDG 8, SDG 13 and SDG 4. A smaller share of the EU contribution  comes from 
projects that focus on SDG 5 as the main SDG, where it is closely interlinked with other SDGs such as SDG 16, 
SDG 3, SDG 4 and SDG 6. When taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized through 
public  intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to  Sustainable 
Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 5 amounted to EUR 5.9 billion in 2021. 

For EU institutions, the data on the OECD-DAC gender equality policy marker for 2021 shows that overall, the 
number  of  gender-responsive  (marked  G1  using  the  OECD-DAC gender  equality  policy  marker)  and  gender-
targeted (marked G2) actions amount to 70 %. In total, EUR 9 263 million were committed to actions marked G1 
and G2. In 2021, 4% of new actions amounting to EUR 243 million targeted specifically gender equality (market 
G2).  Support  for  SDG 5  is  projected  to  increase  even  further,  with  the  commitment  in  the  2021-2027  EU 
multiannual financial instrument NDICI-Global Europe to mainstream gender in at least 85% of all new actions, 
including 5% of actions with gender equality as a principal objective.  

Collectively, the EU and the Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 10.7 
billion to SDG 5. EU and Member States flows to SDG 5 predominantly focused on projects in Africa (39%) and 
Asia (21%).  

When it comes to the policy marker on gender equality, the EU and Member States reported EUR 36.8 billion to 
the OECD in projects with gender equality as a significant or principal objective in 2021. These projects account 
for 43% of new actions adopted in 2021. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

Some  of  the  key  gender  transformative  actions  recently  adopted  by  the  EU  in  support  of  SDG  5  include  the 
‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ programme in Tanzania, which aims to help increase freedom from all forms of 
gender-based violence in the public and private spheres, promote women’s economic empowerment, including 
to  benefit  from  green  and  digital  opportunities,  and  enhance  equality  in  public  participation,  leadership  and 
decision-making.  The  ‘Empower  Women  Prosperous  Nepal’  programme  is  another  example,  and  it 
particularly tackles negative social and gender norms, in order to support Nepal’s human development. 

The Commission and 10 EU Member States are working with African partners to develop a regional Team Europe 
initiative (TEI) in sub-Saharan Africa to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, taken further within 
the  framework  laid  down  in  the  2017  European  Consensus  on  Development19,  with  a  particular  focus  on 
adolescent  and  young  women.  The  promotion  of  the  same  theme  by  non-governmental  organisations  for 
vulnerable  adolescents  is  also  supported  by  the  Commission  focusing  on  promotion  by  non-governmental 
organisations  for  vulnerable  adolescents  in  16  African  countries  from  2022.  The  Commission  is  also  a  long-
standing partner of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), including by providing support for the UNFPA 
Supplies Partnership.  

In Ethiopia, careful gender and age disaggregation is ensured in all humanitarian response operations. Most 
nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education and health protection actions focus on women and children. 
For example, particular focus is given to girls’ education. In South Sudan, through various partners, sexual and 

19 See paragraph 34, 2017 European Consensus on Development. 
50 

 
 
                                                           
gender-based violence survivors are assisted both preventively and responsively, with health, psychosocial, legal 
and/or livelihood issues. 

In the Western Balkans and Türkiye, since 2017 the EU funded programme “Ending Violence against Women 
in the Western Balkans and Türkiye” supports women and girls who are survivors of violence. The programme, 
which  is  implemented  by  UN  Women,  builds  capacities  and  provides  financial  support  to  a  wide  network  of 
women’s  rights  organisations  and  service  providers,  aiming  at  the  prevention  and  protection  of  women,  in 
accordance with the standards in the Istanbul Convention. More widely in the enlargement region, many countries 
have  adopted  or  amended  their  relevant  legislation  with  the  aim  of  converging  with  the  EU  acquis  and 
international standards on gender equality and anti-discrimination. Special gender equality bodies have been set 
up, and national strategies and action plans have been adopted. Collection and reporting of gender equality data 
has improved through cooperation with EIGE, which has led to the publication of the gender indexes reports in 
Serbia  (2016,  2019,  2021),  North  Macedonia  (2019),  Albania  (2020),  Montenegro  (2020)  and  Bosnia  and 
Herzegovina (2022).  

Decent  work  and  young  women’s  entrepreneurship  have  been  supported  by  21  EU  funded  actions  in  the 
framework  of  the  European  Training  Foundation  (ETF),  to  support  change  in  Mediterranean  and  Eastern 
Partnership countries (including Armenia, Ukraine and in conflict-affected areas of Georgia). In 2020, over 6 
million  women  throughout  the  world  were  supported,  especially  in  public  and  private  investment  for women’s 
economic  empowerment  and  financial  inclusion.  In  2021,  the  EU  launched  its  support  for  the  economic 
empowerment of women in partner countries, in partnership with Germany and the Tony Elumelu Foundation, 
supporting  2  500  African  women  entrepreneurs.  Thanks  to  EU  support,  new  signatories  to  the  Women’s 
empowerment principles (WEPs) increased to 500 new companies in Asia in 2020 (from 170 in 2019), and over 
4 000 companies in Latin America (from 2 000 in 2017). This considerably improved gender-sensitive business 
culture and practices in the private sector, contributing to a level playing field for EU companies. 

In the Neighbourhood East, the action for EU4Gender Equality ‘Challenging gender stereotypes and practices in 
the EaP countries’ adopted in 2019, has funded a project in cooperation with UN Women and UNFPA aiming at 
strengthening equal rights and opportunities for women and men through shifting social perceptions, increasing 
men’s participation in caretaking and actions  to prevent  gender-based violence. Another project is working to 
increase the knowledge base and use of gender analysis in decision-making and reforms by governments and 
EU delegations to deliver effective and equal results for all. 

In Morocco, the EU contributed to SDG 5 through budget support programmes and the provision of blended 
finance for an EBRD programme in support of women in business.  

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually supportive and are coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and a positive impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming 
and Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 5, such as the following illustrative initiatives.   

By means of illustration, in Tanzania, Ireland funded and launched a ‘social institutions and gender index’, which 
is  a  dataset  and  reference  point  for  formal  and  informal  norms  and  practices  around  gender  equality  and 
discrimination.  It  also  built  the  capacity  of  the  national  bureau  of  statistics  to  measure  and  understand  these 
issues. 

The Dutch SDG 5 Fund, for example, is one of the world’s largest funds for the promotion of equal rights for 
women and girls in all their diversity, gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, with EUR 
500 million to be allocated for strengthening local capacity building in the area of lobby and advocacy over the 
2021-2025 period. It is complemented by gender diplomacy and gender mainstreaming and a feminist foreign 
policy. 

51 

 
 
Finland has supported long-term work to change structures, norms and attitudes that maintain gender inequality 
in Nepal. Since 2016, a project related to menstrual hygiene has produced long-term results. Girls and women, 
who  had  previously  to  sleep  in  a  cattle  shed  during  menstruation,  without  access  to  the  water  points  in  their 
communities, now freely use water points and toilets in households. Changes in societal attitudes have reduced 
discrimination and generational shame around menstruation.  

Austria,  via  its  development  bank  OeEB,  has  been  providing  long-term  financing  to  the  Kashf  Foundation  in 
Pakistan, whose funds are used to finance local micro and small enterprises owned by women. OeEB’s credit 
line  has  allowed  the  Kashf  Foundation  to  open  up  to  155  further  branches,  thus  reaching  more  women  in  a 
country with one of the highest gender gaps in the world. 

Women’s  rights  are  strongly  defended  by  Estonia,  including  with  its  call  during  the  COP26  conference  in 
November 2021 for greater involvement of women in  leading the fight against climate change. Estonia’s new 
Data for the Environment Alliance’ global initiative, which aims to make high-quality environmental data easily 
accessible for all those in need, also aims to reduce the gender gap considering the availability of information 
and technology. 

Looking ahead 

The  Conference  on  the  Future of  Europe,  in  line  with  the  objectives  of  SDG  5,  showed  broad  support  to  the 
continued promotion of gender equality across the array of EU policies, ranging from digital literacy to sports, 
and emphasised the need to take a gendered perspective on policy assessment, data collection, monitoring and 
EU funding activities. Calling for inclusive labour markets, people stressed the need to address the gender pay 
gap,  women’s  representation  in  senior  positions  and  support  for  women  entrepreneurs  in  the  business 
environment and women in STEM. Participants voiced support for the implementation and transparent monitoring 
of the EU gender equality strategy.  

The EU is committed to implementing SDG 5 through implementing the 2020-2025 gender equality strategy. To 
this end, the Commission is currently negotiating with co-legislators on its proposal on combating violence against 
women and domestic violence and implementing other key initiatives set out in the strategy. 

The  EU  is  committed  to  gender  mainstreaming  in  all  pending,  planned  and  future  initiatives.  Implementing 
another  core  component  of  the  gender  equality  strategy,  the  EU  will  continue  to  include  a  gender  equality 
perspective in all areas of policymaking, including through the Commission’s task force on equality. For example, 
EIGE will support the EU’s policy work with research into gender issues in relation to the European Green Deal. 
The resulting data will be made available in EIGE’s 2023 gender equality index and will be used to mainstream 
gender  into  the  ‘Fit  for  55’  package.  Other  examples  of  gender  mainstreaming  include  the  EU’s  strategic 
framework on health and safety at work for 2021-2027 and the EU’s strategy on combating trafficking in human 
beings (2021-2025). Gender mainstreaming will also continue in the EU’s budget and funding programmes.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take action to accelerate the implementation of SDG5 globally. This 
includes through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes where gender equality is a shared 
priority and through  mainstreaming this priority across its actions.  By 2025, there will be a commitment for at 
least one action in each country focusing on gender equality as a principal objective. A tangible contribution to 
SDG5  (and  other  interlinked  SDGs)  will  be  made  by  developing  the  Global  Gateway  strategy,  taking  a  Team 
Europe approach, which will actively integrate gender equality. The EU will furthermore continue to mainstream 
gender and age considerations in its humanitarian actions and will continue to provide targeted funding to prevent 
and respond to gender-based violence in emergencies, and to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health 
services. 

52 

 
 
 
 
SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable 
management of water and sanitation for all 

EU internal action  
Overview and challenges 

Clean water enables life on Earth, nature, human health, agriculture, energy, industry and transport. Good quality 
water should be available and affordable all year round for people and nature. Almost every EU household has 
access  to  safe  drinking  water  and  basic  sanitary  facilities,  which  constitutes  a  basic  right  recognised  in  the 
European Pillar of Social Rights. The quality of water services in the EU continues to improve. However, there 
are still differences in access to these services between and within Member States, especially between rural and 
urban areas to the detriment of rural residents and the poorest. The situation is still not ideal for some population 
groups20. Water quality in the EU is affected by pollution caused by industry, households and agriculture. Pollution 
and changes to the structure and flow of waterbodies affect the hydrological cycle and the sustainable reuse of 
water as well as marine ecosystems. The UN Water Conference has highlighted the interconnections between 
freshwaters,  oceans  and  “green”  water;  the  Commission  is  working  on  these  links,  not  least  on  a  future 
deliverable aimed at reporting on the actual status of EU’s freshwaters and seas based on the latest River Basin 
Management Plans and marine measures. 

Although progress was made throughout the 1990s, little change has been observed in the past 10 years. This 
indicates that EU’s ground and surface waters have not yet reached good status. Efficient water use is  also a 
growing concern due to climate change. Changing weather patterns cause more intense and frequent drought 
periods,  lower  water  levels  in  summer  and  higher  surface  water  temperatures.  Besides  the  damage  to 
ecosystems, droughts cause economic damage of up to EUR 9 billion a year. They cause lower crop yields and 
lower energy production. Water use efficiency has increased in Europe, but overall water availability is  falling. 
Water stress is now on the rise in western and northern Europe as a direct consequence of climate change.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level 

Target and policy reference 

Trends  

Collection  and 
treatment  of  urban 
wastewater was to be ensured at the latest 
by the end  of 2005  for agglomerations  of 
above  10 000  population  equivalent  (pe) 
and in some agglomerations with between 
2 000 pe and 10 000 pe 

Urban Wastewater Directive 

Protect  human  health  from  the  adverse 
effects  of  any  contamination  of  water 
intended  for  human  consumption  by 

82% of Europe’s urban wastewater is collected and treated in 
line with EU standards (source: European Environment 
Agency). 

In 2020, an estimated 1.8% of people in EU lived in a dwelling 
without its own indoor flushing toilet (source: Eurostat). This is 
1.9 percentage points less than in 2010 (3.7%). 

23 million people or 4.5 % of the total EU population were not 
connected to a public water supply in 2018.  

20 For example, according to November 2022 data from the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, one of five Roma households (22%) do 
not have access to tap water inside their dwelling, which is of particularly concern during a pandemic Roma in 10 European countries. 
Main results – Roma Survey 2021 (europa.eu).  

53 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
ensuring  that  it  is  wholesome  and  clean, 
and improve access to water 

Drinking Water Directive  

Protect  human  health  and  preserve, 
protect,  and  improve  the  quality  of  the 
environment 

Bathing  water  quality  in  Europe  remains  high.  The  minimum 
water  quality  standards,  determined  primarily  by  two  distinct 
bacterial values, are met in 93% of sites. 

Bathing Water Directive 

Achieve good environmental status of all 
bodies of surface waters and 
groundwaters by 2027 

Water Framework Directive  

Sustainable use of water: reduce water 
scarcity, measured through the water 
exploitation index 

8th environmental action programme, 
COM(2022) 357 final 

The share of excellent sites grew continuously from when the 
Directive  was  adopted  until  2015,  when  it  stabilised  at  more 
than 80%. In 2021, it was 84.8% across Europe21.  

Good  status  is  comprised  of  four  assessments:  ecological 
status  of  surface  waters,  chemical  status  of  surface  waters, 
chemical  status  of  groundwaters  and  quantitative  status  of 
groundwaters. In 2016, EU-27 countries had achieved 40% and 
33%  of  surface  waterbodies  in  good  ecological  and  chemical 
status  respectively;  90%  and  76%  of  groundwaters  achieved 
good quantitative and chemical status respectively.  

Water  scarcity  affected  29% of  EU’s  territory  during  at  least 
one  season  in  2019.  Water  use  efficiency  has  increased  in 
agriculture, electricity production, industry, mining, public water 
supply and tourism. Water consumption  in these sectors was 
16% lower in 2017 (the last year for which EU-wide statistics 
are available) than in 1995, while production in  these sectors 
grew by 20% in terms of net value added.  

From 2000 to 2019, the total volume of water abstracted from 
surface  water  and  groundwater  fell  by  15%,  with  the  relative 
contribution  of  groundwater  to  the  total  volume  abstracted 
increasing from 19% to 23%.  

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 6 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

The  EU  has  a  wide  range  of  legislation,  strategies,  policies,  initiatives  and  tools  in  place  to  contribute  to  the 
implementation of SDG 6. 

The Water Framework Directive is the EU’s main legislation to prevent water pollution, ensure water is used and 
managed in a sustainable way, reduce water stress, and promote water resource efficiency.  

The Drinking Water Directive aims at ensuring the quality and accessibility of drinking water. New requirements 
are  now  included  to  improve  or  maintain  access  to  safe  drinking  water  for  all,  particularly  for  vulnerable  and 
marginalised  groups,  and  to  address  leakages  in  water  supply  networks.  A  new  Regulation  on  minimum 
requirements for water reuse for agricultural irrigation entered into force in June 2020. The new rules will apply 
from June 2023.  

21 Also relevant to SDG 14 and therefore covered in that chapter.  

54 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
The Directive concerning urban waste-water treatment regulates the collection and discharge of domestic and 
industrial  urban  waste  waters.  A  proposal  for  a  revised  directive  was  adopted  in  October  2022,  to  address 
remaining sources of pollution nutrients, micropollutants, and stormwater overflows) and the energy footprint of 
the water treatment sector and to lay down obligations for Member States concerning access to sanitation. The 
directive was accompanied by a proposal for the revision of the lists of surface water pollutants, which added 
several  industrial  chemicals,  pesticides  and  pharmaceuticals  and  tightened  standards  for  some  of  the  listed 
pollutants. 

The Groundwater Directive lays down quality standards and sets out measures to prevent or limit pollutants in 
groundwater. It sets quality criteria that take local characteristics into account and allows for further improvements 
to be made based on monitoring data and new scientific knowledge. 

The zero pollution action plan launched in May 2021 sets out key measures to speed up water pollution reduction.  

The  Bathing  Water  Directive  requires  Members  States  to  monitor  and  assess  bathing  water  for  at  least  two 
parameters of (faecal) bacteria.  

Selected enablers 

The  LIFE  programme  is  the  EU’s  funding  instrument  for  the  environment  and  climate  action.  It  includes 
integrated projects implemented on a larger territorial scale, aimed to help implement EU legislation, including in 
the area of water. The LIFE programme is a significant supporter of innovation projects relevant to SDG 6. Since 
2015, the LIFE programme has funded 94 projects in support of SDG 6 for a budget of EUR 231 million, including 
on wastewater treatment, water quality, river basin management and innovation.  

The 2023-2027 common agricultural policy is built around 10 key objectives, one of which is efficient natural 
resource  management.  This  objective  aims  to  foster  sustainable  development  and  efficient  management  of 
natural resources, such as water, soil and air, including by reducing dependency on chemicals. 

NextGenerationEU, with an investment plan of more than EUR 800 billion, contributes to protecting the natural 
environment and achieving SDG 6. This includes improving water quality in rivers and seas and reducing waste 
and plastic litter. 

EU Cohesion policy funds provide major investments in biodiversity, nature, and green infrastructure. Almost 
EUR  13  billion  of  the  2021-2027  programmes  will  be  invested  in  water  services  and  improved  wastewater 
collection and treatment. Cohesion policy will provide EUR 6 billion of support for waste prevention, recycling 
and  reuse  of  municipal  waste;  also  circular  production  and  consumption  practices;  and  improving  resource 
efficiency. As a result, 16.4 million more people (3.7% of the EU’s population) will benefit from clean water supply. 

The  EU’s  research  and  innovation  programme,  Horizon  Europe,  dedicates  EUR 1.15 billion  of  funding  to 
projects  related  to  SDG  6  in  2021-2024.  Examples  of  projects  recently  launched  include  the  ‘Partnership 
Water4All’ and ‘Green.BOOST’, which focus on the foundations to implement large-scale freshwater ecosystem 
restoration projects and investments. This can deliver sustainable e-flows, good status for surface and ground 
waters,  better  long-term  water  management,  improved  biodiversity  and  climate  resilience.  Another  project  is 
‘Stars4Water’, which aims to improve the understanding of how climate change affects the availability of water 
resources and the vulnerabilities for ecosystems, society and economic sectors at river basin scale. The project 
team will work with seven river basin organisations through a co-creation and living lab approach (contributing to 
SDG target 6.5).  

Another example of an enabler is the project ‘Analyses and action plan towards sustainable water services in 
Estonia’  supported  by  the  Structural  Reform  Support  Programme  under  the  2020  call.  Due  to  a  highly 
fragmented utility sector and the low population density, significant price increases would be required to maintain 
the  existing  infrastructure  in  Estonia.  However,  these  increases  would  not  be  affordable  for  households. 

55 

 
 
Moreover,  Estonia  lacks  a  sustainable  funding  strategy  for  the  long-term  operation  and  maintenance  of  its 
drinking water and wastewater treatment services. The project supports the preparation of a roadmap for the 
consolidation of the water utility sector. Consolidation is a prerequisite for a sustainable and socially acceptable 
financing strategy.  

Stakeholder engagement  

Stakeholders are closely involved in developing and implementing EU water policy. 

The EU’s Water Framework Directive is being implemented through a ‘common implementation strategy’. This 
strategy brings together all relevant stakeholders in several thematic working groups. This results in guidance 
documents for implementation and exchanges on best practices. It also serves as a source of ideas for further 
policy innovation. 

As  pollution  has  no  borders  and  cooperation  between  different  civil  society  actors  is  needed  to  tackle  water 
pollution, the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform is also useful. 

Multi-level approach 

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 6 include the 
following.  

  Building on the successive Water Summits held in Budapest before and after the adoption of the SDGs, 
the  revised  Hungarian  national  water  strategy  aims  to  fully  implement  SDG  6,  together  with  EU 
legislation,  with  a  set  of  specific  objectives  to  be  attained  by  2030,  including  on  water  management, 
quality, efficiency and governance. 

 

  The city of Veliki Preslav in Bulgaria used SDG 6 targets to tackle local water supply challenges. This 
guided the city in planning their water management process – from bringing water to residential areas 
to  implementing  wastewater  treatment  solutions.  Now  the  city  can  provide  the  necessary  amount  of 
drinking water to several villages through the recently completed main water pipeline. Abandoned water 
sources (shaft wells) have been restored and can be used as alternative sources of water. 
In France, the Seine-et-Marne department has made a concerted approach since 2006 to develop a 
departmental  water  plan.  This  approach  has  made  it  possible  to  obtain  agreements  on  technical 
solutions, financing and associated action on all the relevant issues for Seine-et-Marne (drinking water 
supply, sanitation, aquatic environments, flood risks). Many players have been involved: the department, 
the  Seine-Normandy  Water  Agency  (AESN),  the  Regional  Health  Agency  (ARS),  the  Association  of 
Mayors of Seine-et-Marne, the Chamber of Agriculture for the Île-de-France region, and the Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry of Seine-et-Marne, and 14 other partners. 

EU external action 

Global trends  

The delay in progress on SDG 6 is alarming, in particular as increasing climate change  effects will complicate 
challenges on water availability worldwide, with implications for peace, stability and displacement.  

Access to water and sanitation is essential for human development and economic growth. However, access is 
under  pressure  due  to  rising  global  demand,  combined  with  misuse,  poor  management,  over-extraction  of 
groundwater, contamination of freshwater supplies, and more variable weather patterns resulting from  climate 
change.  Although  access  to  water and  sanitation  has continued  to  expand  worldwide,  most  of  the  population 
living  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa  and  least  developed  countries  still  have  no  access  to  basic  facilities,  increasing 
public health risks, especially for women, children and vulnerable groups.  

56 

 
 
Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development  

With implications across most SDGs, action on water and sanitation is an essential part of the EU’s policy mix. 
At the UN 2023 Water Conference in March 2023, which was the first of its kind since 1977 and played a crucial 
role  for  mobilising  stakeholders  and  sectors  to  catalyse  political  momentum  on  water  to  progress  towards 
achieving SDG 6, the EU highlighted the strategic and cross-sectoral importance of water and sanitation, and 
supported the new Water Action Agenda, including through a set of commitments. The EU supports the emphasis 
on the need to ensure a comprehensive approach on water-related challenges, including for achieving food and 
energy security and climate objectives, and the acknowledgement of the critical links between addressing water 
stress and environmental protection, biodiversity and ecosystem preservation.  

In this context, the Council conclusions on Water Diplomacy promote the use of water as a tool for peace, security 
and global stability, through which the EU aims to prevent conflicts and promote transboundary cooperation in 
regions where access to water is under threat, to ensure the effective and sustainable use and management of 
shared resources. The EU also joined the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition, spearheaded by UNECE, 
to promote transboundary cooperation on water.  

The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and the role of water to maintain sustainable environmental, 
social, cultural and economic systems at global, regional and local levels are also promoted and protected by the 
EU, including in its external action. Considering its interlinkages with other SDGs, water can also help deliver on 
development priorities in different sectors, including food systems, health, energy and industry, and at different 
levels, from local to global. 

EU water policy has a direct bearing on the quality of surrounding freshwater and marine water. For instance, 
the investment in wastewater treatment has reduced the concentrations of nutrients and other pollutants in the 
Black  Sea  and  the  Baltic  Sea  considerably.  The  removal  of  barriers  in  rivers  has improved  the  conditions for 
migrating  fish.  Integrated  river basin  management,  particularly  further  to  the Water Framework  Directive,  has 
been used as an example for river basins outside the EU.  

EU space technologies play a crucial role in optimising processing operations for higher quality drinking water. 
Copernicus,  the  EU’s  Earth  observation  programme,  in  particular  the  Copernicus  Land  Monitoring  Service, 
systematically  provides  real-time  information  on  the  state  of  global  inland  waterbodies  and  their  seasonal 
replenishment,  lake  and  river  water  levels,  temperature,  turbidity  and  trophic  state,  including  potential  water 
availability from  snow  and  ice  cover. Better information and  forecasts  help  many  water managers  adapt  their 
strategies when dealing with water allocation, flood management, ecological status and industrial water use to 
mitigate the effects of climate change.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results  

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD EUR 3 billion in commitments to projects contributing to SDG 6. The 
main  share  of  the  EU’s  contribution  is  for  projects  that  target  SDG  6  as  the  main  SDG.  These  projects  also 
contribute to other interlinked SDGs, such as SDG 3, SDG 5 and SDG 11. SDG 13 and SDG 14. The EU also 
made a sizeable contribution to SDG 6 through projects targeting the SDG as a significant objective. The main 
contributors  are SDG  1,  SDG  8  and  SDG  9. When  taking  into  account  also  other  official  flows,  private  funds 
mobilized  through  public  intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to 
Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 6 amounted to EUR 6.3 billion in 2021. In terms of selected 
results of assistance22, the EU supported more than 17 million people with access to an improved drinking water 
resource and/or sanitation facility in 2018-2021.  

22 For the methodology on results, please see the description under SDG 2.  

57 

 
 
                                                           
Collectively,  the  EU  and  those  Member  States  that  reported  on  SDGs  to  the  OECD  in  2021  contributed 
EUR 5.8 billion to SDG 6. EU and Member State flows to SDG 6 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in 
Africa (51%), Asia (20%) and other European countries (14%). 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

The EU’s key priorities are to:  

 

 
 

 

support access to safe drinking water and sanitation, including ensuring timely and dignified access 
to sufficient and safe water and sanitation services for people caught in humanitarian crises; 
support the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems; 
support the protection and sustainable use of water resources, including  by addressing pollution, 
water scarcity (e.g.., the circular economy) and the water-ecosystems-food-energy-climate nexus;  
strengthen water governance, including transboundary water cooperation as a catalyst for peace 
and security, and global governance. 

The EU policy approach to water is multidimensional. The EU has integrated support to water and sanitation in 
partner countries across several policies, and these interlinkages are explicit in many key EU policy documents, 
such as the gender action plan or the Farm to Fork strategy. In the new consensus on development, the EU and 
Member States have committed to increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and promoting 
integrated water resource management, conservation of water resources, and improved water use efficiency and 
recycling. The EU has now made explicit its global commitments on water in the context of the UN 2023 Water 
Conference and the recently adopted Water Action Agenda.  

These main policy orientations are developed through several leading global and regional initiatives. The Team 
Europe initiative (TEI) Transboundary Water Management in Africa launched at the EU-African Union Summit, 
will contribute to the 2030 Agenda, notably SDG 6, by supporting transboundary water management in Africa to 
support development and regional integration. This TEI supports the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy. The 
EU (including the EIB) and seven EU Member States combine their efforts to contribute to policies and strategies 
(through  improved  knowledge,  data  and  research),  institutional  capacities  and  frameworks,  participatory 
processes and coordination for improved transboundary water management and key investments. A broad range 
of interlinked SDGs (in particular SDGs 2, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16) will also be supported through this TEI.  

Following  the  EU’s  policy  guidance,  the  EU  has  developed  an  integrated  package  to  address  some  of  the 
challenges affecting Central Asia by  setting up a regional Team Europe Initiative for Central  Asia on Water, 
Energy and Climate. This initiative’s measures have strong interlinkages between SDG 6, SDG 7 and SDG 15. 
The ultimate goal is to support the region’s transition towards a green economy, promoting food security, jobs, 
growth, and sustainable development, while maintaining climate neutrality and environmental sustainability. This 
TEI supports the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy. 

The economic and investment plan (EIP) in the Western Balkans, through its Green Agenda and its Flagship 
7 on waste and wastewater management, contributes to the depollution of water in the region. 

The  EU  plays  an  active  role  in  framing,  advocating  and  implementing  a  global  agenda  for  access  to  basic 
humanitarian  services  on  safe  drinking  water,  sanitation  and  hygiene  (WASH)  in  humanitarian  crises,  in 
collaboration with the EU MS, international partners and local actors. Ensuring that these services are available 
to the most vulnerable is essential in humanitarian aid operations, in particular in acute and chronic crises (e.g., 
operations in South Sudan and in the Sahel zone). And special attention must be given to the needs of women 
and  girls.  WASH-related  assistance  also  contributes  to  disaster  risk  reduction  and  disaster  preparedness 
strategies by anticipating severe water scarcity crises, which have the potential to spark massive displacement 
(e.g., in Afghanistan). Adapted responses include water contingency planning, climate adaptation, groundwater 
level monitoring, and repairs and rehabilitation, including upgrading water systems.  

58 

 
 
Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In support of the implementation of SDG 6, water and sanitation are also among the priority investment sectors 
covered by the European Fund for Sustainable Development+ (EFSD+). Building on the EU’s special partnership 
with Cabo Verde, the Team Europe Initiative ‘To Green Cabo Verde’, delivered as part of the Global Gateway, 
will contribute to several SDGs (including 6, 7, 13, 2, 14). It will focus on investments (blending and guarantees 
under  EFSD+),  strengthening  capacity  through  technical  assistance  and  twinning,  dialogue,  cooperation  and 
budget  support.  The  measures  will  be  based  on  four  key  green  pillars:  (i)  green  tourism  and  green  jobs;  (ii) 
sustainable energies; (iii) sustainable access to water and sanitation; and (iv) agriculture and the blue economy. 

Similarly,  in  the  Eastern  Neighbourhood,  the  regional  Team  Europe  initiative  Water  and  Zero  Pollution  will 
continue supporting policy dialogue on water, including on water supply and sanitation, to refine national SDG 6 
targets. In addition, innovative monitoring approaches are being deployed at the intersection of epidemiology and 
wastewater management. As a result, with Austria in the lead, the technical capacity for monitoring the SARS-
CoV-2  virus  in  wastewater  is  being  strengthened  across  the  region  (in  Armenia,  Azerbaijan,  Georgia,  and 
Moldova).  

The  EU’s  water  operators  partnerships  (EU-WOP)  programme  is  a  4-year  initiative,  led  by  the  UN-Habitat’s 
Global  Water  Operators’  Partnerships  Alliance  and  funded  by  the  EU.  The  EU-WOP  programme  supports 
partnerships  among  water  operators  in  partner  countries  and  helps  utilities  acquire  and  apply  knowledge, 
establish new practices and implement improved approaches 

Greece is leading cross-border cooperation on integrated water resource management between itself, Albania, 
North Macedonia and the EU. This cooperation focuses on the protection and sustainable development of the 
Prespa Park Area in the West Balkans and provides an institutional framework and joint activities to address the 
serious pressure on the lakes caused by climate change and biodiversity loss. 

In the neighbourhood region, support relevant to SDG 6 is also being provided bilaterally. For example, the EU 
supports Georgia in its efforts on environmental sustainability and improved living conditions in rural areas by 
contributing to increased access to improved and sustainable water supply and wastewater treatment in the semi-
urban and rural areas of the Adjara region. The project supports the creation of centralised and decentralised 
water and wastewater supply systems in all the villages and settlements of the region’s municipalities.  

The EU provides safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene support through its humanitarian support through 
its humanitarian aid and Civil Protection Mechanism, with its main objective to save and preserve life and alleviate 
the  suffering  of  populations  facing  severe  environmental  health  risks  and  water  insecurity  in  the  context  of 
anticipated, ongoing and recent humanitarian crises,, for example in Venezuela, South Sudan (focusing on the 
risk of waterborne diseases) and Ethiopia (focusing on ensuring access to drinking water and promoting hygiene 
and sanitation for displaced and host communities affected by crises).  

Action by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity and 
impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and Team 
Europe initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 6, 
such as the following initiatives.  

  Hungary  contributes  to  achieving  SDG  6  across  the  world.  Examples  include  equipping  schools  in 
Ugandan  refugee  settlements  with  innovative  drinking  water  systems,  providing  mobile  purification 
systems to Kyrgyzstan, contributing to the reconstruction of  Iraq’s water utility and irrigation systems, 
strengthening  Ukraine’s  flood  management  system,  and  supporting  water  management  facilities  in 
several Southeast Asian countries. 

  To assist in tackling the challenges of drought and the increasing unpredictability of southwestern African 
water  supplies  (due  to  increased  water  consumption  and  climate  change),  experts  from  the  Danish 
Environmental Protection Agency are working with  South African authorities and Danish businesses 

59 

 
 
by offering solutions with both knowledge and products. This collaboration on sustainable water supply 
focuses on five specific areas: groundwater, water wastage, water efficiency in industry, water sector 
financing, and research and innovation. 

  Spain’s  Cooperation  Fund  for  Water  and  Sanitation  has  developed  programmes  for  institutional 
strengthening, community development and promotion of water and sanitation services in 18 countries 
in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is achieved through national strategies, hydrological plans, 
and updating legislation with the aim of supporting partner countries in the development of public policies 
and influencing the human right to water and sanitation. Action is focused on rural and peri-urban areas 
and aims to reduce poverty and inequality. Some of the regional administrations, such as Aragon, are 
also  supporting  SDG  6.  This  includes  working  in  Guatemala  and  Nicaragua  to  provide  families  with 
household  water  systems  and  latrines  and  giving  training  on  hygienic-sanitary  habits  and  how  to 
maintain sanitation infrastructures. 

Looking ahead  

Emerging challenges such as new pollutants and climate change require keeping EU water policy up to date. 
Implementation of existing legislation is also key to reaching the SDG targets.  

Integrated  water  resources  management,  including  through  protecting,  restoring  and  improving  aquatic 
ecosystems  and  increasing  the  efficiency  of  water  use  in  all  sectors,  is  essential  for  economic  development, 
health, food and energy security as well as climate objectives. The recent hot and dry European summers have 
underlined the need for Europe to become more water resilient to serve all legitimate water needs for health, 
nature and the economy, in a sustainable manner all year round. Restoring water availability will require efficient 
use  of  freshwater.  This  can  be  helped  by  applying  volumetric  pricing  more  widely,  with  appropriate  social 
safeguards,  setting  water  efficiency  standards  in  agriculture  and  industry,  and  promoting  the  sustainable 
development of alternative water sources, such as wastewater reuse. 

On the external side, the EU will continue to use water support initiatives as diplomatic and development tools. 
This will therefore contribute not only to SDG 6 but also deliver on many interlinked SDGs (including SDGs 1, 2, 
3,  5,  4,  7,  9,  11,  17)  at  different  scales,  from  local  to  global.  In  particular,  the  EU  will  further  strengthen  its 
commitment to SDG 6 as follow up to the UN 2023 Water Conference in March 2023. The EU will contribute to 
the  WAA  with  a  set  of  EU  commitments,  including  improving  access  to  water  and  sanitation,  supporting 
multilateralism  on  water  with  the  UN  at  its  core,  and  strengthening  transboundary  water  cooperation.  This 
commitment includes further developing several Team Europe initiatives on water, which have been launched at 
regional  and  national level  and  will  contribute  to  rolling  out  the  Global  Gateway  strategy,  such  as  the ‘Water, 
Energy and Climate Change in Central Asia’ and the ‘Transboundary Water Management in Africa’, launched at 
the EU-AU Summit.  

In its humanitarian work, the EU will continue to take action in the WASH sector, particularly with other sectors, 
such as health, nutrition and shelter. The approach to water supply in humanitarian situations must be closely 
aligned  with  development  approaches  to  ensure  sustainability.  In  addition,  the  minimum  environmental 
requirements and recommendations for EU-funded humanitarian aid operations will be applied from 2023. These 
will  promote  sustainable  access  to  water  and  limit  water  over-extraction  and  pollution  of  water  sources  from 
waste. 

60 

 
 
SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, 
sustainable and modern energy for all 

EU internal action 
Overview and challenges  

Energy transition is at the heart of the European Green Deal. Since 2015, solid progress has been and continues 
to be made towards SDG 7. The share of renewable energy consumption rose from 17.5% in 2015 to almost 
22.1%  in  2020,  exceeding  the  target  of  20%.  In  2021,  the  share  of  renewable  energy  fell  slightly  to  21.8%. 
Similarly, the EU was able to achieve its 2020 energy efficiency target of a 20% reduction in energy consumption 
compared  to  2007.  However,  in  2021,  energy  consumption  bounced  back  after  the  COVID-19  pandemic; 
additional long-term energy efficiency improvements seem necessary to ensure the EU meets its current 2030 
target of increasing energy efficiency by at least 32.5% compared to 2007. 

Despite notable progress, challenges remain as regards energy poverty, further exacerbated by the energy price 
crisis experienced in the EU. The EU has managed to lower the percentage of the population that was unable to 
keep their home sufficiently warm; nevertheless, over 34 million people experience some sort of energy poverty.  

The unprovoked Russian military aggression on Ukraine of February 2022 has reinforced the sense of urgency 
for the EU to ensure its energy security and end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, while tackling the ongoing 
climate crisis. The EU’s response to this crisis – especially through the REPowerEU plan - has already had an 
impact on energy supply, by diversifying energy imports, increasing the share of renewable energy in gross final 
energy consumption, and increasing energy saving and efficiency efforts.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

32% of renewable energy in gross final 
energy consumption 

Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 

32.5% of energy efficiency in primary and 
final energy consumption 

Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2018/2002 

Trends 
The EU exceeded its 2020 target of 20% and is on track to 
achieve the current 2030 target of 32%. Negotiations among 
EU co-legislators ended in March 2023 with an agreement to 
increase the target to at least 42.5% in 2030 with the aim to 
reach 45%. 

The share of renewables in the electricity mix is expected to 
grow from 37% in 2021 to 69% in 2030. 
The EU achieved its 2020 target of 20% energy efficiency by 
2020  compared  to  the  2007  scenario.  Without  the  2020 
economic  slowdown,  most  probably  the  EU  would  not  have 
met its energy efficiency target. In 2021 and after the COVID-
19  pandemic,  energy  consumption  bounced  back  but  still  a 
decrease  from  the  pre-pandemic  levels  was  recorded. 
Additional  long  term  energy  efficiency  improvements  are 
necessary to ensure that the EU meets its 2030 target. 
Following  the  political  agreement  on  the  Energy  Efficiency 
Recast proposal the EU binding target is a reduction of 11.7% 
of  final  energy  consumption  in  2030,  compared  with  the 
energy  consumption  forecasts  for 2030  made  in  2020.  This 

61 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
translates  into  an  upper  limit  to  the  EU’s  final  energy 
consumption of 763 million tonnes of oil equivalent and of 993 
million tonnes of oil equivalent for primary consumption. 

Reduce the share of households in energy 
poverty 

Set in the Directive (EU) 2019/944 on 
common rules for the internal market for 
electricity 

The  share  of  people  unable  to  afford  to  keep  their  homes 
adequately warm fell to 6.9% in 2021 compared with 9.4% in 
2012, despite a small spike in 2020 as a consequence of the 
economic slowdown linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Greening of buildings: by 2050, all buildings 
will have to be net-zero 

Energy performance of buildings Directive (EU) 
2018/844) 

Since 2005, energy consumption per EU inhabitant has fallen 
by  9.3%,  with  a  slight  downward  trend  in  total  household 
energy  consumption  offsetting  a  2.8%  increase  in  the 
population over the same period.  

The  EU  has  launched  a  renovation  wave  across  the  EU  to 
reach its target. 

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 7 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs.  

Key initiatives 

The  EU  has  a  wide  range  of  legislation,  strategies,  policies,  initiatives  and  tools  in  place  to  contribute  to  the 
implementation of SDG 7.  

Energy  Union:  Adopted  in  2015,  the  Energy  Union  strategy  aimed  to  set  an  overarching  EU  framework  to 
provide secure, affordable and clean energy for EU citizens and businesses. The seventh report on the state of 
the energy union, published in October 2022, highlighted the challenges that the energy sector faced in the 
previous 12 months. It took stock of the EU’s energy policy response to the current energy crisis and provided 
an analysis of the progress made in addressing both shorter-term issues and  the EU’s long-term energy and 
climate goals. 

 Adopted in 2019, this package of eight laws aims to decarbonise the EU’s energy system. It introduced 2030 
targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency, set up the governance system for the Energy Union and 
rules  for  the  energy  poverty  monitoring  and  prevention  of  energy  poverty.  Member  States  were  required  to 
establish  a  10-year  national  energy  and  climate  plan  (NECP)  covering  the  period  2021  to  2030,  set  their 
contribution to the EU’s 2030 energy and climate targets, and set out a strategy, policies and measures to achieve 
them. In 2023, Member States will submit to the Commission their first progress reports and update their national 
energy and climate plans in order to reflect the rapidly evolving geopolitical context and the EU’s higher ambition 
in terms of decarbonisation, which have resulted in a significant changes to the EU’s energy and climate policy..  

The European Green Deal  package: This included amendments to nearly all the legislation under the clean 
energy for all Europeans package, notably reinforcing the provisions and the EU’s ambition on renewable energy, 
energy  efficiency  and  energy  performance  of  buildings.  It  also  put  forward  measures  to  set  up  a  new 
decarbonised gas and hydrogen framework and a proposal to reduce methane emissions in the energy sector. 
The package is now at the final stages of negotiations between the co-legislators and should enter into force 
soon. 

62 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The REPowerEU Plan, launched in May 2022, sets out short- and long-term measures to phase out the EU’s 
dependence on fossil fuels from Russia. These measures include diversification of supply, energy savings and 
efficiency,  and  an  acceleration  of  renewable  energy  capacity.  With  the  REPowerEU  plan,  the  Commission 
proposed to raise the 2030 renewable energy targets from 40% and 45%. In March 2023 negotiations among 
EU co-legislators ended with an agreement to increase the target to at least 42.5% in 2030 with the aim to reach 
45%. It is also accompanied by a recommendation to speed up permitting for major renewable energy projects 
and a targeted amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive introducing dedicated go-to areas for renewables 
and recognising renewable energy sources as an overriding public interest.  

Beyond  accelerating  the  deployment  of  renewables,  the  Commission  also  proposed  to  raise  the  EU’s  2030 
energy efficiency target from 9% to 13%. Negotiations among EU co-legislators ended in March 2023 with an 
agreement for an energy efficiency target of 11.7% in 2030 compared to 2020 scenario. Emphasising the principle 
of energy efficiency first is crucial both in achieving the clean energy transition and in phasing out our dependence 
on Russian fossil fuels.  

Furthermore, in March 2023, the Commission published a proposal for the reform of the Electricity Market 
Design which has three main aims. The reform will make the energy bills of EU consumers and companies more 
independent from the short-term market price of electricity (very often driven by volatile fossil fuel costs). It will 
enable an accelerated deployment of renewables and the phase out of gas by facilitating further the integration 
of  renewables  in  the  electricity  system,  providing  stable  revenues  for  investors  in  renewable  and  low-carbon 
energy  and  improving  conditions  for  the  use  of  flexibility  solutions  such  as  demand  response,  and  storage. 
Crucially, it also aims to improve consumer protection and further empower consumers. The Commission also 
proposed amendments to the Regulation on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency (REMIT) 
to provide better protection against market manipulation and abuse and enhance the transparency of the market. 

As part of the REPowerEU plan, the Commission also proposed a number of amendments to the cohesion policy 
framework. This will enable Member States to use unspent funds under their 2014-2020 allocation to provide 
direct support to vulnerable families and small and medium-sized businesses to help them face increased energy 
costs (i.e. SAFE - Supporting Affordable Energy).  This is a great opportunity for Member States to commit to 
investments and reforms pertaining to the acceleration of renewable energy projects permitting. 

Projects of common interest (PCI): Through the Trans-European Networks for Energy linking the energy systems 
of EU countries, energy projects of common interest can benefit from accelerated permitting procedures and up 
to EUR 5.84 billion in funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), a financing instrument of EUR 33.71 
billion  (2021-2027)  to  support  investments  in  EU  infrastructure  networks.  CEF  Energy  is  financing  the  better 
interconnection  of  energy  networks  to  develop  a  single  EU  energy  market  and  to  support  the  clean  energy 
transition. Since 2014, CEF Energy has provided funding of EUR 5.7 billion to support 154 projects. In March 
2022, the Commission launched the first CEF call for renewable energy cross-border projects. In May 2022, the 
Commission launched a new call for key cross-border energy infrastructure projects for projects included in the 
fifth EU list of projects of common interest. 

Other EU policies also support the energy transition. The common agricultural policy contains objectives and 
measures that support farmers to produce renewable energy, such as biogas or inputs for bioethanol production. 

The European Pillar of Social Rights lists energy among the essential services to which everyone should have 
access. In 2020, the Commission issued recommendations on energy poverty as part of the renovation wave, 
proposing actions for Member States to alleviate energy poverty. In July 2021, the Commission adopted the Fit 
for 55 package, which includes specific measures to identify key drivers of energy poverty risks. As part of the 
package, a dedicated Social Climate Fund has been agreed so to abate the social impacts of the green transition 
on vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users. In April 2022, the Commission established the 
Energy  Poverty  and  Vulnerable  Consumers  Coordination  Group  to  help  Member  States  in  tackling  energy 
poverty.  

63 

 
 
Selected enablers 

The implementation of the REPowerEU plan will need additional investments of EUR 210 billion between now 
and 2027 to phase out Russian fossil fuel imports, on top of the financing needed to achieve the energy transition 
under the European Green Deal.  

The  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  is  at  the  heart  of  the  REPowerEU  plan  implementation,  providing 
additional  EU funding.  This  facility  was  developed  in  2020  to  mitigate  the  economic  and  social  impact  of  the 
coronavirus  pandemic.  To  date,  around  EUR 108  billion  in  financing  has  been  allocated  to  clean  energy  and 
energy efficiency measures. 

Cohesion  policy  funds  also  provides  significant  support  to  energy  efficiency  improvements  in  buildings  and 
housing, renewable energy and energy infrastructure outside the Trans-European Energy Network (smart energy 
systems,  grids  and  storage).  It  therefore  contributes  to  the  achievement  of  a  decarbonised  building  stock  by 
2050, thus reducing energy consumption and creating savings for households affected by energy poverty. For 
2021-27 programmes and the Just Transition Fund, around EUR 47 billion of EU financing (leading to EUR 68 
billion with national co-financing). Such investments will provide essential support to tackling the current energy 
crisis by boosting energy savings (particularly in buildings) and increasing energy security for the future via the 
further deployment of renewable energy production. Cohesion policy has already contributed EUR 28 billion of 
similar investment in 2014-2020. 

The following instruments, among others, also support the energy transition and REPowerEU plan objectives.  

 

LIFE Clean Energy Transition (CET) - In May 2022, the LIFE call for proposals made available EUR 98 
million for energy efficiency and clean energy projects. This call covers REPowerEU objectives, such as 
reduction  in  fossil  fuel  consumption  for  heating  and  accelerated  deployment  of  energy  efficiency 
solutions in housing, businesses and the public sector.  

  The Modernisation Fund will contribute to the investment needs of the 10 lower-income EU countries: 
Bulgaria,  Croatia,  Czechia,  Estonia,  Hungary,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Poland,  Romania  and  Slovakia.  It 
supports  investments  in  generation  and  use  of  energy  from  renewable  energy  sources,  energy 
efficiency,  energy  storage,  modernisation  of  energy  networks,  and  the  just  transition  in  carbon-
dependent regions. The total revenues of the fund may amount to some EUR 14 billion in 2021-2030, 
depending on the carbon price.  

  Since 2011, the EIB-managed ELENA facility supports the development of energy efficiency and clean 
mobility projects. With a leverage factor of 33, it has an impressive capacity to attract private financing. 
In 2021, EUR 35.8 million was allocated to 18 new projects. These are expected to generate around 500 
gigawatt hours of energy savings per year. 

  The Social Climate Fund will help mitigate the costs of the energy transition for vulnerable households, 
microenterprises, and transport users. It will provide a total of EUR 65 billion over 7 years in funding for 
the renovation of buildings, access to zero and low-emission mobility, or even temporary direct income 
support.  

  The public sector loan facility, the third pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism, is now operational. It 
supports regions most affected by the energy transition through grants and loans to accompany their 
economic conversion. 
In  2023,  the  first  ever  cross-border  tender  will  take  place  under  the  renewable  energy  financing 
mechanism. The tender will focus on solar photovoltaic projects. The mechanism will help unlock the 
EU’s full renewable potential, and help Member States achieve the decarbonisation objective in a more 
cooperative manner. 

 

The Horizon Europe programme allocated EUR 15 billion to support research and innovation in renewable energy 
technologies, energy efficiency, electrification of heating and cooling, and digitalisation of the energy system. For 
the energy performance of buildings, Horizon Europe is funding the following:  

64 

 
 
 
 

 

the BUILD UP initiative, a portal for sharing knowledge on how to make buildings more energy-efficient;  
the 4RinEU project, which aims to provide new tools and strategies to encourage large-scale renovation 
of existing buildings and to promote the use of renewable energies (see Home improvements for the 
planet) and 
the EIT InnoEnergy, a Knowledge and Innovation Community,  which brings together innovators and 
industry, entrepreneurs and investors in order to catalyse and accelerate the energy transition and build 
connections worldwide.  

Another  example  is  the  project  'Facilitating  renewable  energy  deployment  in  electricity  sector  of  Slovenia', 
supported  by  the  Technical  Support  Instrument  under  the  2021  call  for  proposals.  Slovenia  faces  recurring 
difficulties to increase its share of energy from renewable sources. This affects the energy and climate transition 
as well as the economy as whole. The project aims to support the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Ministry of 
Environment and Spatial Planning in addressing barriers to renewable energy deployment and strengthen related 
administrative capacity. 

Stakeholder engagement  

The EU delivers on SDG 7 in a collaborative approach, including through the following initiatives. 

  The EU Sustainable Energy Week is the biggest event in the EU on renewables and energy efficiency, 

bringing together policymakers, industries and citizens. 

  The  EU  Energy  Day  gathers  key  clean  energy  players  to  promote  and  strengthen  cooperation  on 

sustainable, secure and smart energy solutions.  

  The European Sustainable Energy Awards aim to highlight individuals and initiatives that are contributing 

to Europe’s clean and digital energy transition. 

  The  Energy  Infrastructure  Forum  aims  to  remove  technical  and  regulatory  barriers  to  energy  flowing 
freely across the EU, and to discuss major issues relating to infrastructure and EU energy policy. 
  The Clean Energy Industrial Forum develops recommendations on how to strengthen the industrial basis 

and the EU value chain for renewable energy technologies. 

  The Citizens' Energy Forum meets on an annual basis and aims to explore the consumer perspective 

 

and role in a competitive, smart, energy-efficient and fair energy retail market. 
In  line  with  the  European  industrial  strategy,  launched  in  March  2020,  aiming  at  supporting  the  twin 
transition  to  a  green  and  digital  economy,  the  EU  is  developing  industrial  alliances  to  accelerate  the 
development  of  key  projects  that  support  the  manufacturing  of  low-carbon  energy  technologies 
(batteries,  hydrogen,  etc.)  and  which  will  maintain  the  EU’s  leadership  in  innovative  and  green 
technologies. 

Multilevel approach 

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 7 include the following.  

Greece is implementing an ambitious plan to remove lignite from the country’s energy mix. This will facilitate the 
country’s transition to a differentiated mixture of electricity production and to complete decarbonisation by 2028. 
The plan underpins the objectives set by the first national  roadmap for transition to net-zero approved by the 
Hellenic Parliament in 2022. 

To reduce the environmental impact of households, the region of Nord-Vest in Romania, with EU co-financing, 
invested over EUR 80 million in the thermal rehabilitation of over 4 572 apartments in old residential towers and 
multistore  condominium  buildings.  Most  residents  of  these  buildings  have  low  socio-economic  backgrounds. 
These  investments  enhanced  residential  well-being,  social  equality  and  offset  10 033.45  tonnes  of  CO2 
equivalent annual emissions.  

65 

 
 
EU external action 
Global trends  

In the last 10 years access to electricity increased from 86.6% of the world’s population in 2015 to 90.5% in 2020, 
but regional disparities remain wide. In 2020, 77% of those without access to electricity or over 568 million people, 
lived in sub-Saharan Africa. High energy prices led nearly 90 million people in Asia and Africa who had previously 
gained access to electricity to no longer being able to pay for their basic energy needs.  

The deployment of clean energy reached a record high in 2021 globally, but, due to rising commodity prices and 
supply-chain bottlenecks, this trend has been reversed in many countries, in particular on the African continent. 
Only 2% of global investments in renewable energy in the last two decades were made in Africa, with significant 
regional disparities.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

In May 2022, as part of the REPowerEU plan, the EU adopted a new external energy engagement strategy 
with  three  interlinked  objectives:  ensuring  the  EU’s  energy  security;  providing  support  to  partners  that  are 
impacted by Russia’s aggression to Ukraine; and pursuing the global clean energy transition. Consistent with its 
internal  policies,  the  EU  will  make  use  of  all  existing  instruments  to  continue  providing  support  to  partner 
countries,  particularly  in  Africa  and  the  EU’s  neighbourhood,  to  help  these  countries  to  recover  from  multiple 
crisis, including in relation to energy, and to achieve an inclusive and sustainable growth. These are  also the 
main objectives of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package. 

Under the  European  Green  Deal,  and  to  support  the  EU's  commitment  to  climate  neutrality  by  2050,  the  EU 
adopted  in  October  2020  a  strategy  to  reduce  methane  emissions  in  all  key  sectors  covering  energy, 
agriculture and waste. A legislative proposal on reducing methane emissions in the energy sector followed in 
2021.The highest methane emissions occur during production and transport of fossil fuels produced outside the 
EU, thus international abatement efforts are a priority for the EU. At the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, 
together with the United States, the EU launched the Global Methane Pledge to gather international commitment 
to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030; 150 countries have now joined the pledge. .  

Since  2015,  the  EU  has  been  engaging  with  countries  such  as  Japan  and  the  USA,  bilaterally  and  through 
multilateral fora such as the Clean Energy Mission or the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy 
(IPHE), to develop standards and uptake of a global hydrogen market. To increase renewable hydrogen imports 
by 10 million tonnes by 2030, the EU has started to establish renewable hydrogen partnerships (e.g. Namibia, 
Egypt, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Japan) to support the development of renewable energy, engage countries in the 
decarbonisation of their industry and supply the EU market with renewable hydrogen or derivative fuels.  

To succeed, the green transition must be just and socially fair. This means reducing the social and economic 
impact of phasing out fossil fuels and offering new opportunities via green technologies while tackling issues like 
energy  access,  fossil  fuel  subsidies,  skills  development  and  distributional  effects  of  the  transition.  The  EU  is 
supporting partners (such as the Western Balkans and Ukraine) to engage in phasing out coal and is sharing 
its experience of how it has been accompanying coal regions in their economic transition. The EU’s experience 
will  also  contribute  to  the  G7-led  Just  Energy  Transition  Partnerships  (JETPs)  signed  with  South  Africa, 
Vietnam and Indonesia to accelerate the coal phase-out, while supporting vulnerable communities that depend 
on it and contributing to the roll-out of Global Gateway investment priorities.  

As part of the Clean energy for all Europeans package, adopted in 2019, the EU strengthened the sustainability 
criteria of bioenergy, applying to bioenergy produced in the EU and imported. These criteria aim to reduce the 
competition of bioenergy production with agricultural land and with high carbon stock preventing indirect land use 
change  (ILUC).  The  limits  set  in  the  revised  Renewable  Energy  Directive  on  the  volumes  of  high  ILUC-risk 

66 

 
 
bioenergy that can be counted towards the renewable target will gradually decrease to zero by 2030 and will lead 
to the sustainability of the global bioenergy market.  

With regard to energy efficiency, the EU’s contribution also involves measures promoting sustainable product 
design  and  consumption,  notably  the  Commission's  proposal  for  an  ecodesign  regulation  for  sustainable 
products and the related legislative package on ‘making sustainable products the norm’. By setting common 
EU-wide minimum standards, the EU aims at  reducing the negative environmental impacts of products along 
their value chains and increasing their energy and resource efficiency. The EU energy label has been a key 
contributor to the EU’s energy efficiency target and contributes to the greening of the global appliances market 
beyond the EU.  

In terms of volume, the EU is more or less self-sufficient in the material categories of biomass and non-metallic 
minerals, while it is a net importer of metal ores and fossil-energy materials.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 4.5 billion in projects contributing to SDG 
7. The largest share of the EU contribution to SDG 7 is accounted for by projects that target SDG 7 as the main 
SDG. These projects also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, mainly SDG 5, SDG 9, SDG 13 and SDG 14. A 
smaller  but  sizeable  contribution  to  SDG 7  is  accounted  for  by  projects  targeting  the  SDG  as  a  significant 
objective. The main contributors are projects targeting SDG 1, SDG 8 and SDG 13. When taking into account 
also other official flows, private funds mobilized through public intervention and support to international public 
goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 7 amounted to EUR 
5.3 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of assistance23, the EU support improved access to electricity for 
29 million people and contributed to the installation of 91 megawatts of renewable energy capacity, resulting in 
95.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions being averted.  

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 8 
billion to SDG 7. EU and Member State funding to SDG 7 predominantly focused on projects in Africa (49%), 
Asia (21%) and other countries in Europe (16%).  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

Promoting  access  to  affordable,  reliable,  sustainable,  and  modern  energy  is  high  on  the  EU’s  development 
cooperation agenda. This work links strongly with SDG 13 on climate action, but also with a range of SDGs, such 
as SDG 4 on education because access to sustainable energy in schools improves the quality of, and accessibility 
to, education. Similarly, it has strong connections with SDG 5 on gender equality since access to sustainable 
energy is a precondition for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. 
Furthermore, it is connected to SDG 3 on health, particularly through electrification of health services, and SDG 
8  on  decent  work  and  economic  growth,  SDG  9  on  industry,  innovation  and  infrastructure,  and  SDG  11  on 
sustainable cities and communities.  

Therefore, the EU and its Member States approach energy as a horizontal issue, strengthening the links between 
the  2030  Agenda  and  the  Paris  Agreement.  Special  attention  has  been  given  to  SDG  7  as  an  enabler  for 
sustainable growth and human development. Due to the interconnectedness of energy issues and other SDGs, 
the EU and its Member States have used work across a range of SDGs to contribute to the objectives of improved 
access to energy, renewable energy generation, and energy efficiency, to achieve a sustainable balance between 
energy  production  and  consumption  while  bolstering  the  fight  against  climate  change.  This  has  involved 
supporting political ownership, improved governance, and reform of the energy sector in partner countries, as 

23 For the methodology and results, please see the description under SDG 2.  

67 

 
 
                                                           
well  as  promoting  the  use  of  digital  technologies  and  boosting  sustainable  investment  through  innovative 
financing. 

In this context and in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans for affordable, reliable, sustainable and 
modern energy for all, the EU priorities for its external actions contributing to SDG 7 and interlinked SDGs include: 

 

 

 

investing  in  sustainable  energy  infrastructure,  including  on  renewable  energy  generation  (including 
solar, wind, hydropower, sustainable biofuels), electricity transmission and distribution, and enhanced 
access to energy services; 
investing  in  capacity  building  and  skills  needed  for  the  management  of  energy  systems  based  on 
renewable  energy,  the  development  of  energy  communities,  and  for renewable  energy  value  chains; 
and 
developing the global renewable hydrogen market to support the decarbonisation of heavy transport 
and industrial sectors. 

Energy  is  an  investment  priority  of  the  Global  Gateway,  which  is  taking  these  commitments  a  step  further, 
including by promoting green technology exchanges and strengthening energy security. In the framework of the 
Africa-Europe Investment Package, the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative (AEGEI), a Team Europe Initiative 
launched  on  the  occasion  of  the  EU-AU  Summit  in  February  2022,  contributes  to  the  Global  Gateway  by 
supporting Africa’s green transition in the energy sector. It aims to increase electricity production and access to 
energy,  promote  energy  efficiency,  create  a  conducive  regulatory  environment  for  private  investments,  and 
advance market integration. The initiative is also aligned with and contributes to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 
ambition to increase renewable energy generation capacity in Africa by 300 gigawatts by 2030 and to secure 
access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. The total combined sustainable energy budget in support 
of this initiative is estimated at more than EUR 3.4 billion in grants for the period 2021-2027, which is expected 
to leverage more than EUR 20 billion in investment. Current initiatives include the EU support to the development 
of an African Single Electricity Market and the Continental Power System Masterplan, which aims to build and 
invest in energy infrastructure, including electricity interconnections and transmission lines and connect the five 
African power pools. 

The  EU  is  committed  to  leading  and  speeding  up  the  global  green  transition  and  supporting  its  international 
partners in the process. This includes working together on renewable energy, energy efficiency and savings, the 
circular  economy,  green  growth,  natural  resource  protection,  critical  raw  materials,  clean  technologies,  and 
future-proof  infrastructure.  Energy  security  and  green  transition  are  supported  in  Ukraine,  Moldova  and  the 
partner countries in its immediate neighbourhood, including by accelerating implementation of the Economic 
and Investment Plan. Boosting investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and in phasing out coal are 
also core pillars of the Economic and Investment Plans for the EU’s neighbourhood, and of the Green Agenda 
for the Western Balkans.  

Energy  is  also  among  the  priority  investment  sectors  covered  by  the  European  Fund  for  Sustainable 
Development Plus (EFSD+), which is a financing tool of the Global Gateway and the financing arm of the EU's 
Neighbourhood,  Development  and  International  Cooperation  Instrument  (NDICI)  -  Global  Europe  and  the 
Instrument for Pre-Adhesion III (IPA III). It de-risks investments with budgetary guarantees and thus attracts more 
private investment into emerging and developing country markets, and in this way supports the transformation 
towards sustainable energy systems. 

Overall, by the end of 2021, the EU-supported sustainable energy activities in partner countries led to the creation 
of 31 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity. This enabled more than 29 million people to gain access to 
sustainable energy and energy services, and avoided 95.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. By the end of 2020, 
the Commission had committed EUR 732 million to energy, 44.7% of which was in support of energy policy and 
36% in support of renewable-sourced energy generation. 

68 

 
 
Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 7, renewable hydrogen plays a crucial role in the global decarbonisation effort, especially in 
hard-to-abate sectors. It is estimated that demand for global hydrogen and its derivatives will reach 22% of global 
final energy use by 2050. In 2022, the EU and Namibia signed a memorandum of understanding which envisages 
a close cooperation in the development of green hydrogen and critical raw materials by facilitating public and 
private investments in these sectors. Aligned with the priorities of the European Green Deal and RePowerEU 
plan, the Team Europe Initiative on green hydrogen in Namibia, which contributes to the roll-out of the 
Global Gateway strategy, aims to foster inclusive green growth and access to sustainable energy. 

Achieving clean and affordable energy systems is closely linked to SDG 13 on climate action. The EU provided 
technical support to many partner countries in their efforts to upgrade their nationally determined contributions 
in 2021 ahead of COP26, with a particular focus on the sustainable energy sector. Similarly, the Africa-EU Energy 
Partnership  (AEEP)  supports  universal  access  to  reliable,  affordable  and  sustainable  energy  in  Africa,  by 
providing an institutionalised platform for strategic dialogue between Africa and the EU in the energy sector, thus 
contributing to the implementation of SDG 7 and SDG 13.  

Increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources in the global energy mix is a priority for SDG 7. Hence, 
in Togo, a Team Europe Initiative aims to build the country’s renewable energy capacity and support the fulfilment 
of a national target of 100% electrification by 2030 with 50% renewable energy. The initiative supports the Global 
Gateway investment priorities on climate and energy, as efforts are directed towards the enhancement of energy 
efficiency, ensuring a green energy transition and strengthening the role of Togo as a fully-fledged actor in the 
West African power pool. 

Access to affordable and safe energy sources is a key component of SDG 7, but is also directly related to other 
SDGs,  including  SDG  2  on  zero  hunger,  SDG  4  on  quality  education,  SDG  5  on  gender  equality,  SDG  8  on 
sustainable growth and SDG 10 on reduced inequalities. In Mauritania, for example, the Team Europe initiative 
on transition towards green and blue aims, in association with the private sector, to bring renewable energy 
to  remote  areas  in  order  to  stimulate  employment  opportunities,  and  sustainable  and  inclusive  growth,  thus 
contributing to SDG 8, SDG 2 and SDG, along with the commitments of Global Gateway and its Africa-Europe 
Investment Package. Similarly in Vietnam, the EU’s programme for sustainable energy has improved households’ 
access to energy in rural and remote areas and supported the shift towards a future of greener energy.  

Given that 70% of global energy consumption occurs in cities, improving energy infrastructure is a key concern 
for urban areas and demonstrates the link between SDG 7 and SDG 11. For example, in Balti, Moldova's second 
largest city, the district heating system was upgraded and modernised with the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency 
and Environment Partnership (E5P) fund. This project will reduce the energy bill of households in Balti and save 
about 18 300 tonnes of CO2 each year.  

In 2022, the Commission launched an Energy Support Package worth EUR 1 billion for its Western Balkans 
partners to address immediate, short-term and medium-term needs in the context of the ongoing energy crisis. 
Half  of  the  funding  was  provided  as  direct  budget  support,  and  half  invested  through  the  Western  Balkans 
Investment Framework (WBIF), a joint initiative of the EU, financial institutions, bilateral donors and beneficiaries, 
all working in line with the Team Europe approach to support the short- and mid-term investments in the field of 
renewable energy generation, green transition and energy efficiency in the region.  

The Green for Growth Fund supported by the EU, advances energy and resource efficiency, and renewable 
energy, in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. It leverages funds from the private sector and 
development  banks,  and  provides  refinancing  for  investments  in  energy  efficiency  and  capacity  building, 
consulting, and training and invests in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
69 

 
 
Team Europe Initiatives, Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda, including 
SDG 7, such as the following illustrative initiative. Austria contributes to UNIDO’s Global Network of Regional 
Sustainable  Energy  Centres  (GN-SEC)  platform  and  the  regional  Centres  for  Renewable  Energy  &  Energy 
Efficiency (Caribbean, Pacific, ECOWAS and Central American Integration System). Austria also supports the 
energy  sector  and  its  interlinkages  with  micro-,  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises  development,  climate 
change, and gender, by funding projects that tackle energy efficiency measures to reduce emissions and energy 
consumption as well as expand production capacities. 

Looking ahead 

In the coming years, the European Union will have to consolidate the implementation of the REPowerEU plan, 
addressing the triple energy security, price and climate crisis. In line with the European Green Deal, in 2023, the 
EU will strive to do the following. 

-  Revise  its  renewable  energy  and  energy  efficiency  targets.  In  March  2023,  the EU co-legislators 
ended with an agreement to increase the renewable energy target to at least 42.5% in 2030 with the aim 
to reach 45% and energy efficiency target of 11.7% in 2030 compared to 2020 scenario. This will be 
translated into law in view of achieving the Fit-for-55 objectives as well as the EU’s energy security and 
resilience objectives of the REPowerEU plan. 

-  Propose  a  2040  climate  target  in  2024.  This  target  needs  to  be  based  on  a  thorough  impact 

assessment and the Commission is starting the necessary analysis now.  

-  Adopt a new regulation on methane emissions reduction in the energy sector, including for imports 

of fossil fuels. 

-  Adopt a revised directive for energy performance of buildings, that will set in the law that all new 
buildings should be zero-emission buildings by 2030, and that existing buildings should be transformed 
into zero-emission buildings by 2050. 

-  Adopt a revised Electricity Regulation and Directive that will further integrate renewables, protect and 

empower consumers and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy.  

-  Adopt  a  revised  Regulation  on  wholesale  energy  market  integrity  and  transparency  to  provide  better 
protection against market manipulation and abuse and enhance the transparency of the market.  
-  Adopt the hydrogen and gas markets decarbonisation package to enable the transition of the gas 
sector  towards  renewable  and  low-carbon  gases,  in  particular  biomethane  and  hydrogen,  in  view  of 
reaching the EU’s goal of climate neutrality in 2050. 

-  Adopt a new directive on the taxation of energy products and electricity. The aim will be to ensure 
that  the  taxation  of  energy  products  and  electricity  better  reflects  the  impact  they  have  on  the 
environment and on health, by removing disadvantages for clean technologies and introducing higher 
levels of taxation for inefficient and polluting fuels.  

-  Create a new European hydrogen bank to kick-start the hydrogen market in the EU and beyond.  

Member  States  will  also  submit  revised  National  Energy  and  Climate  Plans  reflecting  the  rapidly  evolving 
geopolitical context and significant changes to EU energy and climate policy, including REPowerEU objectives. 

On the external side, the EU will continue to take focused actions to accelerate the implementation of SDG 7 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries 
where affordable and clean energy is a shared priority.  

Aligned with the REPowerEU plan and the European  Green Deal, the EU will support the reconstruction and 
transition of Ukraine’s energy system through the development of renewable energy. It will continue to support 
the  energy  transition  and  the  integration  of  energy  systems  in  Eastern  Europe  countries  through  the  Energy 
Community. 

70 

 
 
At multilateral level, the EU will continue to actively support the global clean energy transition, sharing policy and 
approaches in multilateral organisations such as the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable 
Energy Agency or the Clean Energy Ministerial, and supporting initiatives such as the Energy Efficiency Hub or 
the Global Methane Pledge. As an important part of the EU’s external energy engagement strategy, the EU will 
continue to support coal regions in their transition internationally, with the setting up, with Germany, of a global 
platform for coal regions.  

Aligned with the REPowerEU plan and the European  Green Deal, the EU will support the reconstruction and 
transition of Ukraine’s energy system through the development of renewable energy. It will continue to support 
the  energy  transition  and  the  integration  of  energy  systems  in  Eastern  Europe  countries  through  the  Energy 
Community. 

The EU aims to deploy a range of Global Gateway flagship projects on sustainable energy infrastructure as 
a  contribution  to  SDG  7,  SDG 13  and  other  interlinked  SDGs.  They  will  have  a  focus  on  renewable  energy 
sources, electricity transmission and distribution, energy efficiency and enhanced access to energy services, as 
well  the  development  of  green  hydrogen  across  the  world.  Global  Gateway  will  be deployed  at  regional  and 
national level through Team Europe Initiatives, such as the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative. This will support 
Africa’s green transition in the energy sector through improving access to energy services, increasing the share 
of  renewable  energy  in  Africa’s  energy  mix,  and  supporting  energy  efficiency  in  the  framework  of  the  Global 
Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package 

Additionally,  through  EFSD+,  the  EU  aims  to  provide  EUR 6.05  billion  in  financial  guarantees  to  support  40 
investment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific. The guarantees are expected 
to generate more than EUR 50 billion in investments in key sectors of the Global Gateway, of which around 25% 
in renewable energy.  

As to EU-funded humanitarian aid, the minimum environmental requirements and recommendations come into 
force in 2023. To meet these requirements, the use of clean energy in humanitarian interventions is essential. 

71 

 
 
 
 
 
SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and 
sustainable economic growth, full and productive 
employment and decent work for all 

EU internal action  

Overview and challenges 

The EU aims to transform into a modern, resource-efficient, fair and competitive economy where there are no 
new emissions of greenhouse gasses by 2050, economic growth is decoupled from the use of resources, and 
no person or place is left behind.  

The EU economy saw strong and continuous growth between 2014 and 2019. Over 14.5 million jobs were created 
in  this  period.  The  positive  trend  faltered  in  2020  because  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  but  the  EU  economy, 
boosted by Europe’s recovery plan, bounced back strongly in 2021 and 2022. This was also seen in the labour 
market,  with  the  EU’s  employment  rate  reaching  a  record  high  of  74.6%,  although  with  a  persisting  gender 
employment  gap.  With  the  swift  recovery,  labour  and  skills  shortages  have  exceed  pre-pandemic  levels. 
Adequate  minimum  wages  are  key  to  protecting  low–wage  earners  from  in-work  poverty  and  to  encouraging 
people into work. 

However  there  are  major  uncertainties  ahead  due  to  ongoing  inflationary  pressures,  tightening  financial 
conditions and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Overall, GDP growth is estimated at 3.5% in 2022 
and is projected to expand by 0.8% in 2023 and 1.6% in 2024 in the EU and employment by 1.8% and 0.1% 
respectively. Risks to the forecast for economic activity and inflation are heavily dependent on the evolution of 
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, developments in the energy markets and potential shocks to commodity 
markets. Employment growth is projected to have slowed down in 2022 and come to a halt in 2023. Long standing 
challenges remain to the labour market participation of women, young and older workers, people with a migrant 
background, persons with a minority racial or ethnic background, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable 
groups. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends  

At least 78% of the population aged 
20 to 64 to be employed by 2030 

The employment rate in the EU grew from 68.5% in 2015 to 74.6% in 
2022.  If  the  positive  trend  continues,  the  EU  will  be  well  placed  to 
reach the target of a 78% employment rate by 2030.  

European Pillar of Social Rights Action 
Plan 
Less than 9% of young people aged 
15 to 29 to be neither in 
employment, nor in education or 
training by 2030 

European Pillar of Social Rights Action 
Plan 

The  proportion  of  young  adults  neither  in  employment  nor  in 
education  or  training  (NEETs)  continued  to  fall  between  2015  and 
2019. However, this trend was reversed with the onset of the COVID-
19  pandemic,  bringing  the  share  of  NEETs  to  11.7%  in  2022.  The 
short-term assessment shows that the EU is on track to achieve the 
target. 

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  8  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and  in 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

72 

 
 
 
 
 
Key initiatives  

The  European  Green  Deal  is  the  EU’s  roadmap  for  making  its  economy  sustainable  by  turning  climate  and 
environmental  challenges  into  opportunities  across  all  policy  areas,  and  by  making  the  transition  just  and 
inclusive for all. At the same time, the EU aims for an ‘economy that works for people’ - its social market economy 
encourages growth and aims to reduce poverty and inequality. 

The European Pillar of Social Rights action plan outlines actions to implement the 20 principles of the European 
Pillar of Social Rights in a joint effort by the Members States and the EU, with the active involvement of social 
partners and civil society. It also proposes headline targets for the EU to achieve by 2030 in employment, skills 
and poverty reduction. The implementation of the social rights pillar is the EU’s primary means of progressing 
towards the SDGs in the areas of employment, skills, and social protection. 

Several legal initiatives were also set out at EU level. The most important of these is the Directive on adequate 
minimum  wages  in  the  EU  adopted  in  October  2022,  which  improves  minimum  wages  and  aims  to  increase 
workers’  access  to  minimum  wage  protection.  The  reinforced  Youth  Guarantee strengthens  activation  of  all 
young  people,  and  in  particular  those  not  in  employment,  education  or  training,  and  will  help  reduce  social 
exclusion  among  young  people..  The  Youth  Employment  Initiative  supports  quality  employment,  further 
education, quality traineeships and apprenticeships. 

The Council Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market aims to 
help  people  who  have  been  unemployed  for  a  long  time  to  re-enter  the  labour  market.  The  Directive  on 
transparent and predictable working conditions in the EU complements existing obligations to inform each worker 
about their working conditions and sets new minimum EU standards on working conditions for all workers. The 
Recommendation on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE) supports 
the transition from emergency measures to preserve jobs during the pandemic to new measures needed for a 
job-rich recovery. 

The European Semester integrates the surveillance and coordination of economic and employment policies to 
promote sustainable economic growth, job creation, financial stability and sound public finances. Since 2018, the 
EU’s Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy (ASGS) has emphasised the need to refocus the European Semester 
on integrating the SDGs and advancing competitive sustainability. From 2020 onwards, the ASGS has further 
specified that the European Semester should help implement the European Green Deal, the European Pillar of 
Social Rights and the SDGs. 

Tools to effectively carry out this agenda have recently been revised in the light of the policy context after the 
COVID-19 crisis and with the war in Ukraine. In 2021, the Commission launched a review of the EU economic 
governance framework (see the Economic Governance Review), with the aim of improving the effectiveness of 
integrated surveillance and policy coordination in the EU. In April 2023, the Commission presented legislative 
proposals to implement the most comprehensive reform of the EU’s economic governance framework since the 
aftermath of the economic and financial crisis. The central objective of these proposals is to strengthen public 
debt sustainability while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth. EU Member States will design and present 
plans setting out their fiscal targets, measures to address macroeconomic imbalances and priority reforms and 
investment over a period of at least four years. The proposals facilitate and encourage EU Member States to 
implement growth-enhancing reforms and investments in order to build the green, digital and resilient economy 
of the future. In this context there is an enhanced role for national fiscal institutions to be built over time. 

The EU is also working to create the capital market and banking unions. A more integrated capital market could 
facilitate risk sharing and investment in businesses irrespective of their location, providing capital for the green 
and digital transitions and helping reduce the impact of financial shocks. Work on the Banking Union aims to 
make banks more resilient, to establish a European deposit insurance scheme and to create a more integrated 
single market for banking services. 

73 

 
 
Selected enablers 

Financial resources, reforms and investments as well as science and innovation are strong means to implement 
the SDGs in the EU.  

With the objective of boosting job creation and economic growth, the Investment Plan for Europe mobilised 
more  than  EUR  500  billion  in  investment  in  the  EU  in  2015-2020  through  the  budgetary  guarantee  of  the 
European  Fund  for  Strategic  Investments  (EFSI).  This  investment  plan  was  followed  by  the  Sustainable 
Europe Investment Plan (SEIP), which is the investment pillar of the European Green Deal. The plan aims to 
mobilise at least EUR 1 trillion in sustainable investments over the next decade.  

The  plan  includes  InvestEU,  which  is  one  of  the  Commission’s  main  programmes  to  support  the  sustainable 
transition of the EU economy by providing financial guarantees to implementing partners. It will mobilise more 
than EUR 372 billion in public and private funding for debt and equity investments in EU companies across four 
policy  windows:  Sustainable  Infrastructure  Window,  Research,  Innovation  and  Digitalisation  Window,  SMEs 
Window, Social Investments and Skills Window. At least 30% of the InvestEU financing must contribute to climate 
objectives, and many of its financial products have a strong focus on sustainability.  

Supporting investments for jobs and growth is a core priority of Cohesion policy. By the end of the 2021-2027 
programmes’ implementation, estimations show that GDP in certain Member States will be +3 to 4% higher than 
in a scenario without cohesion policy (with an even higher impact for some regions), with the creation of about 
1,3  million  additional  jobs.  The  programmes  are  a  direct  response  to  the  country  specific  recommendations 
addressed to Member States in the context of the European Semester.  

Furthermore, over EUR 23 billion of Cohesion policy funds will be spent on helping SMEs to grow and improve 
their  competitiveness.  The  European  Regional  Development  Fund  contributes  to  smart  economic 
transformation  by  enhancing  sustainable  growth,  competitiveness  and  job  creation  in  SMEs,  including  by 
productive investments and through financial instruments, by developing skills for smart specialisation, industrial 
transition and entrepreneurship, and investing in education and training infrastructure. The European Regional 
Development  Fund  has  for  the  first  time  a  dedicated  specific  objective  of  supporting  skills  for  smart 
specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship in 65 000 SMEs. 

With a budget of EUR 99.3 billion (2021-2027), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) also makes an important 
contribution  to  the  EU’s  efforts  to  promote  employment  and  decent  work,  education  and  skills  policies,  and 
structural reforms in these areas. For example, the project ‘Convergence between academic training and active 
life’ in Romania helps students complement their academic knowledge with skills developed during good quality 
internships. 

The Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE) instrument has mobilised EUR 92 billion 
to help Member States fight the negative economic and social consequences of COVID-19 on their territory. The 
instrument proved effective in supporting short-time work schemes. SURE supported approximately 31.5 million 
people  and  2.5  million  firms  in  2020,  representing  almost  one  third  of  total  employment  and  firms  in  the  19 
Member States that benefited. SURE continued to safeguard employment in 2021, in particular in the first half of 
the year, bb supporting approximately 9 million people and over 800 000 firms. 

NextGenerationEU is the EUR 750 billion temporary (recovery instrument, implemented over 6 years, to help 
repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recovery 
and  Resilience  Facility  (RRF)  makes  EUR  723.8  billion  in  loans  and  grants  available  to  support  reforms  and 
investments made by EU countries. The RRF aims to finance reforms and investments with long-lasting impact, 
making the EU more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green 
and digital transitions. The RRF is designed to help the EU achieve its target of climate neutrality by 2050 and 
sets Europe on a path of digital transition, creating jobs and spurring growth in the process. The reforms proposed 
in the national recovery and resilience plans tackle (a significant subset of) the challenges identified in the country 

74 

 
 
 
specific  recommendations  addressed  to  Member  States  in  the  context  of  the  European  Semester.  Estimates 
suggest that, if well used, funds from NextGenerationEU could boost the EU’s real GDP by around 1.5% in the 
long term and support the creation of new jobs.  

In March 2023, the REPowerEU Regulation entered into force. The REPowerEU Plan, as the EU’s response to 
the global energy crisis, recognises the role of the RRF for achieving secure, affordable and green energy. Under 
REPowerEU, the RRF will support Member States in putting forward additional reforms and investments to rapidly 
phase-out  the  EU’s  dependence  on  Russian  fossil  fuels,  accelerate  the  clean  energy  transition,  support  the 
reskilling of the workforce, and address energy poverty. These new or scaled-up measures, to be included in 
dedicated REPowerEU chapters, will come on top of the already ambitious green agenda of the existing recovery 
and resilience plans, which already include support to environmental priorities such as the circular economy. 

The  RRF  Scoreboard  provides  extensive  information  on  the  implementation  of  the  facility.  For  example,  the 
German recovery and resilience plan will contribute to major multi-country initiatives aimed at strengthening 
European innovation and industry in three strategic technological areas: hydrogen, microelectronics and cloud 
technologies.  It  is  planned  to  implement  these  initiatives  through  Important  Projects  of  Common  European 
Interest  (IPCEIs),  which  make  it  possible  to  bring  together  knowledge,  expertise,  financial  resources  and 
economic players from across the EU. 

Another  example  is  from  the  Spanish  recovery  and  resilience  plan.  This  is  the  reform  of  employment 
contracts, amending existing regulations on the use of temporary contracts, to promote the use of open-ended 
contracts.  The  plan  also  includes  measures  to  strengthen  and  modernise  public  employment  services  and 
provide more efficient and targeted support to jobseekers. These include digitalisation and improving processes 
in the employment services, training staff, and recruiting temporary staff to face the effects of the crisis.  

Research  and  Innovation  actions  under  Horizon  Europe  explore  how  the  EU  can  transform  its  economy  to 
become more inclusive and sustainable. For example, in 2017-2020, the project InGRID-2 (Integrating Research 
Infrastructure for European expertise on Inclusive Growth from data to policy) supported joint research activities 
and research networks focusing on social inclusion and exclusion, the workplace and related social and labour 
market policies. In another project, a consortium of research institutions and national statistical institutes explored 
and  harmonised  indicators  beyond  GDP  that  measure  sustainability  and  wellbeing  (Makswell  –  MAKing 
Sustainable development and WELL-being frameworks work for policy analysis). Research projects are providing 
new understanding on labour market impacts and how the EU can ensure decent jobs and good social protection. 
The TransEuroWorkS project aims to provide information for policymakers by examining changes in work and 
social protection across Europe and the their impact on people.  

Another  example  is  the  project  ‘Support  to  the  tourism  ecosystem:  towards  a  more  sustainable,  resilient  and 
digital tourism’ in Italy, supported by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2022. Tourism is an 
important economic driver in Italy, but reforms are needed to overcome long-standing structural weaknesses and 
build the foundations for recovery. The main objective of this project is to strengthen the governance model and 
evidence base for tourism, and promote sustainable, resilient and digital tourism in Italy. 

Stakeholder engagement 

The  EU  take  a  collaborative  approach  to  deliver  on  its  agenda  to  promote  decent  working  conditions.  In  the 
framework  of  the  European  Semester  process,  the  Structured  Dialogue  provides  an  opportunity  for  the 
European Commission to engage with both employers and trade unions to discuss the issues, challenges, and 
possible policy responses on the economy, labour market and social protection.  

To reflect collectively on new trends and best practices, the Commission also regularly organises annual flagship 
events, such as  

75 

 
 
  The  Annual  Convention  for  Inclusive  Growth,  provides  a  platform  for  civil  society  organisations  and 

policymakers to discuss how to make the EU’s economy work for all. 

  The  Brussels  Economic  Forum  (BEF)  is  the  flagship  annual  economic  event  of  the  European 
Commission,  gathering  high-level  European  and  international  policymakers,  academics,  civil  society 
and business leaders to identify key challenges and debate policy priorities for the European economy. 
  The  EU  Sustainable  Investment  Summit  is  the  European  Commission’s  flagship  annual  event  on 
sustainable investment, bringing decision makers and stakeholders together to discuss key issues and 
challenges linked to the European Green Deal and its investment plan. 

  The  Annual  Research  Conference  (ARC)  is  where  European  institutions  exchange  knowledge  and 
engage in dialogue with researchers in academic institutions and think tanks, practitioners in civil society 
organisations and citizens. In 2022 the focus was ‘how to turn green the European way: keeping cutting 
the edge while remaining social and fair’. 

In 2022, the Commission also organized the first edition of the European Employment and Social Rights Forum, 
where stakeholders were invited to discuss the social dimension of the green transition. 

While the green transition provides ample opportunities for good quality jobs, the transition requires new green 
skills.  Therefore,  the  Skills  for  the  Green  Transition  Award  highlights  best-practice  initiatives  to  develop 
education, training and skills that support the shift towards a sustainable, clean, carbon-neutral circular economy 
and society. 

Good quality apprenticeships and on-the-job training are key to ensuring new job opportunities and developing 
people’s  skills.  The  European  Alliance  for  Apprenticeships  Award  recognise  outstanding  achievements  by 
companies  and  their  apprentices  that  help  improve  the  quality,  supply  and  overall  image  of  apprenticeships 
across Europe.  

The European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) is an award that identifies and rewards EU regions and cities 
with  an  outstanding  and  innovative  strategy  to  encourage  entrepreneurship  through  sustainable  and  credible 
initiatives with measurable targets. Cooperation with a broad range of stakeholders is essential to developing an 
entrepreneurial culture within a region. Since its creation in 2010, the EER label has been granted to 39 regions 
and cities from 17 EU Member States. The EER label for 2023 has been granted to Barcelona (Spain), Penela 
(Portugal) and Western Pomerania (Poland). 

Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. For example, 

The Start-Up Nation programme in Romania supports citizens abroad who want to set up  a business in their 
home country with grants of up to ROL 200 000 (approx. EUR 40 000). The maximum amount can be obtained 
if at least two full-time jobs are created through the project. The beneficiary company must bring a co-financing 
of at least 5% of the eligible costs of the project. The programme aims to help set up and develop SMEs and 
create new jobs. The programme has supported, among other things, investments in energy-saving installations 
and equipment, and systems that use renewable energy sources. 

The regional government of Wallonia in Belgium has partnered with the Walloon business federation to increase 
awareness of the SDGs and encourage the private sector to implement them. The website ‘Les SDGs pour les 
entreprises  wallonnes’  provides  guidance  to  firms  on  integrating  the  SDGs  into  their  business  practices  and 
models.  For  this  purpose,  two  catalogues  of  actions  that  enterprises  can  take  inspiration  from  have  been 
published on the website. 

Several  European  cities  (including  Amsterdam,  Brussels  and  Berlin)  are  experimenting  with  the  ‘doughnut 
economy’  model  to  recover  from  the  COVID-19  pandemic  and  encourage  participatory  processes  to  improve 
social conditions, while minimising climate and environmental impacts.  

76 

 
 
EU external action  
Global trends  

In 2010-2020, real GDP per capita grew steadily, if modestly, across the world, with low but rising unemployment 
rates in least developed counties. With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, GDP growth slowed down considerably, 
job losses and the increase in numbers of people not in education, employment or training (NEET) have been 
unprecedented, with vulnerable groups, women and  young people affected disproportionately. Workers in the 
informal sector and small firms have been hit particularly hard in the absence of well-established social protection 
systems. School closures have led to increased child labour and longer working hours of those already in work 
(see the UN SDG 2021 and 2022 reports). Recent developments, notably the impacts of the Russian aggression 
on Ukraine, have increased the threat to workers’ livelihoods and working conditions and exacerbated inequalities 
in income and in the labour market. 

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

Coherence between internal and external policies plays an important role in avoiding negative spillover effects 
in  terms  of  growth  and  employment,  and  in  ensuring  a  global  spread  of  the  economic  recovery  following  the 
COVID-pandemic. The EU plays an active role in promoting sound and sustainable macroeconomic policies in 
non-EU countries, through economic diplomacy, bilateral relations and in multilateral forums such as the G7 and 
the  G20.  It  also  holds  regular  dialogues  on  macroeconomic  and  structural  policy  issues  with  candidate 
countries, EU Neighbourhood countries and most of the non-EU G20 countries such as Argentina, Brazil, China, 
India, Mexico and South Africa. 

Through its active role as a member of the G20, the EU is able to promote its internal policies outside the EU. 
Examples of this include the G20 Framework for Growth Working Group, which was set up with the purpose 
of  attaining  strong,  sustainable  and  balanced  growth.  In  this  working  group,  discussions  touch  upon  the 
appropriate  policy  mix,  macroeconomic  developments  and  challenges,  and  the  range  of  impacts  of  climate 
change  and  mitigation  policies.  Discussions  also  include  the  EU  role  in  the  employment  strand  of  the  G20. 
Furthermore, to ensure that growth is sustainable, the EU strongly promotes the priorities of the European 
Green  Deal  among  its  international  partners.  In  this  vein,  the  EU  actively  contributes  to  a  global  effort  on 
resource efficiency and decoupling growth from environmental degradation, as described in more detail 
under SDG12.  

Most  recently,  the  EU  has  also  been  a  strong  driving  force  behind  the  G20  Common  Framework  for  Debt 
Treatments. It has ensured consistency between EU and international work on fair taxation in the digital age, 
and  helped  to  bring  together  donors  and  creditors  under  the  G20  Compact  with  Africa.  The  European 
Commission  also  proposed  a  series  of  measures  to  modernise  and  make  the  EU’s  Value-Added  Tax  (VAT) 
system work better for businesses and more resilient to fraud by embracing and promoting digitalisation. 

As the EU economy is connected to millions of workers around the world through global supply chains, and as 
EU consumers increasingly demand socially and environmentally sustainable fair trade goods, the EU engages 
with the private sector as well as with governments in partner countries on responsible business conduct in global 
supply chains. In line with that, the EU fosters the provision of expertise in the area of employment and social 
protection  in  partner  countries  via  the  SOCIEUX+  technical  assistance  facility  and  promote  decent  work  in 
specific sectors through programmes such as the ‘farm to fork strategy’, the ‘raw materials initiative’, ‘better work’ 
and the ‘vision zero fund’. 

Key  partnerships  with  the  UN  and  the  OECD,  in  particular,  have  been  instrumental  for  the  EU  in  promoting 
international standards on responsible business conduct on a global scale, and in encouraging the uptake of the 
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Tripartite Declaration, 
and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in global supply chains.  

77 

 
 
The  proposed  corporate  sustainability  due  diligence  Directive  aims  to  broaden  the  scope  from  voluntary 
standards  in  responsible  business  conduct  to  a  horizontal  legal  framework  to  prevent,  mitigate  and  end  the 
adverse  social,  climate  and  environmental  impacts  of  corporate  activities  across  their  value  chains.  It  thus 
promotes policy coherence for development as it aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour 
and to anchor mandatory human rights and environmental considerations in companies’ operations in  non-EU 
countries as well as businesses from outside the EU that operate in the EU. Human Rights in encompass issues 
such as forced labour, child labour, inadequate workplace health and safety and the exploitation of workers. The 
proposed directive would further strengthen other measures such as the EU conflict minerals Regulation, which 
creates supply chain due diligence obligations for EU importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, to ensure that 
imports  of  those  minerals  into  the  EU  do  not  contribute  to  armed  conflict  and  other  associated  human  rights 
abuses along the supply chain. The regulation also aims to promote sustainable development in the countries 
concerned by encouraging responsible sourcing, including from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. In addition, 
with the Regulation for deforestation-free products, the EU aims to reduce the impact of deforestation on nature 
and people in non-EU countries by introducing stringent due diligence obligations for corporations. 

The EU adopted its strategy on the rights of the child in 2021 and committed to a zero-tolerance approach to 
child labour in supply chains. In this context the EU adopted a new programme to address child labour in supply 
chains. The Commission has also adopted a legislative proposal to prohibit products made with forced labour 
from  being  placed  on  or exported from  the  EU  single  market[1].  The  proposal  builds on  internationally  agreed 
definitions and standards and covers all products, namely those made in the EU for domestic consumption and 
export, and imported goods, without targeting specific products, companies, industries or geographical locations. 
Furthermore, the Communication on decent work worldwide reaffirms the EU’s commitment to champion decent 
work both at home and around the world.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD commitments totalling EUR 8.2 billion in projects contributing to SDG 8, 
making it one of the largest recipients of EU development assistance  along with SDGs 1 and 10. The largest 
share of the EU contribution is accounted for by projects that target SDG 8 as the main SDG. These projects 
also make a significant contribution to other interlinked SDGs, in particular SDGs 1, 5, 9 and 10. Other SDGs 
also contribute to SDG8 as a significant objective. The main contributors are SDGs 1, 9, 13 and 17. When taking 
into  account  also  other  official  flows,  private  funds  mobilized  through  public  intervention  and  support  to 
international public goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 8 
amounted to EUR 13.6 billion in 2021  

The results of assistance24 include more than half a million jobs  that were supported or sustained by the EU. 
Further, nearly 800 000 firms and more than 2,6 million people had access to financial services with EU support 
in  2018-2021.  In  addition,  nearly  2  million  people  benefited  from  EU-supported  initiatives  to  give  vocational 
education  and  training  or  develop  skills.  As  for  the  enlargement  region,  in  2018-2021  the  EU  supported  or 
sustained more than 1.8 million jobs, 1 082 535 firms had access to financial services with EU support, and the 
EU supported 23 public policies to strengthen revenue  mobilisation, public financial management and budget 
transparency to strengthen the investment climate. 

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 12.5 
billion to SDG 8. EU and Member State funding for SDG 8 in 2021 focused predominantly on projects in Africa 
(61%), Asia (14%) and non-EU countries in Europe (12%). 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

In  relation  to  SDG  8,  the  EU  helps  partner  countries  to  improve  the  conditions  for  equitable  and  sustainable 
economic growth, employment and decent work. A core dimension of the EU’s activity is to foster an improved 

24 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

78 

 
 
                                                           
business  environment  and  investment  climate  to  create  conditions  that  are  more  conducive  to  private  sector 
development and foreign direct investments.  

In this context, and in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans to achieve sustainable growth, the EU’s 
priorities for its external actions that contribute to SDG 8 and interlinked SDGs include:  

  making growth environmentally sustainable, including by fostering digitalisation and reducing carbon 

emissions; 

  making  growth  socially  sustainable,  including  by  promoting  decent  work  and  human  rights  for 

workers worldwide, as well as responsible business conduct; 

  making growth inclusive, by reducing inequalities.  

Boosting  investment  in  partner  countries  has  been  supported  through  the  European  fund  for  sustainable 
development (EFSD), set up in 2017 and providing EU budgetary guarantees covering up to EUR 5.1 billion of 
operations  in  2017-2021.  The  fund  was  designed  to  contribute  to  the  achievement  of  the  SDGs,  namely  by 
supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, creating decent jobs, promoting gender equality and empowering 
women and young people. The EFSD provides guarantees and blended finance to facilitate investment in the 
European  Neighbourhood  and  in  sub-Saharan  African  countries  through  activities  to  reduce  risks  for  private 
investors in more challenging markets, with the goal of leveraging EUR 50 billion of investments.  

The fund’s successor, the EFSD+ and the external action guarantee, set up in 2021 with the capacity to provide 
EU  budgetary  guarantees  covering  up  to  EUR  53.45  billion  of  operations  in  2021-2027,  has  evolved  from  a 
regionally  focused  approach  to  a  global  scope.  It  contributes  to  aim  at  eradicating  poverty  and  promoting 
sustainable development, prosperity, peace and stability, including by mobilising private sector financing.  

In 2022, the Commission launched the first EFSD+ call for proposals (available envelope EUR 5.95 billion) under 
the Open Access Window. The EFSD+ Regional Operational Boards held in 2022 and January 2023 endorsed 
55 proposals amounting to EUR 8.4 billion across world regions. Furthermore, in 2022 the Commission signed 
five guarantee agreements in sectors related to digital, financial inclusion, cities and MSME lending amounting 
to EUR 295 million. 

Under the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy across the world, including in the case of the Western Balkans 
and the Neighbourhood region through the implementation of the Economic and Investment Plans, the EU aims 
to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion of investments in 2021-2027 to boost smart, clean and secure links in the digital, 
energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems, thus supporting the 
implementation of the SDGs.  

Furthermore, EU budget support encourages the implementation of reforms and macro-economic stability and, 
together  with  macro  financial  assistance  during  the  pandemic,  provided  countries  with  a  lifeline  for  SMEs 
massively affected by lockdowns and with social protection for the most vulnerable people. EU budget support 
provides a platform for dialogue, including with the private sector, and a set of incentives for reforms, capacity 
development and policies to improve economic governance and the investment climate.  

The EU also provides aid for trade assistance to support partner countries' efforts to develop and expand their 
trade as a way to grow their economy and reduce poverty. The respective policies and objectives are set out in 
the EU’s aid for trade strategy of 2017, referred to in this report under SDG 17.  

The EU’s Communication on decent work worldwide highlighted the importance of fundamental labour  rights, 
decent  working  conditions,  protection  of  vulnerable  groups  and  social  protection  for  the  achievement  of  the 
SDGs.  

The scope of SDG 8 is particularly broad, and the main EU actions which ensure that growth in partner countries 
is  sustainable,  integrating  environmental  and  climate  considerations,  are  described  in  more  detail  in  other 
chapters such as those on SDGs 12 and 13.  

79 

 
 
Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

Promoting sustainable growth and decent work is at the heart of SDG 8 while also being important for achieving 
other  SDGs,  such  as  addressing  poverty  (SDG 1),  food  security  (SDG 2),  gender  equality  (SDG 5),  reducing 
inequality (SDG 10) and for ensuring responsible consumption and production patterns in global value chains 
(SDG 12). 

In this sense, one project that is taking a particularly cross-cutting approach is the Team Europe initiative being 
developed to support sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development in Iraq. It will include actions 
to  create  decent  jobs  (including  for  young  people  and  vulnerable  groups),  on  economic  governance,  the 
economic empowerment of women, economic diversification, private sector development, entrepreneurship, the 
digital economy, the green economy, education and skills development. 

Some initiatives focus on young people and women, thereby contributing to SDGs 4, 5 and 10. These include 
for  example  three  Team  Europe  Initiatives  which  contribute  to  roll  out  the  Global  Gateway  strategy,  and  the 
Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package in particular, the #nigergenerationsfutures aims to provide 
Nigeriens, especially young people and women, with opportunities to develop their skills and engage in decent 
work, improving the business environment, facilitating access to financing, developing legal private businesses 
in promising sectors and increasing people’s potential through education and healthcare, especially for girls.  

In the same vein, the regional Team Europe Initiative ‘Investing in young businesses in Africa’ supports and 
develops early-stage businesses by improved quantity and quality of financial instruments available and technical 
assistance.  The  Team  Europe  Initiative  ‘Europe-Benin:  Sustainable  growth  and  employment  for  young 
people’ which is also part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe investment package aims to improve people’s 
potential by using technical and vocational education and training and entrepreneurship as levers to transform 
the country’s economic and social structure. The focus is on vocational training and on supporting the private 
sector on entrepreneurship and decent job creation, primarily for young people and women. In North Macedonia, 
the EU has supported educational reform and the entry of more than 26 000 young people into the labour market 
and further supports the country in addressing the mismatch between the educational offer and the demand in 
the labour market through a vocational education and training reform. The EU for Youth budget support, rolling 
out the youth guarantee, contributed to improving young people’s skills and reducing youth unemployment from 
30.5% in 2019 to around 25% in 2022.  

The  Team  Europe  Initiative  ‘Decent  work’  in  Bangladesh  contributes  to  the  Global  Gateway’s  investment 
priorities  and  provides  a  socio-economic  response  to  the  impacts  of  COVID-19.  This  project  aims  to  address 
cross-cutting issues by mainstreaming gender, a rights-based approach, the Green Deal and digitalisation. While 
it  is  focused  on  employment  and  decent  work,  its  actions  will  span  many  areas  such  as  education,  social 
protection, the business environment,  and accountability and transparency  in economic governance. In 2021, 
the EU strengthened efforts to boost women’s economic empowerment in partner countries by launching a new 
partnership with the Tony Elumelu Foundation that supports 2 500 African women entrepreneurs. 

In contribution to SDGs 8, 12 and 13, the Team Europe Initiative ‘Green Growth’ in Malawi supports Global 
Gateway investment priorities and aims to sustain agriculture, social stability and (youth) employment in Malawi. 
The  main  objective  is  to  create  jobs  under  a  sustainable  food  systems  approach  focusing  on  agriculture 
diversification,  environment  and  nutrition  as  growth  enablers.  The  Team  Europe  Initiative  ‘Green  Paraguay’ 
under the Global Gateway, which aims to promote global climate action and the green transition, in line with EU’s 
Green Deal. The initiative will build a strong EU-Paraguay partnership on environment and climate change and 
raise  awareness  among  young  Paraguayans  to  transition  towards  a  more sustainable  and  resilient  economic 
model in Paraguay. In addition, the Team Europe Global Green Bond Initiative will support partner countries in 
increasing and diversifying their access to private capital for an inclusive and sustainable transition. 

In  Albania,  the  EU’s  2020-2024  social  inclusion  programme  responded  to  the  emergency  with  measures 
providing economic aid and support to employees of SMEs affected by COVID-19, taking into account gender 

80 

 
 
and disability. A minimum salary was provided to 65 574 people from temporary closed small businesses during 
three months. The EU has also taken action to support businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, 
thereby contributing to SDGs 1 and 12. Also in North Macedonia, thanks to EU for Resilience budget support, 
4 558 companies benefited from EU funding and 4 824 persons in risk of unemployment preserved their jobs and 
professional activities. Similarly, in Armenia, the EU has supported socio-economic recovery and helped make 
the economy more resilient with the support programme ‘COVID-19 Resilience Contract for Armenia’ (2020-
2022).  The  programme  provided  much  needed  financial  assistance  through  existing  government  schemes  to 
over 2 million vulnerable people, as well as support in grants or loans to almost 20 000 SMEs. Also in Armenia, 
a Team Europe Initiative – Resilient Syunik – was launched in January 2023 to encompass various interrelated 
pillars:  MSME  development,  skills  and  employment,  education,  social  services,  sustainable  and  green  public 
infrastructure, good local governance and citizen engagement. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting  together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda, such as 
the following initiatives, which are included for illustrative purposes. 

In line with the objectives of SDG 8, Hungary supports a cashew farm project in Kenya, which helps to provide 
a livelihood for 15 000 people and has created jobs through the development of processing activities. 

Through a financial technology transfer agency, Luxembourg supports training programmes in Kosovo, Cabo 
Verde, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Laos, Mongolia, Rwanda, Vietnam and West Africa. In addition to transferring 
knowledge in the banking sector, this exchange is creating lasting international links between professionals in 
the sector. 

Looking ahead 

The Conference on the Future of Europe showed broad support for the EU to more actively support the shift to 
a sustainable and resilient growth model, consistent with the green and digital transitions and with a strong social 
dimension.  The  conventional  macroeconomic  indicators  and  GDP  figures  could  be  complemented  with  new 
indicators  to  address  European  priorities  such  as  the  European  Green  Deal  or  the  European  Pillar  of  Social 
Rights, and to better reflect the green and digital transitions and people’s wellbeing. 

The  European  Commission’s  2023  annual  sustainable  growth  survey  recognises  that,  in  light  of  the  mix  of 
challenges and risks to economic growth, economic and social policies must remain both coordinated and agile 
whilst maintaining their course towards long term objectives. This includes securing an adequate and affordable 
energy  supply,  safeguarding  economic  and  financial  stability,  and  protecting  vulnerable  households  and 
companies. At the same time, more rapid action is needed to boost growth and create good quality jobs, and to 
deliver on the green and digital transitions. In this context, the EU is looking to reform its economic governance 
framework. This aims to strengthen debt sustainability and enhance sustainable and inclusive growth through 
investment and reforms.  

To make progress in achieving the objectives of SDG 8 and in line with its reply to the outcomes the Conference 
on the Future of Europe, the Commission will take further action in the context of the Working Time Directive in 
the  Member  States  to  address  evolving  changes  and  challenges  in  the  organisation  of  work,  e.g.  due  to 
digitalisation. Further initiatives will also be proposed to make the EU’s industries sustainable, digital and resilient, 
address  demographic  changes,  in  particular  ageing  and  depopulation,  and  to  tackle  employment  and  labour 
shortages that result from the current geopolitical context. 

The upcoming proposal for a Council recommendation on social economy framework conditions, announced in 
the action plan for the social economy adopted in December 2021, will also aim to  create quality jobs, foster 
social and labour-market inclusion, and promote sustainable development through targeted recommendations to 

81 

 
 
Member States on how to recognise, support, and build on the contributions of the social economy towards these 
goals. 

The Commission will also consider new areas of action, including via an integrated approach that looks beyond 
GDP to measure and monitor wellbeing, sustainability and resilience, as proposed in the 8th Environmental Action 
Programme. Insights from a recent report on the green employment and skills transformation demonstrate that 
there is an opportunity for the European Green Deal to create more decent jobs and increase workers’ skills, in 
particular in skilled manual occupations. The development of the taxonomy of skills for the green transition will 
support a fair and sustainable transition by creating better and more diversified employment.  

At  the  international  level,  the  EU  will  continue  to  take  determined  action  to  accelerate  the  implementation  of 
SDG 8  globally,  including  by  rolling  out  a  range  of  multiannual  programmes  with  partner  countries  in  which 
sustainable growth and decent employment are a shared priority. A  tangible contribution to SDG 8 (and other 
interlinked SDGs) will be the deployment of the Global Gateway strategy at regional and national level, including 
the  Team  Europe  initiative  Investing  in  young  businesses  in  Africa  (IYBA),  which  helps  young  African 
businesses and entrepreneurs in their initial growth stages to access to medium-term and long-term finance. 

82 

 
 
 
 
SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote 
inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and 
foster innovation 

EU internal action 

Overview and challenges 

Between 2015 and 2022, numerous challenges shook the EU on its path towards implementing SDG 9. In the 
face of these challenges, the EU showed the added value of its open strategic autonomy approach. The COVID-
19  pandemic  and  political  tensions,  compounded  by  environmental  and  health  issues,  have  challenged  the 
resilience  of  the EU’s infrastructure and  industry.  The  question  of  supply  and  value  chain  resilience  has  only 
grown more pertinent in the context of the international order. 

Furthermore, while industrial greenhouse gas emissions have decreased, they have not done so fast enough to 
curb the effects of climate change. The EU is working to keep its climate action goals within reach, including 
through reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030. In order to achieve these goals, the EU also faces the 
immense  challenge  of  organising  the  free  movement  of  goods  and  people  in  the  EU’s  internal  market  in  an 
environmentally  friendly  way.  Transitioning  and  transforming  European  industry  requires  a  multi-pronged 
approach; this is why the EU Taxonomy for sustainable activities was put in place to help direct funding towards 
green investments. 

Under pressure from these challenges, the EU’s industrial landscape is undergoing a series of transformations, 
where the role of industry in our environmental, economic and societal well-being is acknowledged and acted 
upon.  

Research and development (R&D) are essential to promoting innovation and sustainable industrialisation in the 
EU in line with SDG 9. R&D is key to making transportation and societal infrastructure (e.g. hospitals, schools 
and universities) more sustainable, and to developing new green infrastructures. At Member State level, R&D 
investments remains uneven, with R&D intensity varying from 0.5% to 3.5% of GDP in 2020. Only seven Member 
States reached their 2020 targets. These targets have been renewed for 2030.  

According to the latest edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard, the score for EU’s innovation performance 
increased by 9.9% between 2015 and 2022, mainly due to strong improvements in performance in broadband 
penetration, venture capital expenditure and international scientific co-publications.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference  
3% of GDP to be invested on EU research 
and innovation by 2030 

Trends 
In  2021,  EU  research  and  development  expenditure  relative  to 
GDP stood at 2.26 %, compared with 2.02 % in 2011. 

Set in the European Research Area 
Communication and the European Research 
Area Pact 
35% of the overall Horizon Europe budget 
in support of climate action for the period 
2021-2027  

Total climate action related expenditure in 2021/22 was calculated 
ex  ante  at  EUR  9.9  billion,  equal  to  37.2%  of  the  total.  For  the 
period  2023-2024,  the  EU  has  dedicated  EUR 5.67  billion  (over 
42% of the work programme's budget) to climate action objectives.  

83 

 
 
 
  
 
Set in Horizon Europe 

Doubling high-speed rail traffic by 2030 

Set in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility 
Strategy 

In 2019, the high-speed passenger activity represented 132 billion 
passenger-kilometres,  an 
increase  of  20%  on  2015.  This 
corresponds to an annual growth rate of 4.7% and would have put 
the EU on track to reach the 2030 milestone if it were not for the 
COVID-19 pandemic’s severe impact on the transport system. 

Doubling the rail freight traffic by 2050 

Set in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility 
Strategy 

In  2019,  rail freight  activity  stood  at  408  billion  tonne-kilometres, 
an  increase  of  2.4%  on  2015.  This  corresponds  to  a  moderate 
annual  growth  rate  of  0.6%.  However,  transport  was  one  of  the 
sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The multimodal Trans-European Transport 
Network (TEN-T) equipped for sustainable and 
smart transport with high-speed connectivity 
will be operational for the core network by 
2030 and for the whole network by 2050 

Set in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility 
Strategy 

According  to  the  2020  progress  report,  significant  progress  was 
made in developing the TEN-T network in 2016 and 2017, both in 
technical compliance and financial investments. In any case, the 
major challenges of the TEN-T infrastructure network can only be 
met by a sound mix of funding and financial instruments. Further 
progress is to be expected during the years to come to meet the 
2030 and 2050 objectives, as outlined in the 2020 Progress Report 
on the implementation of the TEN-T network.  

More details on indicators and trends for SDG 9 can be found in the statistical and analytical annex and Eurostat’s 
monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

In  support  of  achieving  SDG  9,  the  EU  has  developed  a  ‘twin  digital  and  green  transitions’  narrative.  This 
approaches the issues in a systemic way, with a wide range of policies in place addressing or touching upon 
infrastructures, industrialisation and innovation.  

In  order  to  reach  the  climate  targets  of  the  European  Green  Deal,  the  EU’s  "Sustainable  and  Smart  Mobility 
Strategy”  aims  for a  major revamping  of infrastructure and  sets  various  milestones for smart and  sustainable 
transport modes. In particular, the Strategy states that there should be at least 30 million zero-emission cars in 
operation on European roads and more than 3 million publicly accessible recharging points deployed (see SDG 
11). In order to achieve this goal, the Commission proposed a new Regulation on the deployment of alternative 
fuels infrastructure (AFIR) with binding targets for the rollout of recharging and refuelling infrastructure. Moreover, 
support to the digitalisation pillar of the sustainable and smart mobility strategy has also been promoted though 
investments for the digitalisation of all transport modes, including on board and fixed equipment for the European 
Railway  Traffic  Management  System  (ERTMS),  Intelligent  Transport  Services  (ITS)  for  road  and  Air  Traffic 
Management (ATM), accompanying the green transition. In addition, the EU space-based technologies, such as 
Galileo  and  EGNOS,  are  key  enablers  for  smart  and  sustainable  transport,  particularly  for  connected  and 
autonomous driving. EGNOS can also aid in improving the safety and environmental efficiency of the aviation 
sector by enabling fuel-efficient landing and navigation solutions. 

At the same time, the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy aims at implementing an effective EU-
wide and multimodal network of roads, railway lines, inland waterways, ports, airports and rail-road terminals. In 
2021, the Commission proposed a revision of the TEN-T legal framework, strengthening technical parameters 
for all transport modes and including a proposal for extension of European Transport Corridors to neighbouring 
countries in the Western Balkans as well as Ukraine and Moldova. In addition, Member States are proposed to 

84 

 
 
 
collect and report monitoring data on such aspects as greenhouse gas emissions, air and noise pollution and 
congestion in all cities designated as urban nodes. 

The EU is also transforming its industrial ecosystems with an updated Industrial Strategy for Europe and a novel 
approach  to  industrial  transformation  through  co-created  transition  pathways.  These  pathways  are  involving 
industries, policymakers and stakeholders  across entire value chains to work on identified gaps and fostering 
partnerships.  So  far,  the  Commission  has  adopted  pathways  for  the  tourism,  proximity  and  social  economy, 
chemicals, construction and textile ecosystems. To monitor twin and resilience transition of industrial ecosystems 
and the implementation of transition pathways, a new monitoring tool named the European Monitor of Industrial 
Ecosystems  (EMI)  has  been  created.  The  project  will  deliver  a  set  of  reports  that  support  and  Industrial 
Ecosystem analysis of industrial competitiveness, green and digital transition and resilience. 

Small-  and  medium-sized  enterprises  (SMEs)  are  key  actors  in  transforming  the  EU’s  industrial  landscape. 
Representing 99% of all businesses in the EU, SMEs are at the centre of the Commission's action and the 2020 
SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe. The strategy aims to considerably increase the number of 
SMEs engaging in sustainable business practices as well as the number of SMEs employing digital technologies. 
In doing this, it is being supported by the Enterprise Europe Network, European Clusters network and European 
Digital Innovation Hubs (see below).  

The  Digital  Decade  Policy  Programme  2030  has  set  ambitious  targets,  including  with  respect  to  Europe’s 
connectivity infrastructure and the digital transformation of businesses by 2030. With the development of a state-
of-the-art connectivity system, IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), the 
EU will offer enhanced communication capacities to governmental users as well as to business users. 

Europe seeks to make its transition sustainable and competitive by fostering sustainable innovation via the 
New European Innovation Agenda. This initiative aims to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of 
deep  tech  innovation  and  start-ups,  to  develop  new  technologies  to  address  the  most  pressing  societal 
challenges, and to bring them to the market.  

The  new  Innovation  Agenda  is  completed  by  the  new  European  Research  Area  (ERA).  Based  on  excellent, 
competitive,  open  and  talent-driven  science,  ERA  will  improve  Europe's  research  and  innovation  landscape, 
accelerate  the  EU’s  transition  towards  climate  neutrality  and  digital  leadership,  support  its  recovery  from  the 
societal and economic impact of the coronavirus crisis and strengthen its resilience against future crises. 

The European Chips Act will ensure that the EU has the necessary tools, skills and technological capabilities to 
become a leader in this field, going beyond research and technology in design, manufacturing and packaging of 
advanced chips, to secure its supply of semiconductors and to reduce its dependencies. 

Selected enablers 

Financial resources, reforms and investments as well as science and innovation are strong means to implement 
the SDGs in the EU. 

Horizon  Europe  is  the  EU’s  key funding  programme  for  research  and innovation  with  a  budget  of EUR 95.5 
billion from 2021-2027. The  programme helps implement the 17 SDGs, and boosts the EU’s competitiveness 
and  growth.  It  facilitates  collaboration  and  strengthens  the  impact  of  research  and  innovation  in  developing, 
supporting and implementing EU policies in tackling global challenges. At the same time, it supports the creation 
and better dispersion of excellent knowledge and technologies, creates jobs, fully engages the EU’s talent pool 
and optimises investment impact within a strengthened European Research Area.  Under Horizon Europe, the 
European  Innovation  Council  (EIC),  with  a  budget  of  EUR 10.1  billion,  aims  to  support  game-changing 
innovations throughout the lifecycle, from early-stage research to proof of concept, technology transfer, and the 
financing and scale-up of start-ups and SMEs. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) drives 
innovation by bringing together organisations from the business, higher education and research sectors to find 

85 

 
 
solutions  to  pressing  global  challenges  through  offering  support  to  entrepreneurial  education,  developing 
innovative projects and business creation and acceleration. 

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is a key EU funding instrument that supports the development of high 
performing, sustainable and efficiently interconnected trans-European networks in the fields of transport, energy 
and digital services. In 2014-2020, CEF supported over 1000 projects on the trans-European transport network 
for a total amount of EUR 23 billion. The great majority of such projects concerned sustainable modes of transport 
such  as  railways,  maritime  transport  and  inland  waterways,  as  well  as  alternative  fuels  infrastructure  and 
intelligent traffic management systems. In 2021-2027, a further EUR 25.8 billion are available for projects aimed 
at completing the TEN-T network. Resilience of EU’s infrastructure to climate change will be further strengthened 
with the extended climate-proofing requirements for new investments. 

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund also contribute to enhance mobility 
by  developing  a  climate  resilient,  intelligent,  secure,  sustainable  and  intermodal  Trans-European  Transport 
Network (TEN-T), access to TEN-T, urban and cross-border mobility. EU cohesion Funds support regions and 
cities to reach the targets of climate neutrality and circular economy by 2050 and contribute to a just transition. 
Under  the  objective  “A  more  connected  Europe”,  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  and  the 
Cohesion Fund will dedicate around EUR 40 billion of EU funding to increase investment in the digital and green 
transition of the transport sector, while also continuing to improve connectivity and traffic safety, in line with the 
Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. 

The  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  is  instrumental  in  developing  the  EU  Member  States’  research  and 
innovation systems, with a real transformative impact should the efforts be maintained over time. The research 
and  innovation  investments  in  the  Member  States’  recovery  and  resilience  plans  (with  a  budget  of  around 
EUR 50 billion) represent between 4% and 13% of each country’s Recovery and Resilience Facility allocation, 
with only a few outliers and an average of about 10%.  

Cyprus provides an example of how recovery and resilience plans are being used to reform the research and 
innovation system. The Cypriot plan includes ambitious reform to develop a comprehensive national research 
and innovation policy to support the innovation ecosystem and to strengthen the links between policymaking and 
implementation. The reform consists in the adoption of a national strategy for research and innovation, a related 
action plan, and the revised smart specialisation strategy, with the latter including priorities to build competitive 
advantages by developing and matching strengths to business needs.  

The Danish recovery and resilience plan will provide funding to the public and private sectors to boost research 
and development, particularly in innovative green technologies. The programme will be structured around at least 
four public-private partnerships, called ‘green partnerships’. These bring together research institutions, private 
businesses,  public  authorities  and  innovation  actors  to  develop  solutions  to four mission-based  challenges  of 
reducing emissions in the transport, agriculture, food and waste sectors.  

The  ‘PANOPTIS’  project,  with  an  EU  contribution  of  EUR  5  million,  aims  to  increase  the  resilience  of  road 
infrastructures in the face of unfavourable conditions such as extreme weather, landslides and earthquakes. By 
means of an application, the project combines climate change scenarios with simulation tools and data, using 
terrestrial and airborne sensors and advanced modelling tools.  

The Horizon Europe-financed ‘ECOS’ project (‘EU SDG-driven Innovation Ecosystems: Stimulating economic 
growth and addressing innovation support imbalances in Europe and beyond’) aims to build capacity to co-create 
and  foster  an  inclusive  EU  SDG-driven  innovation  ecosystem,  focused  on  the  greatest  social,  economic  and 
environmental  needs  of  our  time,  thereby  contributing  to  the  realisation  of  the  green  and  digital  transition  of 
Europe. The project provides capacity-building activities to enable the establishment of SDG-driven innovation 
ecosystems  across  project  members,  which  can  then  be  used  to  plan  an  interconnected  and  sustainable 

86 

 
 
ecosystem by delivering new research and data, facilitating knowledge exchange, and creating new collaboration 
and engagement opportunities within existing networks and beyond. 

The Horizon Europe Missions emphasise the evolution of industrial, societal and cultural structures towards 
sustainability. One notable example, the Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission, is a partnership between the 
Commission and 112 European cities, each resolving to become climate-neutral by 2050, and to transform their 
economic and societal landscape to achieve this goal in a sustainable way. 

Another example is the ‘Startup Ecosystem Strategy’ project in Romania, supported by the Structural Reform 
Support Programme under the call for 2020. Romania’s innovative capacity ranked last in the EU in 2019, and 
public and private spending for research, development and innovation was one of the lowest, and the start-ups’ 
survival  rate  was  low.  The  project  aimed  to  address  the  lack  of  an  evidence-based  strategic  framework  and 
tailored policy measures to support the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a focus on innovative 
start-ups. The support was delivered through the exchange of good practices, recommendations, inputs and a 
pilot for the design of strategic planning to animate the Romanian entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Stakeholder engagement  

The EU delivers on SDG 9 using a collaborative approach. For example, the European Research and Innovation 
Days  is  the  European  Commission’s  annual  flagship  R&I  event,  bringing  together  policymakers,  researchers, 
entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.  

The high-level expert group on the economic and societal impact of research and innovation (ESIR) provides 
evidence-based  policy  advice  to  the  Commission  on  how  to  develop  a  forward-looking  and  transformative 
research and innovation policy. Its 16 experts provide independent advice on how EU research and innovation 
policy can best support the transformation of our economy and society throughout the social, green and digital 
transitions.  

The  EU  Industrial  Forum  is  the  main  platform  for  discussing  industry  challenges  and  co-developing 
opportunities and policy responses in an inclusive dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including social 
and  environmental  partners.  It  informs  industrial  policies  at  European,  national,  regional  and  local  levels  and 
ensures  that  a  coherent  framework  is  in  place  for  European  industry  to  deliver  sustainable  jobs,  growth  and 
innovation in Europe. The EU Industry Days remain the EU flagship event for industry and a valuable moment 
for discussion with a variety of stakeholders. 

The Connecting Europe Days brings together stakeholders involved in infrastructure development so to discuss 
transport  and  mobility  and  their  role  in  achieving  the  ambitious  goals  set  out  in  the  EU  Green  Deal  and  the 
Sustainable  and  Smart  Mobility  Strategy.  The  next  edition  of  the  event  will  take  place  in  early  2024,  with 
discussions  focused  on  the  implementation  of  the  revised  TEN-T  policy  and  the  financial  means  needed  to 
complete the core TEN-T network by 2030. 

The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), a support network for SMEs across the EU, provides a dedicated package 
of tailored services to help individual SMEs with a proven record of success to innovate and grow both within the 
EU  and  beyond.  It  is  made  up  of  more  than  450  partner  organisations  in  more  than  40  countries,  including 
chambers of commerce, innovation or enterprise agencies, regional development agencies, SME organisations, 
research institutes and technology centres. The EEN has recently introduced dedicated Sustainability Advisors 
to help SMEs make a successful transition to sustainability while growing internationally. 

Horizon Impact Award is a European Commission initiative to recognise and celebrate outstanding projects that 
have used their results to provide value for society.  

87 

 
 
Horizon Prizes are challenge prizes (also known as inducement prizes) offering a cash reward to whoever can 
most  effectively  meet  a  defined  challenge.  The  aim  is  to  stimulate  innovation  and  come  up  with  solutions  to 
problems that matter to European citizens.  

The European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital) is an annual recognition prize awarded to the European 
cities that best promote innovation in their communities.  

Multi-level approach 

SDG delivery requires ambitious action at all levels. Some good practices in implementing SDG 9 are set out 
below. 

At national level, Poland has launched the Clean Air Priority Program (CAPP) in 2020 with the aim to improve 
energy  efficiency  and  reduce  emissions  of  dust  and  other  pollutants  into  the  atmosphere.  Through  the 
programme, funding is granted to replace old solid fuel domestic stoves and boilers and modernise the heating 
systems of single-family houses. The programme earmarks more than 100 billion PLN and is implemented by 
local municipalities processing requests and awarding the subsidies to beneficiaries. 

At local level, the city of Braga in Portugal created Startup Braga, its innovation hub, to support entrepreneurship 
with global ambition. The hub helps entrepreneurs in the creation, incubation and acceleration of start-ups, mainly 
in the areas of digital economy, health technologies, nanotechnology, biotechnology and sustainability. It is also 
giving access to a wide range of partners, mentors and investors. The hub’s community now has 190 start-ups, 
responsible for the creation of more than 1 000 jobs, and has raised more than EUR 375 million in investment. 

EU external action 
Global trends  

Infrastructure sits at the crossroads of many different sectors, from transport to digital transformation and from 
climate mitigation to green energy. It is an important element of the EU Global Gateway strategy. According to 
G20  estimates,  the  global  infrastructure  investment  deficit  will  reach  EUR  13  trillion  by  2040.  While  mobile 
broadband communication has been a significant success story across most regions, some gaps in the poorest 
regions  remain.  The  global  manufacturing  industry  has  progressed  unevenly  across  different  regions  and 
countries, and its value added stagnated in the least developed countries following the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

The EU’s efforts towards SDG 9 also have important positive spin-off and synergetic effects. These particularly 
concern  innovation  that  can  benefit  Europe  and  its  partner  countries  alike,  in  areas  such  as  sustainable 
infrastructure, transport, industrial transition, agricultural research and digital transformation.  

In terms of positive externalities, Galileo and Copernicus have been instrumental in reinforcing and creating more 
resilient and efficient infrastructure across the EU, and EU space data is also being used to support innovation. 
This  is  combined  with  cooperation  projects  such  as  the  creation  of  a  regional  Copernicus  centre in  Panama, 
which – through earth observation – will lead to mutual benefits for the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean 
countries  in  the  areas  of  climate  change  mitigation  and  adaptation,  food  security,  tracking  of  emissions  and 
disaster risk reduction. 

In addition, the EU's Global Approach to Research and Innovation encourages global cooperation across a whole 
range of thematic areas and across a wide array of non-EU countries. It does this by financing programmes such 
as  Horizon  Europe,  which  associate  research  bodies  from  EU  countries  with  low  and  middle-income  partner 
countries for R&I projects benefiting partner countries. Openness is a staple of the R&I framework programme, 

88 

 
 
where non-EU countries are encouraged to participate and are treated on an equal footing as EU countries in 
terms of access to funding once an association agreement has been signed.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD commitments of EUR 5.8 billion in projects contributing to SDG 9. The 
main share of the EU contribution to SDG 9 is accounted for projects that target SDG 9 as the main SDG. These 
projects also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, with the largest contributions going to SDGs 8, 11, 13 and 17. 
Projects  targeting  other  SDGs  also  contribute  to  SDG 9  as  a  significant  objective.  The  main  contributors  are 
projects related to SDGs 1, 3 and 8. When taking into account other official flows, private funds mobilized through 
public  intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to  Sustainable 
Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 9 amounted to EUR 12.3 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of 
assistance,25 79 000 km of roads were supported by the EU through construction, rehabilitation and maintenance 
in the period 2018-2021.  

Collectively,  the  EU  and  those  Member  States  that  reported  on  SDGs  to  the  OECD  in  2021  contributed 
EUR 8 billion to SDG 9. EU and Member State flows to SDG 9 predominantly focused on projects in Africa (49%), 
Asia (21%) and other countries in Europe (16%).  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement  

The roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy is particularly relevant for the achievement of SDG 9. With sustainable 
and high-quality projects in the field of infrastructure, the EU is aiming to enhance the resilience and connectivity 
of its partner countries while enabling closer cooperation through sustainable, smart infrastructures. The EU aims 
to mobilise investments of up to EUR 300 billion between 2021 and 2027across different sectors reflecting the 
cross-cutting nature of SDG 9, notably digital infrastructure and transport, climate and energy, transport, health, 
education  and  research.  The  Global  Gateway  strategy  follows  a  Team  Europe  approach  and  supports  global 
infrastructure development in accordance with the key EU principles of democratic values, good governance and 
transparency and the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investments, which the EU endorsed in 2019.  

The  Global  Gateway  strategy  will  support  development  of  a  framework  to  promote  high  social, 
environmental and governance standards, taking full account of climate change impacts, the transition to low-
carbon economies, and financial sustainability and transparency, thereby contributing to a range of interrelated 
SDGs. 

In this context and, in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans to achieve SDG 9, the EU’s priorities 
are:  

 

 

creating climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructure, including transport corridors and improved 
urban infrastructure; and  
ensuring inclusive and human-centred digital connectivity, including the roll-out and expansion of 
fibre-optic cables, especially in unserved areas, and the digitalisation of businesses. 

Out  of  the  EUR  300  billion  in  investments  targeted  under  Global  Gateway,  Africa  could  benefit  from  at  least 
EUR 150 million. On the margins of the EU-AU Summit, the 2022 Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment 
Package was unveiled as one of the key areas of investment and focus. The 11 strategic transport corridors 
in  Africa  for  increased  mobility  and  trade  aim  to  contribute  to  expanding  internet  access  through  fibre-optic 
connections, and to fostering satellite-based connectivity. Further, through the EU-AU Data Flagship Initiative, 
support is provided to develop green data centres to encourage progress towards a data economy in Africa.  

Broadly, the EU will support African governments and their national and regional authorities in their efforts to 
ensure a well-regulated ICT ecosystem that fosters telecommunications investments and to protect end-users. 

25 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

89 

 
 
                                                           
Science, technology and innovation in Africa will be supported through partnerships with African regional centres 
of excellence, collaboration on earth observation and space technologies, and a joint AU-EU innovation agenda. 
Business development, with a focus on young people and women, is also an important part of the Africa-Europe 
Investment Package. As part of the Invest in Young Businesses in Africa initiative, the EU will implement up 
to 180 programmes aiming to help young African businesses to flourish. These programmes are expected to 
facilitate access to finance and improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Furthermore,  as  part  of  its  Economic  and  Investment  Plans,  the  EU  has  extended  its  Trans-European 
Transport  Network  (TEN-T)  to  the  Western  Balkans,  Türkyie,  and  the  Eastern  Partnership  region,  thereby 
fostering sustainable mobility. 

Additionally, the EU is cooperating with the US under the  Trade and Technology Council to support secure 
and  resilient  digital  connectivity  and  information  and  communication  technology  and  services  (ICTS)  supply 
chains in third countries, provided by trusted suppliers. After the creation of a dedicated taskforce on this issue, 
the  EU  and  the  US  announced  their  support  to  inclusive  ICTS  projects  in  Jamaica  and  Kenya  based  on  the 
common  overarching  principles.  In  addition,  under  the  G7,  the  G7  Partnership  for  Global  Infrastructure  and 
Investment was launched to help partner countries create the essential infrastructure to better navigate global 
shocks such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

EU actions on SDG 9 also contribute to the achievement of other SDGs in Europe and the world.  

In illustration, the ‘Green Economy in Senegal’ Team Europe initiative, contributing to the Global Gateway 
investment priorities on digitalisation in relation to SDG 9, is closely linked to SDGs 8, 11 (Sustainable Cities) 
and  15  (Life  on  Land).  It  aims  to  strengthen  convergence  between  agro-industries,  green  agriculture, 
communications and services in the most important agro-ecological regions of Senegal and to improve the living 
conditions of people living in urban areas.  

Equally interlinked with SDGs 9, 8, 11 and 15 is the ‘Smart, green and digital recovery’ Team Europe initiative 
in Ghana. The EU and eight Member States are supporting this Global Gateway initiative, which focuses on three 
thematic areas, namely sustainable inclusive growth, sustainable cities and urban governance, and agribusiness 
and  the  cocoa  value  chain.  The  support  provided  takes  the  form  of  expertise,  capacity  building,  technology 
transfer, scientific cooperation, scholarships, twinning and covenants, innovative financing, and private and public 
partnerships. 

By  contributing  to  SDG  9,  the  EU  supports  a  broad  range  of  projects  related  to  enhanced  connectivity  and 
digitalisation, in line with the EU’s connectivity agenda. Using a Team Europe approach, a range of initiatives 
contribute to the roll-out of the Global Gateway strategy.  

Thus, the ‘LAC Digital Alliance’ aims to launch a comprehensive political and cooperation framework for digital 
engagement (regulatory and policy issues, connectivity infrastructure, innovation, private sector cooperation and 
e-services and earth observation) with Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean.  

The  ‘Human-Centred  Digitalisation’  initiative  in  Kenya  aims  to  boost  inclusive,  human-centric,  gender-
responsive  and  rights-based  digitalisation.  Actions  under  the  project  will  support  digital  connectivity,  jobs  and 
skills and digital governance, benefiting youth, women, marginalised groups and unserved areas.  

In Central  Asia, the  regional Team Europe initiative ‘Digital Connectivity’, launched at the EU-Central Asia 
Connectivity  Conference,  and  which  contributes  to  the  roll-out  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy.  will  be 
spearheaded by the EU’s financing of the extension of the EU-financed Black Sea fiber-optic cable between the 
EU and Georgia to Central Asia via Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea to tackle the connectivity gap in the region.  

The EU is also launching ‘Digital Economy Packages’. One such package is the EU-Nigeria Digital Economy 
Package,  into  which  at  least  EUR  820  million  will  be  injected  by  2024.  It  will  help  Nigeria  enhance  secure 

90 

 
 
connectivity, digitalise public services, support entrepreneurship and build digital skills, while at the same time 
developing a human-centric, democratic governance framework for technology.  

Besides digital connectivity, in relation to SDG 9, the EU has continuously supported the development of strategic 
multimodal transport corridors relying on resilient cross-border infrastructure. The ‘Knowledge Hub–Global 
Gateway  Support  Mechanism’  action  contributes  to  developing  the  connectivity  agenda  and  applying  good 
practices on quality infrastructure, in particular in the transport sector. Thus, in Ethiopia the Road Sector Policy 
Support  programme  supported  the  establishment  of  an  efficient  road  network  at  federal,  regional  and  rural 
levels and contributed to the maintenance of 28 000 km of roads in the country under the Global Gateway Africa-
Europe Investment Package. 

Several infrastructure projects under SDG 9 are further interlinked with Climate Action (SDG 13), Education and 
Culture (SDG 4) and Health (SDG 3). 

The EU, together with some Member States, is supporting the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility, part 
of the ASEAN-Green Initiative, a regional Team Europe Initiative  developed in cooperation with the Asian 
Development Bank. This infrastructure fund initiative supports governments in Southeast Asia to prepare and 
finance infrastructure projects that promote environmental sustainability and contribute to climate change goals.  

After the Albanian earthquake of November 2019, the EU launched two programmes to help the country recover 
from the shock and increase resilience to natural disasters. The  EU4Schools programme has supported the 
reconstruction  and  repair  of  education  facilities,  while  the  EU4Culture  programme  has  supported  the 
rehabilitation of cultural heritage sites and associated economic activities to support tourism. The programme 
integrates  accessibility  with  environmental  protection,  disaster  risk  reduction,  and  sustainability.  In  the  West 
Bank, the EU supports communities with basic social and public infrastructure such as roads, schools, public 
parks, and public buildings 

Through its ‘Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, medicines & health technology products in Africa’ 
Team  Europe  Initiative,  which  supports  the  roll-out  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy,  the  EU  provided  over 
EUR 3 billion  to  the  COVAX  Facility  thus  supporting  manufacturing  capacity  development  in  Africa  for 
enhanced  pandemic  preparedness,  access  to  vaccines,  medicines  and  other  medical  equipment,  thereby 
contributing to SDG 9 in erm of industrialisation and innovation in addition to health objectives under SDG 3. The 
initiative is part of the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 9. A few examples of such initiatives are set out below for illustrative purposes. 

Estonia  is  actively  involved  in  numerous  digitalisation  initiatives.  Through  the  ‘EGOV4UKRAINE’  U-LEAD 
Project,  Estonia  supports  Ukraine,  in  line  with  the  country’s  administrative  reform,  by  delivering  a  systemic 
e-government  approach  supporting  decentralisation  and  improving  the  delivery  of  public  services  by  local 
government. 

The  Netherlands  focuses  on  providing  partner  countries  with  good,  publicly  accessible  infrastructure  which 
contributes  to  sustainable  economic  growth.  The  Netherlands  Enterprise  Agency  administers  bilateral 
programmes, which invest in the development and construction of public infrastructure, particularly in the water, 
energy, food security and healthcare sectors.  

Spain’s cooperation agency, AECID, addressed its priorities, such as zero hunger, water and sanitation, health 
and education through the ACERCA programme. ACERCA focuses on the creation of creative industries and 
innovation,  with  special  attention  paid  to  cultural  industries  as  an  engine  of  economic  development  and  the 
training  of  professionals  in  the  sector.  38  countries  in  Africa,  the  Middle  East,  the  Caribbean  and  Latin 
America have already benefited from the programme. 

91 

 
 
Looking ahead 

The new European innovation agenda aims to help the EU to develop new technologies to address societal 
challenges and bring them to the market. It will in particular: 

 
 
 

 

 

improve access to finance for European start-ups and scale-ups; 
enable innovators to experiment with new ideas through regulatory sandboxes; 
help  create  ‘regional  innovation  valleys’  that  will  strengthen  and  better  connect  innovation  players 
throughout Europe, including in regions lagging behind; 
attract  and  retain  talent  in  Europe,  for  example  by  training  1  million  deep  tech  talents,  increasing 
support for women innovators and innovating with start-up employees' stock options; 
improve the policy framework through clearer terminology, indicators and data sets, as well as policy 
support to Member States. 

Concurrently, these innovations will be completed by the transformation of the European Industrial ecosystems 
towards sustainability and resilience. This transition is under way in many sectors. For example, to promote a 
sustainable textile industry and to achieve the EU Textiles Strategy, the proposal for a regulation on eco design 
and sustainable products will set binding design requirements for more sustainable and circular textiles. Similarly, 
the  forthcoming  revision  of  the  waste  framework  directive  in  2023  will  introduce  extended  producer 
responsibility rules for textiles. The EU also aims to tackle the unintentional release of microplastics from textiles 
and to introduce mandatory green public procurement requirements for textiles. 

To prevent supply chain disruptions or imbalances and to prepare for future market turbulences, the EU fosters 
strategic storage capacities for raw materials through its recently proposed EU critical raw materials Act. This 
act aims to ensure a strong and sustainable level playing field, avoid discrepancies across Member States and 
prevent  possible  disruptions  along  supply  chains.  It  also  aims  to  secure  a  sustainable  supply  of  critical  raw 
materials to support the green and digital transition and strengthen EU resilience.  

In order to scale up its manufacturing of clean technologies, the EU has proposed the  Net-Zero Industry Act. 
Regarding the act’s international dimension, the Commission announced as part of the  Green Deal Industrial 
Plan  its  intention  to  conclude Net-Zero  Industrial  Partnerships  with  non-EU  countries  covering  net-zero 
technologies. These partnerships shall support the adoption of net-zero technologies globally and support the 
role of EU industrial capabilities in paving the way for the global clean energy transition.  

These changes will go hand in hand with sustained and coordinated efforts to build infrastructure all around the 
world,  both  physical  and  digital:  the  adoption  of  the  regulation  establishing  on  the  EU’s  secure  connectivity 
programme for 2023-2027 (IRIS2) follows up on the results of the Conference on the Future of Europe and in 
particular  on  its  recommendations  on  access  to  digital  infrastructure.  The  Commission  is  exploring  ways  to 
enhance the EU’s and Member States’ strategic autonomy and resilience by ensuring reliable, secure quantum-
based encryption and cost-effective European connectivity capabilities.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 9 
globally.  Projects  supporting  the  roll-out  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy  will  in  the  long-term  enable  partner 
countries to gain strategic autonomy while creating new potential for global synergies. In line with EU and global 
targets  on  climate  action,  Global  Gateway,  as  a  climate-neutral  strategy,  aims  to  speed  up  sustainable 
development and recovery, create inclusive growth and jobs and transition to a cleaner and more circular global 
economy.  A  tangible  contribution  to  SDG  9  (and  other  interlinked  SDGs)  will  be  the  deployment  of  Global 
Gateway  flagship  projects  on  transport 
including  ports,  road  construction  and 
modernisation/rehabilitation and public transport - and on digital infrastructure - including digital connectivity, 
network construction and roll out of optic fibre, data centres and 5G, such as: 

infrastructure  - 

 

‘Digital Connectivity’ in Central Asia 

92 

 
 
 
 
 

the ‘LAC Digital Alliance’ 
the Strategic Corridors for an Enhanced and Greener EU-Africa Connectivity 
the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility, as part of the ASEAN-Green Initiative.  

93 

 
 
  
 
 
SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among 
countries 

EU internal action 
Overview and challenges 

Tackling  the  various  forms  of  inequalities  is  an  essential  part  of  the  fight  against  poverty,  improving  social 
cohesion  and fulfilling  human  rights.  Delivering  on  SDG  10  in  an  EU context  requires  addressing  inequalities 
within countries, inequalities between countries, and migration and social inclusion.  

The trends on inequalities between EU countries show a continued long-term convergence of Member States in 
terms of GDP and income. EU citizens living in northern and western European countries had the highest gross 
disposable income per capita, whereas eastern and southern EU countries had the lowest. At regional level, in 
spite  this  upward  growth  path,  a  number  of  EU  regions  grows  at  a  slower  pace  than  the  EU  average.  An 
increasing number of EU regions, primarily in southern Member States but also in  North Western Europe, are 
currently in or at risk of falling into a “development trap”.26 

Income inequalities within countries had been decreasing in the EU between 2015 and 2019, before rising again 
in 2020. For example, the income received by the 20% of the population with the highest income was almost five 
times higher than that received by the 20% of the population with the lowest income. In a majority of Member 
States,  there  are  important  regional  asymmetries  in  particular  with  regard  to  access  to  basic  public  services, 
labour market, competitiveness and productivity. These disparities are further accentuated in rural areas where 
access to basic public services remains generally a challenge. 

Whereas the gap between the risk of poverty in urban and rural areas has narrowed in the EU in recent years, 
rural areas tend to be at higher risk of poverty due to out-migration, and limited access to services, weaker labour 
markets and educational opportunities. 

EU-level developments in the area of SDG 10 since 2015 reveal a mixed but, on average, moderately favourable 
picture. Inequalities had been decreasing in the pre-pandemic years. Thanks to a prompt policy response, overall 
income inequalities and the risk of poverty or social exclusion remained broadly stable between 2019 and 2020 
in most Member States.  

However,  the  mid-term  effects  of  the  pandemic  on  poverty  and  inequality  remain  uncertain.  In  addition,  the 
COVID-19  pandemic  affected  different  population  groups  and  regions  unevenly27,  revealing  the  underlying 
vulnerabilities and inequalities. Women who, in 2021 still earned on average 12.7% less than men, continue to 
shoulder the bulk of care responsibilities in the household and struggle to enter and remain in the labour market, 
with consequences also on their pensions. Migrants’ participation in the labour market was also disproportionally 
affected. 

The  recent  energy  and  food  price  rises  hit  the  poorest  households  the  hardest.  The  increases  in  fossil  fuel, 
electricity and commodity prices, already noticeable in the second half of 2021, have been further aggravated by 
the invasion of Ukraine. They weigh particularly on the most vulnerable households, who have to spend a higher 

26  See  Cohesion  in  Europe  towards  2050:  Eighth  report  on  economic,  social  and  territorial  cohesion;  Publications  Office  of  the 
European Union, 2022. 
27 The coronavirus pandemic and fundamental rights: A year in review | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (europa.eu) 
94 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
share of their disposable income on basic goods such as energy and food. Similarly, the twin transitions will have 
to be managed well to prevent rising inequality.  

In parallel, the EU witnessed a substantial increase in migration into the EU in the pre-pandemic years, while the 
Ukrainian war has led to a new wave of displaced persons to the EU, in particular women and children. Successful 
integration  of  migrants  is  essential  for  future  well-being,  prosperity  and  cohesion  in  the  EU  and  can  only  be 
achieved  in  cooperation  between  the  European  Commission,  the  Member  States  and  a  range  of  relevant 
stakeholders.  

2030 Targets and trends at EU level 

Target and policy reference 

Trends  

Reinforce economic, social and territorial 
cohesion by redressing the main regional 
imbalances in the Union and address the 
problems of disadvantaged areas, with 
particular reference to rural areas 

2021-2027 Cohesion Policy 
Narrow territorial and social disparities 
between regions in the EU and promote the 
socioeconomic inclusion of marginalised 
communities, low-income households, and 
disadvantaged groups 

2021-2027 Cohesion Policy 

The gap in the risk of poverty or social exclusion rate between 
cities  and  rural  areas  at  EU  level  narrowed  between  2015 
(when it was 3.1%), and 2021 (0.6%). 

The  coefficient  of  variation  in  gross  household  disposable 
income between Member States decreased by 3.8% between 
2015 and 2020 (and by 11.3% since 2005). However, a clear 
north–south and west–east divide is evident when looking at 
the  geographical  distribution  of  GDP  per  capita  and 
household income in the EU in 2020 (with EU citizens living 
in  northern  and  western  countries  having  the  highest  gross 
disposable income per capita). 

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  10  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

Ensuring  cohesion  between  EU  Member  States  and  reducing  inequalities  such  as  in  economic  performance, 
income and living standards, is one of the central objectives of the European Union. 

The EU has a wide range of policies in place addressing different aspects of SDG 10. The EU also has several 
mechanisms  that  seek  to  promote  economic  and  social convergence  among  and  within  Member  States.  The 
European  Semester  provides  a  framework  for  coordination  of  economic  and  employment  policies  across  the 
European  Union.  The  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  puts  forward  a  holistic  approach  for  upward  social 
convergence among Member States towards better working and living conditions. Established in 2017, the Pillar 
sets out 20 key principles to support fair and well-functioning labour markets and welfare systems and to tackle 
inequalities.  It  serves  as  a  new  ‘social  rulebook’  that  ensures  solidarity  between  generations  and  creates 
opportunities for all. The European Pillar of Social Rights action plan turns the principles into concrete actions 
to benefit citizens. 

For example, the European Child Guarantee, adopted in June 2021, helps to ensure that in Europe every child 
in  need  has  equal  access  to  quality  early  childhood  education  and  care,  education,  healthcare,  housing  and 
nutrition.  

The  Commission  has  also  stepped  up  its  efforts  to  help  EU countries  reduce  inequalities  from  the  outset,  by 
publishing a Communication on ‘Better assessing the distributional impact of Member States’ policies’ 

95 

 
 
 
 
 
and a Communication on ‘Harnessing Talent in EU’s regions’, addressing territorial disparities caused by the 
demographic transition. 

The Just Transition Mechanism supports those regions that will be most affected by the transition to a climate-
neutral society. 

The  EU  is  engaged  in  achieving  a  Union  of  equality.  In  line  with  this,  the  Commission  adopted  a  series  of 
strategies, namely the Gender Equality Strategy, the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, the EU anti-racism Action plan, 
the EU Roma Strategic Framework and the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These strategies 
are  aimed  at  combatting  racism,  promoting  Roma  equality,  inclusion  and  participation,  promoting  gender  and 
LGBTIQ equality, and guaranteeing the rights of persons with disability. The Commission also adopted the EU 
Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and  Fostering Jewish life  setting out series of measures to prevent and 
combat  all  forms  of  antisemitism.  The  Commission  has  also  proposed  EU  legislation  to  strengthen  the 
independence,  the  resources  and  powers  of  equality  bodies,  the  national  bodies  which  assist  victims  of 
discrimination and promote equality28. 

Migrants and asylum seekers often constitute a particularly vulnerable group. To address this issue, the New 
Pact  on  Migration  and  Asylum,  adopted  in  September  2020,  aims  to  create  faster  migration  processes  and 
stronger  governance  of  migration  and  border  policies.  The  Action  Plan  on  Integration  and  Inclusion  (2021  to 
2027) sets out actions that support migrants’ inclusion in education and employment, as well as access to health 
services and affordable housing. The EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals assists refugees, migrants 
and  citizens  of  non-EU countries  in  profiling  their  skills  and  work  qualifications  to  reception,  employment  and 
education services. 

The  Temporary  Protection  Directive,  which  was  adopted  following  the  conflicts  in  former  Yugoslavia,  was 
triggered  for  the  first  time  by  the  Council  in  response  to  the  unprecedented  Russian  invasion  of  Ukraine  on 
24 February 2022 to offer quick and effective assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The Temporary 
Protection  Directive  defines  the  decision-making  procedure  needed  to  trigger,  extend  or  end  temporary 
protection, but also lists the rights for beneficiaries of temporary protection (e.g. residence permit, social welfare, 
medical care, education). 

Additionally, in May 2022, under the lead of the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, the EU put in place the Common 
Anti-trafficking Plan to raise awareness among the displaced people and prevent trafficking in human beings 
and support potential victims among those fleeing the war in Ukraine. 

Selected enablers 

Financial resources, reforms and investments as well as science and innovation are strong means to implement 
the SDGs in the EU.  

With EUR 392 billion for 2021-2027, and  representing almost a third of the total EU budget,  Cohesion Policy 
funds    specifically  target  at  strengthening  sustainable  economic  growth  and  boosting  social  and  territorial 
convergence.  

Cohesion  Policy  also  reinforces  cooperation  among  Member  States  and  between  Member  States  and  third 
countries through cross border, inter-regional and transnational cooperation actions including the contribution to 
EU macro-regional strategies. 

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with a budget of EUR 214 billion, targets in particular less 
developed regions, intended to help to redress the main regional imbalances in the Union.  

28 COM/2022/688 final and COM/2022/689 final of 7 December 2022 
96 

 
 
                                                           
The  European  Social  Fund  Plus  (ESF+) is  a  key  financial  instrument  as  part  of  the  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework 2021–2027 for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and helping reduce inequalities. 
With a budget of EUR 99.3 billion (2021-2027), the ESF+ funds many thousands of projects to help people in 
difficulties  and  those from  disadvantaged  groups  to  get skills,  jobs  and  equal  opportunities.  For example,  the 
Diversity  Promotion  project,  implemented  by  Latvia’s  Society  Integration  Foundation,  is  educating  thousands 
about the benefits of a diverse workplace and an inclusive society, with a series of nationwide activities. 

The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) may support asylum seekers by providing them with 
immediate relief and social assistance. For example, the Frostschutzengel 2.0 (Guardian angel against freezing) 
project provides multilingual health and social counselling to homeless German and EU mobile citizens in Berlin. 

Integration within the EU is funded by several EU funds, mainly by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 
(AMIF)  and  the  European  Social  Fund  Plus  (ESF+),  but  several  aspects  are  covered  by  other  funds  and 
programmes  (European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF);  European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural 
Development (EAFRD); European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF); Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values 
programme  (CERV);  Erasmus+  ;  European  Solidarity  Corps  (ESC)).  These  funds  are  supporting  integration 
measures  tailored  to  the  needs  of  third-country  nationals,  including  education,  effective  and  inclusive 
employment,  skill-building,  social  inclusion,  civil  society  organisations  and  other  aspects  of  an  inclusive  and 
diverse society. 

The Recovery and Resilience Facility contributes to the efforts to reduce inequality though several of its six 
pillars,  chiefly  social  and  territorial  cohesion,  but  also  health  and  economic,  social  and  institutional  resilience, 
policies  for  next  generation  and  smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive  growth.  For  example,  in  the  context  of  the 
recovery  and  resilience  plans,  Croatia  is  introducing  reform  and  investment  to  provide  social  mentoring  to 
individuals  at  risk  or  already  in  a  marginalised  position  in  society.  These  measures  will  roll  out  a  new 
individualised  mentoring  service  at  all  social  welfare  centres  in  Croatia.  This  new  service  will  focus  on  the 
integration  of  beneficiaries  of  guaranteed  minimum  benefit,  persons  with  disabilities,  victims  of  violence, 
homeless people, migrants, Roma, young people departing the social welfare system, persons serving prison 
sentences  and  members  of other  socially  vulnerable  groups.  The  aim  is  to  reach  and  benefit  at least  30  000 
users. 

Research and innovation actions in Horizon Europe are supporting EU policy priorities in the field of reducing 
inequalities.  For  example,  the  ESSPIN  project  aims  to  investigate  policy  responses  to  social,  economic  and 
spatial  inequalities  arising  in  the  EU  in  the  context  of  emerging  mega  trends  (such  as  climate  change, 
urbanisation, energy, digital disruption and economic growth) and the challenges they bring. The Exit Project is 
fostering  participatory  multi-stakeholder  processes  across  regions  that  are  left  behind  and  how  inhabitants, 
institutions and organisations in these areas perceive, experience and counteract inequalities.  

Another example is the flagship project on  ‘Welcoming and integration of Third Country  Nationals in Member 
States’ supported by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2022. The project aims to enhance 
the socio-economic integration of people fleeing the war in Ukraine and is centred on two axes:  (i) facilitating 
access to the labour market through measures that support the recognition of certificates and diplomas issued, 
in accordance with Ukrainian laws and regulations; and (ii) facilitating social inclusion by improving the functioning 
of the existing integration centres for foreigners. Overall, the project is expected to result in building capacity for 
Polish authorities to allow those fleeing the war and requesting temporary protection in Poland to enjoy swift 
access to procedures and basic services such as accommodation, education and healthcare, and to gain access 
to jobs. 

97 

 
 
 
Stakeholder engagement  

As a flagship initiative of the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030, an Expert 
Group called ‘Disability Platform’ was established in October 2021. The group’s aims are to: (i) bring together the 
focal points of the national UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP), organisations 
of  persons  with  disabilities  and  the  Commission;  and  (ii)  function  as  a  forum  to  exchange  views  on  the  UN’s 
assessments  of  Member  States’  implementation  of  the  UNCRPD.  As  a  party  to  the  UNCRPD,  the  European 
Commission  meets  regularly  in  a  Conference  of  States Parties  (COSP)  to  consider  any  matter  regarding  the 
implementation  of  the  Convention  (Art.  40  UNCRPD).  The  Commission  has  published  a  report  on  the 
implementation of the UNCRPD by the EU in April 2023 and it organises an annual conference for the European 
Day for Persons with Disabilities, gathering together organisations of persons with disabilities as well as high-
level EU institution representatives.  

The Commission also organises the Access City Award, which is an award recognising cities that have worked 
to become more accessible. It promotes equal access to urban life for people with disabilities and allows local 
authorities to promote and share their best practices.  

The  New  European  Bauhaus  Prize  is  another  Commission  award  which  tackles  inequalities  by  supporting 
sustainable projects that  ‘prioritise people and places that need it the  most’ and address the urgent needs of 
people and inequalities faced by territories, communities and individuals. The prize recognizes and celebrates 
existing  beautiful,  sustainable  and  inclusive  projects  and  initiatives,  and  supports  the  younger  generation  to 
further develop emerging concepts and ideas.  

To address gender inequality in research and higher education, the EU Award for Gender Equality Champions 
recognises and celebrates the outstanding results achieved in the implementation of gender equality by academic 
and research organisations. 

EU integration efforts are supported by partnerships with all those involved: migrants, host communities, social 
and  economic  partners,  civil  society  and  the  private  sector.  Established  networks/partnerships  include:  the 
European  Integration  Network;  the  Expert  Group  on  the  views  of  migrants;  the  Committee  of  the  Regions 
partnership on the Integration of Migrants; the annual European Migration Forum. 

Multi-level approach 

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. For example, Spain adopted a reform to its labour market in 
December 2021 with the aim to put an end to precariousness and temporary employment in the country. Among 
others, the reform reinforces fixed-term contracts and reduces the time required to obtain the status of permanent 
worker. 

The region of Piedmont in Italy is focusing on social innovation through its We.Care strategy. People and their 
network of relations, not social services, are at the centre of the strategy. It shifts focus from providing assistance 
to helping people contribute to the growth of the region. Actions combine social and labour policies and cover 
social  services,  local  governance,  collaboration  between  public  and  private  bodies,  development  of 
entrepreneurial projects with social benefits, and corporate welfare. The final goal is to match social and labour 
policies with economic development. 

EU external action 

Global trends  

Progress  against  the  multidimensional  goal  of  reducing  inequalities  has  been  uneven  and  put  at  risk  by  the 
COVID-19  pandemic,  especially  where  social  security  systems  and  safety  nets  are  weaker.  Reduced  labour 
income and remittances in a context of increased food prices and out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare hit low-
income households hardest, while top wealth increased sharply (see World Inequality Report 2022). The impact 
98 

 
 
of the war in Ukraine increasingly aggravates the inequality gap both between and within countries. The effects 
are likely to disproportionately affect poorer countries, notably those dependent on imports of food and oil. 

According to the UN SDG 2022 report, the world is currently enduring the highest number of conflicts since 1947. 
Approximately 25% of the world population is living in conflict-affected countries, with the number of refugees at 
a  record  high  in  2021,  1  in  3  children  living  outside  their  countries  of  birth  being  child  refugees,  and  forced 
displacement continuing to grow. The situation has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which added 6.5 
million refugees to the 100 million people forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict or generalised 
violence (May 2022), an increase of 17.6 million people compared to end-2020 (see 2022 Global Peace Index). 

The number of migrants worldwide continues to grow, from an estimated 272 million in 2019 to an estimated 281 
million in 2020, and has increased more in Europe and Asia than in other regions. Migration management remains 
a priority for the EU, in line with SDG10 which seeks to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration 
and mobility of people.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

Reducing inequality is both an internal and external priority for the EU. Inequality is an obstacle to sustainable 
economic growth and to reducing poverty, and SDG 10 targets are thus highly interlinked with targets for poverty 
and growth (SDGs 1, 8 and 9), gender equality and inclusion (SDG 5), environmental sustainability (SDGs 6, 7, 
11-15), health, nutrition and education (SDGs 2, 3 and 4), and conflict and access to justice (SDG 16).  

labour  market 

The  COVID-19  pandemic  has  exacerbated 
inequalities  worldwide  and 
income  and 
disproportionately affected women and vulnerable and disadvantaged groups such as young people and children, 
persons with disabilities, older persons, persons with a minority racial or ethnic background, migrant workers and 
workers in the informal economy. The EU approach to promoting decent work worldwide (see SDG 8) supports 
the  universal  concept  of  decent  work  as  developed  by  the  ILO,  paying  particular  attention  to  vulnerable  and 
disadvantaged  groups,  thus  supporting  the  reduction  of  poverty,  social  exclusion,  and  inequality  through 
improving working conditions and living standards. This is also translated into sector strategies such as the EU 
Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which focuses on the protection of human rights, including labour 
rights  and  child  labour,  gender  inequality  and  on  promoting  due  diligence  across  supply  chains  in  the  textile 
sector. 

In its international partnerships, the EU promotes the model it stands for, based on sustainability, focus on people 
and values, in order to tackle these global challenges and create shared prosperity. For example, the EU has 
been contributing to strengthening bilateral dialogues on migration and mobility and is starting new actions on 
decent employment, social protection and product safety for consumer protection at regional and national level. 

On  migration, the proposed  Pact on Migration and Asylum of September 2020 links the internal and external 
aspects of the European approach to migration by balancing collective responsibility and solidarity. Enhancing 
the EU’s internal processes are key parts of the Pact. More efficient and faster procedures, along with ensuring 
well-managed external borders and effective solidarity between the EU Member States, are important elements 
in  making  asylum  and  migration  systems  predictable  and  reliable.  Regarding  external  aspects,  the  Pact 
emphasises that the EU promotes tailor-made and mutually beneficial partnerships with other countries. These 
partnerships address shared challenges such as migrant smuggling, managing legal pathways and tackling the 
effective implementation of readmission agreements and arrangements. 

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 8.5 billion in projects contributing to SDG 10, 
making it one of the largest recipients of EU development assistance along with SDGs 1 and 8. The main share 
of  the  EU  contribution  is  accounted  for  by  projects  that  target  SDG 10  as  a  significant  SDG.  The  main 
contributions come from projects targeting SDGs 1, 4, 8 and 17. Projects marked as contributing to SDG 10 as 

99 

 
 
the main objective also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, with a strong focus on SDGs 1, 5, 8 and 16. When 
taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized through public intervention and support to 
international public goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 10 
amounted to EUR 10.9 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of assistance29, from 2018 to 2021 more than 
20 million migrants, forcibly displaced people or individuals from host communities were protected or assisted 
using EU support.  

Collectively,  the  EU  and  those  Member  States  that  reported  on  SDGs  to  the  OECD  in  2021,  contributed 
EUR 21 billion to SDG 10. EU and Member State flows to SDG 10 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in 
Africa (36%) and Asia (18%). Support to SDG 10 also has a strong global component (31%).  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

The reduction of inequality is a main priority of the EU’s development policy, enshrined in EU treaties and the 
2017 European Consensus on Development. It is rooted in the EU’s commitments to promoting and protecting 
human  rights  (Council  conclusions  on  addressing  inequality  in  partner  countries,  2019).  The  rights-based 
approach  (RBA),  and  the  EU  Human  Rights  Dialogues  with  partner  countries  are  central  to  addressing 
discrimination,  promoting  equal  opportunities  for  all  and  improving  inclusion,  particularly  of  women,  including 
through the use of digital technologies.  

The  EU’s  approach  to  reducing  inequality  reflects  its  complexity.  In  that  context,  the  EU  has  developed  an 
innovative inequality marker to enable better understanding, tracking and benchmarking the impact of actions on 
inequalities  and  to  capture  appropriately  the  multidimensionality  of  inequality.  EU  interventions  will  seek  to 
reinforce their inequality-reducing effect and approach, focusing on benefits for the bottom 40% (poorest) or other 
socio-economically disadvantaged individuals, households or groups.  

Equality initiatives in various regions and countries, notably with Team Europe, aim to nurture a strategic culture 
of cooperation around transformative actions that can have real inequality-reduction impact in partner countries. 

The Commission recognises that social protection is an important policy tool for reducing inequalities, including 
inequality of opportunity. Through its geographic and thematic programmes on social protection, the Commission 
works with partner countries to help strengthen national social protection systems. Its thematic programme on 
Improving synergies between social protection and public finance management aims to demonstrate the 
impact  of  social  protection  on  economic  growth,  encourage  domestic  resource  mobilisation  and  help  build 
gender-sensitive  and  shock-responsive  social  protection  systems.  During  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the 
programme focused on expanding coverage to large segments of the working population engaged in the informal 
economy.  

With regard to migration and forced displacement, the EU and Member States developed a comprehensive and 
balanced  approach  to  facilitate  legal  migration,  protect  migrants  and  refugees,  prevent  irregular  and  unsafe 
migration and help partner countries address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. The 
proposed EU Pact on Migration and Asylum aims to reduce unsafe and irregular routes and promote sustainable 
and safe legal pathways for those in need of protection (EU strategy on voluntary return and reintegration 2021).  

This  is  exemplified  through  the  Team  Europe  Initiatives  for  the  Central  Mediterranean  and  the  Western 
Mediterranean migration routes, which will offer support in the areas of legal migration and mobility, protection 
and  asylum,  prevention  of  irregular  migration,  migrant  smuggling  and  trafficking  in  human  beings,  return, 
readmission  and  reintegration,  and  migration  and  development.  The  Asylum,  Migration  and  Integration  Fund 
(AMIF) for 2021-2027 will support Member States’ actions in this area, in a way that is complementary to the 
support provided to partner countries through the Global Europe instrument. 

29 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2.  

100 

 
 
                                                           
Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 10, Equality Initiatives, with inequality as their principal objective, include a Regional Team 
Europe  initiative  (TEI)  in  Latin  America  for inclusive  and  equal  societies  and  country  TEIs,  such  as  in  Kenya 
(human-centred  digitalisation,  also  supporting  the  roll-out  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy),  South  Africa 
(employment  in  digital  and  green  economy  areas),  Bangladesh  (decent  work),  Burkina  Faso  (territorial 
inequalities)  and  Paraguay  (digital,  gender  and  social  protection).  The  TEI  in  Paraguay  aims  to  strengthen 
interlinkages between SDG10 and SDGs 1, 4 and 5 by supporting the digitalisation of the social protection system 
and education sector, and the promotion of gender equality and non-discrimination.  

The  Regional  Team  Europe  Initiative  on  Afghan  displacement  responded  to  the  Afghan  regional 
displacement crisis covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian countries. A comprehensive approach 
was adopted, supporting strengthened policy dialogue, protection and sustainable reintegration for Afghans on 
the  move  in  host  countries,  provision  of  basic  services,  access  to  health  and  education,  the  fight  against 
smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings, and labour migration and mobility. 

In the Guatemala-Mexico corridor and the Madagascar, Sri-Lanka and Pakistan-Arab States corridors, Global 
Action to Improve the Recruitment Framework of Labour Migration (ILO-EU 2017- 2021) aimed to prevent and 
reduce abusive and fraudulent migrant recruitment practices and increase the protection of migrant workers.  

The European Union Global Diaspora Facility (EUDIF) (2019-2023) is the first EU-funded project to take a 
global approach to consolidate efforts on diaspora engagement for development. Through the facility, all actors 
in  the  diaspora-development  ecosystem,  such  as  diaspora  organisations,  partner  countries,  and  EU  Member 
States, receive support to engage and collaborate more effectively with each other. 

In Georgia, the Strengthening Development Impact of Migration in Georgia (STREAMinG) project aims to 
unlock the positive impact of human mobility for the country’s development processes. This is to be achieved by 
helping Georgian partners implement the 2021-2030 migration strategy and its 2022 and 2023 action plans, with 
a particular focus on mainstreaming the concept of migration and development into all sectoral areas, by ensuring 
achievement of SDGs and in line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. 

EU assistance for refugees in Türkyie aims at addressing the challenges of leaving no one behind and providing 
a decent life to refugees, focusing on the inclusion of refugees in planning for the sustainable development goals, 
helping refugees and host communities to cope, and create better conditions for their sustainable integration and 
social  cohesion.  In  addition,  the  EU-funded  Complementary  Emergency  Social  Safety  Net  (EUR  245  million) 
provides  monthly  cash  assistance  to  the  most  vulnerable  refugees  in  Türkyie  (i.e.,  single  parents,  elderly 
headed families and households with one or more persons with disabilities) so they can meet their basic needs.  

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda (including 
SDG 10). An example of is set out below for illustrative purposes.  

To combat the feeling of exclusion among young people and improve their prospects in the precarious security 
situation  of  the  Diffa  region  in  Niger,  France  is  promoting  social  cohesion,  income  creation  and  socio-
professional integration by supporting job and income-creating activities for some 10 500 young people, socio-
educational, cultural and sports activities for personal and collective fulfilment and systems for training, mediation 
and integration and employment adapted to the local context.  

Looking ahead 

In the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe, there was broad support for a stronger EU economy, 
social justice and jobs, stressing the importance of ensuring full implementation of the European Pillar of Social 

101 

 
 
Rights, including its relevant headline targets for 2030, at EU, national, regional and local level in the areas  of 
‘equal opportunities and access to the labour market’. EU citizens emphasised in particular the need to reduce 
inequalities both between EU territories and within them. 

In  that  respect,  the  Union  of  equality  strategies  will  be  fully  implemented,  building  on  the  progress  achieved 
already.30 The Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2020 contains several flagship initiatives 
such as the Disability Employment Package that was launched in 2022 as an initiatives to promote equality on 
the  labour  market  and  beyond.  Another  flagship  initiative  is  the  European  Disability  Card  to  promote  free 
movement of persons with disabilities and allow for mutual recognition of the disability status and grant access 
to preferential conditions in services for short stays in other Member States. Another important flagship is the 
resource centre ‘AccessibleEU’ to facilitate implementation of EU law in the area of accessibility and capacity in 
accessibility expertise. These flagships will be fully implemented in  the coming years. The EU also intends to 
strengthen  its  efforts  in  application,  enforcement  and  awareness  raising  on  EU  rights  on  work-life  balance, 
including parental leave. 

Additional measures will also be considered to support regions in development traps experiencing persistent low 
growth,  together  with  further  work  to  make  industry  sustainable,  digital  and  resilient,  and  to  address 
dependencies.  This  work  will  notably  seek  to  address  the  demographic  transition  –  notably  on  ageing  and 
depopulation  –  and  consider  ways  to  address  employment  and  labour  shortages  reflecting  the  geopolitical 
context. 

On migration, plans are under way for EU-wide awareness-raising campaigns, and for the launch of an EU skills 
profile tool for third country nationals. 

Globally,  the  Commission  will  actively  join  partners  in  efforts  to  build  nationally  appropriate  social  protection 
floors, with the aim of achieving universal social protection. The EU will support the implementation strategy of 
the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions. Through a new thematic programme 
on universal social protection 2030, the EU will also support the Convergence Initiative towards more inclusive 
and interoperable social protection information systems.  

The EU will continue to take determined actions to accelerate the implementation of SDG 10 globally, including 
through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries where inequalities 
and/or migration are a shared priority. A tangible contribution to SDG 10 (and other interlinked SDGs) will be the 
deployment of the Global Gateway strategy at regional and national level, to be undertaken in a Team Europe 
approach, including to support investments and interventions that help create decent jobs and foster inclusive 
growth  by  including  social  protection  measures.  The  Commission  will  support  a  new  regional  Team  Europe 
Initiative  on  Social Protection  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa.  Led  by  several  Member  States,  the  new  TEI  will  aim  to 
address  strategic  and  political  gaps  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa,  including  the  severe  underinvestment  in  social 
protection, large coverage gaps and weak administrative structures. 

30 The Commission regularly reports on progress achieved with the strategies. Key initiatives already adopted include: (i) a proposal 
for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work 
or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms COM/2021/93 final (political 
agreement reached on 15 December 2022); (ii) a proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating 
violence against women and domestic violence COM/2022/105 final; (iii) proposals to strengthen the role and independence of equality 
bodies COM/2022/688 final. 

102 

 
 
 
                                                           
SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements 
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 

EU internal action  

Overview and challenges  

While European cities and communities provide  opportunities for employment, economic and cultural activity, 
many inhabitants face environmental and social challenges. Housing issues, pollution (air, water, noise, waste), 
and crime are some of the most serious challenges faced in urban areas. 

The EU supports transitions with the core objective of being socially inclusive, in order to leave no one and no 
place behind, by offering funding, capacity and knowledge-building support. Cities have an essential role to play 
in taking this process forward, in innovating, investing and mobilising, together with other levels of governance, 
in order to make urbanisation sustainable and ensure territorial cohesion. 

The share of people overburdened by their housing costs or facing severe housing deprivation have fallen since 
2015. In 2020, 4.3% of the EU population faced severe housing deprivation (compared to 5.3% in 2015) and 
7.8% of the EU population were overburdened by their housing costs in 2020 (compared to 9.4% in 2019). In 
order  to  become  climate-resilient  and  tackle  the  energy  crisis,  cities  have  to  renovate  and  equip  housing 
construction with renewable and clean energy sources and adopt sustainable waste management. 

Cities and urban areas are home to almost 75% of EU citizens. Worldwide, cities account for more than 65% of 
energy  consumption  and  for  more  than  70%  of  CO2  emissions.  For  the  EU  to  reduce  its  greenhouse  gas 
emissions by 55% by 2030 and to become climate neutral by 2050, cities will have to transition to sustainable 
consumption  modes  and  work  towards  the  EU  circular  economy  targets.  In  order  to  tackle  pollution  and  halt 
biodiversity loss, cities will also have to accelerate their green transformation and reach the ambitious targets 
under  the  European  Green  Deal.  At  the  same  time,  cities  will  also  have  to  fully  endorse  sustainable  urban 
mobility, including through widespread deployment of innovative solutions that cut emissions as well as through 
a much-increased focus on public transport, walking and cycling. 

Urban road safety in the EU (which also links to SDG 3) is improving overall, but the pace is slowing. While EU 
roads are among the safest in the world, around 20 000 lives are lost in road-related crashes in the EU every 
year and up to six times the same number are seriously injured. On urban roads, around 70% of those killed are 
vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists).  

People’s safety is also compromised by experiences of harassment (also linked to SDG target 11.7 on access to 
safe,  inclusive  and  accessible,  green  and  public  spaces)  –  29%  of  people  in  the  EU  have  experienced 
harassment in the previous 12 months, according to a survey carried out by the EU Agency for Fundamental 
Rights (FRA). 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy references  

Trends  

Significantly reduce total waste generation 
and halve the amount of residual (non-
recycled) municipal waste by 2030 

505  kg  of  municipal  waste  per  capita  were  generated  by  EU 
residents  in  2020,  corresponding  to  225  million  tonnes  of 
municipal  waste.  Since  2015,  the  waste  generated  per  capita 

103 

 
 
 
 
A New Circular Economy Action Plan 

A Circular Cities and Regions Initiative 

Reduce landfill to a maximum of 10% of 
municipal waste, by 2030 

Circular Economy Action Plan 

per year has increased by 25 kg. Despite this increase, the EU 
has clearly shifted to more recycling. 

The  amount  of  landfilled  municipal  waste  has  diminished, 
although  more  waste  was  generated.  Indeed,  it  fell  from  121 
million  tonnes  in  1995  to  54  million  tonnes  in  2021  (-55%), 
corresponding  to  an  average  annual  decline  of  3.0%.  The 
landfilling rate in the EU dropped from 61% in 1995 to less than 
23% in 2021. 

Recycling  or  preparing  for  re-use  60%  of 
municipal waste by 2030 

Waste Framework directive 

Although there was an increase in municipal waste generated, 
the EU has shifted to more recycling. Indeed, the recycling rate 
of municipal waste has been increasing, from 27.3% (in 2000) 
to 49.6% (in 2021). 

At least 30 million zero-emission vehicles 
in operation on European roads by 2030 
and more than 3 million recharging points 
deployed 

Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy 

In  2022,  3.39  million  battery-electric  vehicles  and  more  than 
4 000  hydrogen-fuel  cell  electric  light-duty  vehicles  were 
registered in the EU. While considerable progress remains to be 
made to reach the target, market registrations of battery-electric 
vehicles have seen significant growth over the past 2 years and 
manufacturers report heavy investments. 

35 million building units renovated by 2030 

At least double the annual energy 
renovation rate of residential and non-
residential buildings by 2030 and to foster 
deep energy renovations 

A Renovation Wave for Europe 

Reduce the share of people chronically 
disturbed by transport noise by 30% 

EU Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution for 
Air, Water and Soil 

About only 11% of the EU building stock undergoes some level 
of renovation each year. However, renovations of buildings very 
seldom  also  address  buildings’  energy  performance.  The 
weighted annual rate of energy renovations across the EU is low 
at 1%. Besides, deep renovations reducing energy consumption 
by at least 60% involve only 0.2% of buildings per year. In some 
regions, energy renovation rates are virtually absent. 

Despite  some  improvements  in  perceived  exposure  to  noise 
(20.6% of the EU population in 2010, 17.6% in 2020), 77 million 
people still suffered from noise disturbance in 2020. 70 million 
people from EU urban areas were estimated to be exposed to 
road traffic noise at 55 decibels or higher on annual average for 
day, evening and night in 2017. 

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  11  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives  

The EU has a wide range of policies and initiatives in place addressing or touching upon the different aspects of 
SDG 11. 

In 2016, EU Member States adopted the Urban Agenda for the EU which delivers on the UN New Urban Agenda 
at EU level and is supported by the European Commission. It tackles issues and challenges that are particularly 
impactful  in  cities  by  building  multi-level  governance  partnerships.  The first  phase  (2016-2021)  produced  139 
actions through 14 action plans, while the implementation of 46% of actions was finalised. The second phase 
(2022-2026)  identified  new  priority  themes  in  the  Ljubljana  Agreement  and  Multiannual Working  Programme, 
namely: cities of equality, food, greening cities and sustainable tourism.  

104 

 
 
 
The  new  European  Urban  Initiative  finances  actions  to  experiment  and  develop  transferable  and  scalable 
innovative solutions to urban challenges, improve cities’ capacities to design and implement sustainable urban 
policies and practices in an integrated and participative way, and promote knowledge sharing and capitalisation 
for the benefit of urban policy makers and practitioners. 

The EU’s New Urban Mobility Framework, adopted in December 2021, is designed to support EU cities in their 
efforts to reduce emission and improve mobility in a sustainable way. It aims to create an enabling framework for 
Member States, regions and cities to develop safe, accessible, inclusive, smart, resilient and zero-emission urban 
mobility  well  ahead  of  2050.  In  this  context,  the  framework  promotes  an  increased  uptake  of  high-quality 
sustainable urban mobility plans in cities, and paves the way for better monitoring of urban mobility policies. 

URBACT  is  a  European  exchange  and  learning  programme  enabling  cities  to  work  together to  develop  new, 
pragmatic and sustainable solutions to major urban challenges. 

The affordable housing initiative is part of the Commission’s Renovation Wave for Europe, which aims to promote 
greener  buildings,  create  jobs  and  improve  lives.  In  addition,  principle  19  (Housing  and  assistance  for  he 
homeless)  under  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  is  working  towards  ending  homelessness  in  the  EU. 
Principle  19  has  also  provided  the  impetus  for  the  launch  of  the  European  Platform  on  Combatting 
Homelessness. 

The Green City Accord is a movement of European mayors committed to making cities cleaner and healthier. It 
aims  to  improve  the  quality  of  life  for  all  Europeans  and  accelerate  the  implementation  of  relevant  EU 
environmental laws. By signing the Accord, cities commit to addressing five areas of environmental management: 
air, water, nature and biodiversity, the circular economy and waste, and noise. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 
2030 sets a target for all cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants to have an urban greening plan, with measures 
to create biodiverse and accessible urban green areas. 

EU funding such as the Connecting Europe Facility, Cohesion Funds, Horizon Europe and the Recovery 
and Resilience Facility provide support to Member States in addressing sustainability challenges and improving 
road safety performance. 

Overall, the European Green Deal is the blueprint for Europe’s green transition, where all 27 EU Member States 
are creating new opportunities. The Zero Pollution Action Plan sets 2030 targets to reduce pollution of air, water 
and soil, and covers numerous policy initiatives with direct impacts on the urban environment. These include, for 
instance, the revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directives and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, but 
also a dedicated flagship on supporting urban zero pollution action. 

The New European Bauhaus initiative connects the European Green Deal to the everyday life and living spaces. 
It is an environmental, economic and cultural movement, aiming to combine design, sustainability, inclusion (from 
valuing diversity to securing accessibility and affordability) and investment in order to help deliver on the EU’s 
ambition for the green transition. 

The  European  Handbook  for  SDG  Voluntary  Local  Reviews  provides  policy  makers,  urban  practitioners  and 
experts with a consolidated method and examples of indicators that European local and regional governments 
can use to monitor the achievement of SDGs and accordingly design sustainable urban development policies.  

EU space services provided under the EU space programme are key enablers for smart cities, making urban 
planning more efficient. By using Galileo and EGNOS for navigation, positioning and timing, city services that are 
essential,  for  instance,  for  operating  and  managing  public  transportation,  power  supply,  connectivity,  waste 
management  can  be  considerably  improved  at  a  lower cost.  Copernicus,  the EU’s Earth observation  system, 
provides valuable satellite images and insights about urban areas.  

105 

 
 
Selected enablers  

Cohesion policy plays a central role in bringing Europe closer to its citizens and connecting local development 
needs and potential with EU and global objectives. Altogether Cohesion policy is the main EU financial instrument 
to support investments in sustainable urban development.  

In particular for SDG 11 around EUR 30.7 billion of cohesion policy funding were invested in projects targeting 
the various dimensions of urban life  – environmental, economic, social, and cultural – tackling issues ranging 
from improving air quality to providing cycle tracks and footpaths.  

For the period 2021-2027 under the EU Cohesion Policy,  more than EUR 19 billion   will support place-based 
investments via more than 2 150 integrated territorial development strategies with enhanced ownership and the 
participation of local stakeholders and communities. Almost two thirds of this allocation is planned for investment 
aimed  at  fostering integrated  and  inclusive  social,  economic  and  environmental  development,  culture, natural 
heritage, sustainable tourism and security within urban areas, while one third will pursue such objectives in non-
urban areas. For example, 2 million m2 of public buildings will be energy renovated, 33 km2 of open space will be 
created or renovated in urban areas, and around 3 800 cultural or tourism sites will be supported.. Also in 2021-
2027, the European Urban Initiative will support innovation, capacity and knowledge-building in urban areas of 
all sizes. In addition, the model financial instrument to support the New European Bauhaus aims to assist 
managing  authorities  in  setting  up  financial  instruments  to  support  New  European  Bauhaus  projects  and  to 
leverage public and private resources.  

Portugal’s  ‘Instrumento  Financeiro  para  a  Reabilitação  e  Revitalização  Urbanas’  (IFRRU  2020)  provides  a 
notable example of a national-level financial instrument intended to support urban renewal across the country. It 
targets the improvement of buildings that are more than 30 years old, abandoned industrial spaces and units, 
social housing (including private units within a social housing building) and public space. IFFRU uses EUR 102 
million  of  European  Structural  Funds  resources  to  mobilise  EUR 1.4  billion  of  public and  private  financing for 
urban development, with the aim of generating a total investment of around EUR 2 billion.  

In Lithuania, the recovery and resilience plan supports the green transition through reforms and investments of 
EUR 185 million in energy efficiency renovations of buildings in order to foster a sustainable urban environment 
and  EUR  293  million  in  generation  and  storage  of  renewable  energy.  Furthermore,  EUR  293  million  will  be 
invested in sustainable mobility supporting the replacement of polluting road transport vehicles, improving public 
transport services and establishing charging/refilling infrastructure for vehicles using alternative fuels. 

The  Climate-neutral  and  Smart  Cities  Mission  under  Horizon  Europe,  the  EU’s  key  funding  programme  for 
research and innovation, will invest a total of around EUR 350 million in research and innovation actions linked 
to the Mission’s goal in the period 2021-2023, addressing clean mobility, energy efficiency and sustainable urban 
planning. The Mission has selected 100 cities from all EU Member States and 12 additional cities from countries 
participating in Horizon Europe to become climate neutral by 2030 and to act as experimentation and innovation 
hubs that enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050. 

Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) is a European partnership of more than 60 partners from 27 countries, involving 
national  and  regional  policy  makers,  funders  and  urban-related  policy  agencies  to  invest  in  urban  R&I  and 
strengthen  a  European  innovation  eco-system  for  urban  transitions.  DUT  aims  to  create  a  strong  community 
around  urban  transitions  and  to  establish  a  well-known  research  and  innovation  platform  that  will  help  cities 
become more sustainable, inclusive and liveable.  

EIT Urban Mobility, a Knowledge and Innovation Community supported by the European Institute of Innovation 
and  Technology  since  January  2019  aspires  to  become  the  largest  European  initiative  transforming  urban 
mobility  and  encourage  positive  changes  in  the  way  people  move  around  cities  in  order  to  make  them  more 
liveable places. 

106 

 
 
Another  example  is  the  ‘Developing  innovative  mobility  solutions  in  the  Brussels-Capital-Region’  project 
supported by the Structural Reform Support Programme under the call for 2020. The objective of the project 
was to assist the Brussels-Capital Region in developing a regulatory framework for ‘mobility as a service’. The 
region  has  recently  established  ‘Good  Move’  -  a  sustainable  urban  mobility  plan  to  address  congestion  and 
pollution. Developing shared mobility integrated with public transport was a key part of the strategy. Its success 
depends among others on establishing an efficient ‘mobility as a service’ system under an effective regulatory 
framework. 

The EU, through the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) cooperated with a group of Human Rights Cities 
and practitioners from civil society and academia to develop a Framework for Human Rights Cities in the EU. 
The Framework, released in 2021, looks at the foundations, structures and tools that can help cities integrate 
human  rights  in  a  holistic  and  sustainable  way  in  their  work.  FRA  is  rolling  out  a  practical  guidance  on  the 
framework in all EU languages to help local authorities to design and implement their own step-by-step policies 
and strategies of the framework. 

Stakeholder engagement 

The European Week of Regions and Cities is the biggest annual event in the EU dedicated to regional policy. 
The latest edition in 2022 welcomed around 20 000 participants. During this four-day event, regions and cities 
showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement EU cohesion policy, and prove the importance of 
the local and regional level for good European governance. 

The  European  Mobility  Week  is  the  European  Commission’s  flagship  awareness-raising  campaign  on 
sustainable urban mobility culminating in the popular Car-Free Day. It promotes behavioural change in favour of 
active  mobility, 
The 
EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award is presented to local authorities which have excelled in raising awareness 
about sustainable urban mobility. 

solutions. 

intelligent 

transport, 

transport 

clean, 

public 

other 

and 

The  Cities  forum  is  a  biennial  event  which  brings  together  urban  stakeholders  for  exchanges  and  dialogues, 
particularly around the Commission’s framework for enabling sustainable urban development as part of cohesion 
policy, and other relevant urban initiatives.  

The  CoP-CITIES  is  an  initiative  open  to  stakeholders  (cities  and  networks  of  cities,  international  and 
intergovernmental organisations and research bodies) to share practices, tools and knowledge over sustainable 
urban development. 

The  Intelligent  Cities  Challenge  is  a  Commission  initiative  that  supports  136  cities  in  using  cutting-edge 
technologies to lead the intelligent, green and socially responsible recovery. 

The European Commission's Green capital and leaf awards recognise and reward cities across Europe for their 
efforts to improve the environment, and thus also the quality of life, in cities.  

CIVITAS is one of the flagship innovation initiatives that supports cities in making smart and sustainable urban 
mobility a reality. CIVITAS fosters political commitment and boosts collective expertise, equipping cities to put 
mobility at the centre of decarbonisation and providing peer exchange, networking and training opportunities. 

Urban Mobility Days is a biennial conference that provides a unique forum for policymakers, academia, civil 
society representatives and urban transport practitioners to discuss the way forward for a sustainable, innovative 
and equitable urban mobility in Europe. 

Multi-level approach 

SDG delivery requires ambitious action at all levels. Some good practices in implementing SDG 11 include the 
following:  

107 

 
 
Sweden has put in place a dedicated Council to support municipalities in the implementation of SDG 11. The 
Council for Sustainable Cities is a forum consisting of 12 government agencies, administrative boards and the 
Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. Its task is to support the municipalities in their work, with 
the aim of spreading knowledge and creating opportunities for collaboration on sustainable urban development. 

In Spain, the Federation of Provinces and Municipalities (FEMP) works, in cooperation with authorities at multiple 
levels, to advance in the process of to implement locally the 2030 Agenda at the local level. This includes the 
development of the 2030 Agenda 2030 Localization Handbook, which is the basic tool for local entities In Spain 
to work under the same parameters for the localization of the SDGs in local initiatives involving a range of local 
actors. 

In the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the ‘Global Sustainable Municipalities’ project has since 2016 
led 39 local authorities to systematically draw up and implement local sustainability strategies and reports. Some 
of these were presented at the 2022 High-Level Political Forum as voluntary local reviews. To complement SDG-
driven  sustainability  management  and  achieve  impact-oriented  monetary  control,  five  local  authorities  have 
connected their budget with the SDGs. 172 localities are involved in this project today from across Germany. 

EU external action 
Global trends  

Many of the EU’s partner countries are facing rapid urban expansion. By 2050, an estimated  seven out of ten 
people will live in urban areas. While cities can be drivers of economic growth and lead to a more efficient use of 
resources, rapid, often unplanned, urbanisation creates multiple challenges. In 2020, approximately one in four 
urban dwellers, approximately 1 billion people, lived in slums with inadequate access to basic services. In sub-
Saharan  Africa,  more  than  half  the  urban  population  live  in  slums.  In  addition,  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has 
exacerbated existing disparities in urban settlements. 

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

With regard to the external dimension of EU policies addressing SDG 11, in September 2022, the EU contributed 
actively to G7 Ministers’ adoption of the first G7 communiqué on urban development. It provides for a common 
understanding  around  the  key  principles  and  actions  needed  for  urban  development  policy,  extending  the 
principles  established  at  EU  level  under  the  New  Leipzig  Charter,  and  promoting  integrated  and  sustainable 
urban development. 

Further, at UN level, on the occasion of the adoption of the New Urban Agenda at the UN Conference on Housing 
and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in 2016, the EU and its Member States pledged to extend their 
action on international urban and regional cooperation.  

The EU also presents the European mission on climate-neutral and smart cities as a commitment. The EU aims 
to support 100 cities as hubs of experimentation and innovation for the green and digital transition by 2030 and 
for an inclusive post-pandemic recovery. In turn, these cities will model and inspire similar transformations for 
cities around the world. This is complemented with the dedicated Urban Transitions Mission which aims to deliver 
at least 50 large-scale, integrated demonstration projects in urban environments around the world, by 2030.A 
key EU-led platform that addresses both SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 11 is the Global Covenant of Mayors 
for Climate Action (GCoM). The European Commission and UN-Habitat co-chair this initiative, which is the largest 
global alliance for city climate leadership, built upon the commitment of over 11 500 cities and local governments. 
These cities hail from 6 continents and 142 countries and in total represent more than 1 billion people. Based on 
current targets and actions, GCoM cities and local governments could collectively reduce global emissions by 
1.9 GtCO2e annually in 2030 compared to a business-as-usual trajectory. Reducing CO2 emissions also implies 
the reduction of pollutant emissions, which is co-beneficial for SDG 11 targets and indicators. 

108 

 
 
On pollution and waste at municipal level, the EU has started implementing several waste-oriented initiatives, 
such as the circular cities and regions initiative, the EU Action Plan: Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and 
Soil and the circular economy action plan (see SDG 12).  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD EUR 3.7 billion in commitments for projects contributing to SDG 11. 
The biggest share of the EU contribution to SDG 11 is accounted for by projects that target SDG 11 as the main 
SDG. These projects also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, with the largest contributions going to SDGs 5, 9 
and 13. Other SDGs also contribute to SDG 11 as a significant objective, with the main contributors being SDGs 
1, 8 and 13. When taking into account other official flows, private funds mobilised through public intervention and 
support to international public goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU 
to SDG 11 amounted to EUR 7.7 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of assistance,31 in the period 2018-
2021,  234  countries  and  cities  developed  climate  change  and/or  disaster  risk  reduction  strategies  with  EU 
support. and 125 countries and cities implemented them with EU support.  

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021, contributed EUR 7.4 
billion to SDG 11. EU and Member State flows to SDG 11 in 2021 were distributed across all regions with projects 
in Africa (34%), Asia (26%), other countries in Europe (19%) and America and the Caribbean (14%). 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

In the context of SDG 11, the EU recognises that sustainable urbanisation is an essential tool to make sustainable 
development a reality at local and urban levels and has embraced the principles of the New Urban Agenda. At 
the occasion of the UN high-level meeting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda in April 2022, the 
EU undertook a voluntary commitment to enhance support to external cooperation and international partnerships 
in the field of urban development.  

In the EU’s international partnerships, urban development contributes to achieving a range of high-level strategic 
objectives and initiatives, in particular Global Gateway and the external dimension of the Green Deal.  

In this context, and in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans for making human settlements and cities 
sustainable and inclusive globally, the EU’s priorities for its external actions contributing to SDG 11 and interlinked 
SDGs include:  

 

 

 

to ensure that EU support to cities and urban development is effectively framed in the context of wider 
initiatives, in particular Global Gateway, the European Green Deal and Team Europe; 
to contribute to mobilising finance for investment in sustainable urban development, in particular in the 
context of the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+)  and wider efforts aimed at 
strengthening the eco-system for urban finance; 
to advance an integrated approach to urban development, encompassing productive, sustainable and 
inclusive patterns of urbanisation. 

Following  the  programming  exercise  for  the  2021-2027  period,  partnerships  with  more  than  30  countries  in 
national  programmes  and/or  within  Team  Europe  initiatives  target  urban  development  and  cities,  either  as  a 
priority on its own or as part of a wider priority, e.g. the Green Deal. This is a major shift compared to the EU’s 
last programming period (2014-2020), where only one country had a specific reference to urban development 
(Haiti in the context of reconstruction).  

Mobilisation of funds for investments in urban infrastructure remains a major challenge. EFSD+ is structured in 
what are called ‘investment windows’, with one of these targeting sustainable cities. The EFSD+ will support the 
mobilisation of finance through guarantees, seeking to mobilise additional sources of finance and blending, which 

31 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

109 

 
 
                                                           
will make lending more affordable. Thus, blended finance may facilitate investments in urban infrastructure that 
may  have  large social  or environmental  benefits  but  not  necessarily  the  capacity  to  generate  revenue.  Other 
avenues of engagement include the Partnership for sustainable cities programme and the Global Covenant 
of Mayors initiative.  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In  addition  to  pursuing  SDG  11,  making  cities  and  human  settlements  inclusive  and  sustainable  is  closely 
interlinked  with  various  SDGs,  including  SDG1  on  fighting  poverty,  SDG8  on  sustainable  growth,  SDG10  on 
reducing inequalities, SDG9 on innovation and resilient infrastructures and SDG13 on climate action.  

Linked to the twin green and digital transition and hence contributing to SDGs 9 and 13, the EU launched the 
Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) programme. This will help ASEAN Member States anticipate the substantial 
pressure from the high urbanisation by focusing on green and smart solutions through digitalisation and the use 
of technologies. It is part of the EU-ASEAN Global Gateway investment package.  

In a similar vein, the EU and Member States are implementing the ‘Sustainable Rwandan cities fit for the digital 
age’  Team  Europe  initiative.  The  initiative  supports  the  Global  Gateway  African-Europe  Investment  Package 
priorities  on  transport  by  seeking  to  promote  green  urbanisation  models,  green  private  investments,  e-
government and digital services and new data collection models and monitoring processes in urban areas. The 
objective of this TEI is to tap into the potential of Rwandan cities to drive innovation and spur the creation of jobs 
fit for the 21st century. Furthermore, the ‘Flood prevention and informal settlement upgrading in the city of 
Kigali’ programme will contribute to improving climate adaptation and inclusive urbanisation in the city of Kigali.  

The European mission on climate-neutral and smart cities supports 100 cities as hubs of experimentation 
and innovation for the green and digital transition by 2030 and for an inclusive post-pandemic recovery. In turn, 
these cities will model and inspire similar transformations for cities around the world through initiatives such as 
the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM).  

Further, the Partnerships for sustainable cities programme was launched in 2018 and now counts in a total of 57 
city-to-city partnerships ongoing in 34 countries. The cities hail from EU Member States and partner countries. 
The  programme’s  aim  is  to  promote  integrated  urban  development  through  partnerships  built  between  local 
authorities  of  EU  Member  States  and  partner  countries  in  accordance  with  the  2030  Agenda  on  sustainable 
development. Partnerships address the same specific objective.  

On  a  global  level,  the  International  Urban  and  Regional  Cooperation  Programme  (IURC),  a  joint  programme 
launched in 2021, supports cooperation between cities and regions to work on sustainable solutions to common 
urban and territorial challenges, with particular attention being paid to the green and digital transitions and the 
inclusive post-pandemic recovery.  

In Tanzania, the EU is supporting a large urban national programme which will, among other objectives, seek to 
advance  investments  in  a  number  of  secondary  cities,  offering  blending/guarantees  combined  with  a  budget 
support component, which will foster a policy dialogue on subnational funding arrangements.  

In relation to SDGs 1, 8 and 9, several initiatives link urbanisation and infrastructure to people’s living conditions 
and sustainable growth for businesses. For example, the EU4 Integrated Territorial Development in Georgia 
budget support programme is a Team Europe Initiative supporting Global Gateway investment priorities which 
promotes more balanced territorial development and aims at improving living standards and conditions  for the 
inhabitants  of  four  focal  regions.  The  programme  targets  different  areas  such  as  basic  infrastructure,  SME 
development, and human capital.  

In  addition,  urbanisation  is  one  of  the  main  drivers  of  disaster  risk.  The  EU  is  strengthening  disaster 
preparedness in urban contexts with its humanitarian partners, with urban preparedness indeed being one of 
the 2021-2024 funding priorities in the field of disaster preparedness. 

110 

 
 
Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 11. A few such initiatives are set out below for illustrative purposes. 

Romania actively supports cities by a range of initiatives, such as undertaking feasibility and design studies and 
developing  action  plans  for  the  improvement  of  waste-water  treatment,  public  transport  systems  and  public 
lighting systems in several cities in Moldova; participating in the development of tourism in Alexandria, Egypt; 
participating in the development of smart, secure and sustainable urban development in Lusaka, Zambia; and in 
smart metropolitan development for social and family housing in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

Germany supports sustainable urban development projects in Ecuador reinforcing the capacity of local, regional 
and national governance bodies to steer sustainable urban development and promoting good local governance 
and civic engagement. Germany is also supporting projects to make cities climate smart in other countries, such 
as Bangladesh,  Chile, India and South  Africa among  others. Projects focusing on local authority financing, 
urban mobility and sustainable urban infrastructure and services such as waste processing and disposal, water 
supply and sanitation are being undertaken in countries such as Mexico, India, Tunisia and Albania.  

Looking ahead  

To  support  SDG 11,  in  2022  the  Commission  proposed  to  implement  a  new  provision  called  Supporting 
Affordable Energy (SAFE) - allowing a more flexible use of cohesion policy funds allocations for 2014-2020 to 
help Member States, regions and territories to support vulnerable households and companies and to preserve 
jobs. SAFE is part of REPowerEU which is the European Commission’s plan to make Europe independent from 
Russian fossil fuels well before 2030, in light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. 

Other issues under discussion include:  

 

 

 
 

focusing on building an innovative environment to ensure the most effective development of regions and 
cities  
communicating the importance of sustainable development with local stakeholders, including municipal 
councils, officers and citizens, and promoting deliberative tools  
continuing to reduce regional disparities and supporting economically and socially vulnerable areas 
encouraging cities and regions to apply the SDGs to their local areas and promote greater engagement 
in SDGs Voluntary Local Reviews.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 11 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries, 
with  sustainable  cities,  human  settlements  and/or  transport  are  a  shared  priority.  A  tangible  contribution  to 
SDG 11 (and other interlinked SDGs) will be the deployment of Global Gateway at regional and national levels. 
This is to be undertaken in a Team Europe approach, e.g. targeting through Global Gateway flagships projects 
urban transport infrastructure, including on electric mobility and on sustainable public transport. The EU and its 
Member States also continue to implement their Voluntary Commitments to deliver on the New Urban Agenda.  

111 

 
 
 
 
SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and 
production patterns 

EU internal action  

Overview and challenges 

The  high  quality  of  life  in  Europe  has  been  made  possible  through  increases  in  income,  production  and 
consumption, which have tended to go hand in hand with more resource extraction and processing and related 
environmental impacts. This has resulted in a somewhat mixed situation concerning SDG 12 over the past few 
years, with some positive changes but also some persistent trends that need to be reversed.  

In the EU, buildings are responsible for around 50% of resource extraction and consumption and 40% of our 
energy consumption. Buildings equally account for more than 30% of the EU's total waste generated per year 
and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting SDG 12 also means safe management of chemicals. Despite a 
slight drop in 2020, consumption of hazardous chemicals has increased since 2015. On the other hand, the use 
of  chemicals  declared  ‘substances  of  very  high  concern’  has  dropped  by  up  to  97%,  indicating  that  risk 
management measures are working.  

Achieving  SDG 12  also  plays  a  fundamental  role  in  addressing  the  climate  action  objectives  under  SDG 13, 
including those set by the Paris Agreement, and for achieving SDG 6 on water and SDG 15 on biodiversity on 
land. 

The estimated gross value added in the EU’s environmental goods and services sector has risen by more than 
18% since 2015, accompanied by an 8% increase in jobs in these sectors. The higher in the waste hierarchy we 
act, the more jobs are created, with one study showing that when processing 10 000 tonnes of waste, you can 
create 1 job by incinerating, 36 by recycling and 300-800 by repairing and re-using it. 

In order to be resilient to crises, food systems must be sustainable. This requires redesigning our food systems, 
which today account for nearly one third of global GHG emissions, consume large amounts of natural resources, 
and result in biodiversity loss and negative health impacts. EU agriculture is responsible for 10.3% of the EU’s 
GHG emissions. In the EU, nearly 59 million tonnes of food waste (131 kg/inhabitant) are generated annually, 
with an associated market value estimated at EUR 132 billion. While this is the first EU-wide monitoring of food 
waste, these data seem to indicate some progress in reducing food waste as compared to previous estimates 
(FUSIONS, 2016), but not at the level required to reach the global SDG Target 12.3 of halving food waste by 
2030. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level 

Target and policy reference 

Trends  

Significantly decrease the amount of raw 
material needed to produce the products 
consumed in the Union 

The EU’s overall demand for the extraction of raw materials induced 
by the consumption of goods and  services (material footprint) has 
decreased  by  2%  since  2015,  reaching  13.7  tonnes  per  capita  in 
2020.  

8th  Environment  Action  Programme  and 
Circular Economy Action Plan 

112 

 
 
 
 
 
Significantly decrease the EU consumption 
footprint 

8th  Environment  Action  Programme  and  the 
Circular Economy Action Plan 
Significantly reduce the total amount of 
waste generated by 2030 

Circular  Economy  Action  Plan    and  Zero 
Pollution Action Plan 
Specific targets to properly manage Waste 
Electrical and Electronic Equipment 
(WEEE) by collecting, treating, recovering, 
preparing for re-use, recycling 

WEEE Directive 

Recycling targets for plastic packaging 
waste: 55% by 2030 

Directive (EU) 2018/851 on waste (revised) and 
COM proposal to revise PPWD of 30.11.2022 
Doubling the circular material use rate by 
2030 compared to 2020 (% of the overall 
material use) 

The EU consumption footprint is persistently high, and it 
transgresses the planetary boundaries for several impact 
categories. In 2020, this statement is valid for four specific impact 
categories.  

In 2020, the EU generated 2153 million tonnes, equivalent to 4.8 
tonnes per capita, indicating a decrease of around 4% on 2014. 

The amount of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the 
market grew by 62.2% from 2012 (7.6 million tonnes) to 2020 (12.4 
million tonnes). Collected WEEE increased from 3.0 to 4.7 million 
tonnes in the same period (+57.8%), while treated (recovered, 
recycled, prepared for re-use) WEEE grew from 3.1 to 4.6 million 
tonnes (+49.1%). Specifically, recovered WEEE grew by 65.1%, 
and WEEE recycled and prepared for reuse grew by 61.7% in the 
same period. 
In 2020, the EU recycled 38% of plastic packaging waste. The 
amount of plastic packaging not recycled has increased by 3.4 kg 
per inhabitant since 2010 due to the greater increase in the 
absolute amount of plastic packaging waste generated (+23% 
during 2010-2020). 
The EU is making more use of secondary raw materials, which 
represented 11.7% of overall material use in the EU in 2021. The 
circular material use rate has increased by 0.4 percentage points 
since 2015.  

Circular Economy Action Plan  

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  12  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

The EU has a wide range of policies and laws in place addressing the different aspects of SDG 12. This section 
provides an overview of some of the most recent and relevant initiatives. 

The Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) of March 2020 delivers the Green Deal’s commitment to sustainable 
growth by promoting circularity in product design, encouraging sustainable consumption and waste prevention, 
and by keeping resources in the EU economy for as long as possible. To deliver on these commitments, several 
key initiatives were presented in March and November 2022. 

The Proposal on the Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products aims at reducing negative environmental 
impacts  of  products  along  their  value  chains  and  improving  the  availability  of  information  on  product 
characteristics,  notably  through  a  digital  product  passport.  It  also  aims  to  boost  the  demand  for  sustainable 
products (e.g. via mandatory green public procurement criteria) and address unsustainable business practices 
(such as the destruction of unsold consumer goods).  

The Proposal to Empower Consumers for the Green Transition will help consumers make informed choices 
and protect them against false green claims. It is complemented by the Proposal for a Green Claims Directive. 
Together, they are expected to lead to an increase in the purchasing of products which do not deceive consumers 
as  to  their  environmental  impact.  Both  initiatives  are  expected  to  better  protect  consumers  against  unfair 
113 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
commercial  practices  such  as  greenwashing  or  non-transparent  voluntary  sustainability  labels,  which  are  not 
compatible with the green transition. 

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to help consumers make more sustainable choices, 
fostering the consumption of durable, repairable and recyclable textiles free of hazardous substances. The review 
of the Textiles Labelling Regulation may introduce mandatory elements on the label such as sustainability and 
circularity parameters. 

The Commission also put forward in March 2023 a proposal for a directive on common rules promoting the 
repair of goods, which will result in savings for consumers and reduce waste, among others. 

The Proposal to revise the Construction Products Regulation lays down harmonised conditions for the marketing 
of  construction  products  and  improves  the  quality  of  the  European  technical  standards  by  including  more 
sustainability indicators.  

The  Proposal  for  the  Packaging  and  Packaging  Waste  Regulation  addresses  the  ever-rising  trend  in 
packaging  waste,  which  also  impacts  climate  change.  This  is  linked  to  a  Policy  framework  for  Bio-based, 
biodegradable  and  compostable  plastics.  The  Batteries  Regulation  will  help  ensure  that  batteries  and 
accumulators can play their essential role in many products, appliances and services. Every year, approximately 
800 000 tonnes of automotive batteries, 190 000 tonnes of industrial batteries, and 160 000 tonnes of consumer 
batteries  enter  the  European  Union.  Many  of  the  components  of  these  batteries  and  accumulators  could  be 
recycled, avoiding the release of hazardous substances to the environment and providing valuable materials.  

The export of waste to non-EU countries amounted to 3 million tonnes in 2021, an increase of 77% since 2004. 
While trading waste can have a positive impact on the economy, the uncontrolled movement of waste can have 
detrimental environmental consequences. The Proposal for  the Waste Shipment  Regulation is intended to 
improve the EU system to supervise and control shipments of waste within its borders, and with non-EU countries. 

The  Radio  Equipment  Directive  introduces  a  common  charging  solution  for  electronic  devices.  It  will  bring 
significant savings in terms of e-waste and CO2. As of 2024, all new devices (for laptops the deadline is 2026) 
will have to be equipped with a USB-C charging port.  

The EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is part of the Green Deal’s Zero Pollution ambition. It creates a shift 
towards  new  chemicals  and  materials  that  are  inherently  safer  and  more  sustainable  for  humans  and  the 
environment, from production to end of life.  

The EU Farm to Fork Strategy (see also SDG 2) confirms the EU’s commitment to achieving the global target of 
halving food waste by 2030 and reducing food losses along the production and supply chains.  

Selected enablers 

Financial resources, reforms and investments as well as science and innovation, are strong means to implement 
the SDGs in the EU. As regards sustainable consumption and production, the investment gap in Europe for the 
circular economy and waste ranges between an estimated EUR 13 billion and EUR 28 billion per year, depending 
on the ambition levels of circularity to be achieved. A series of programmes and instruments have been mobilised 
in recent years to support the transition to sustainable consumption and production models.  Horizon Europe 
and LIFE have supported innovation and market replication, focusing on the development of indicators and data, 
novel materials and products, substitution and elimination of hazardous substances based on a ‘safe by design’ 
approach,  circular  business  models,  and  new  production  and  recycling  technologies,  including  exploring  the 
potential of chemical recycling, keeping in mind the role of digital tools in achieving circular objectives.  

Support from Cohesion policy has enabled deep transformation to a level closer to citizens (waste management 
infrastructure). Cohesion policy funds are at the core of the efforts to help regions implement circular economy 

114 

 
 
strategies  and  reinforce  their  industrial  fabric  and  value  chains,  helping  them  also  to  put  in  place  separate 
collection systems and recycling infrastructure, innovation in circular economy and cooperation across borders. 
The InvestEU programme includes the circular economy as one of its areas of intervention  - in its investment 
windows and especially in its Sustainable Infrastructure window. Moreover, the Commission has adopted several 
guidance  documents  for  InvestEU  implementing  partners  (such  as  the  EIB  Group,  EBRD,  other  international 
financial  institutions  and  national  development  banks)  on  how  to  identify  priority  investments,  with  circular 
economy  projects  being  among  the  priorities.  Under  InvestEU,  a  new  natural  capital  and  circular  economy 
initiative will mobilise investments for at least EUR 10 billion over the next 10 years. Lastly, an InvestEU Advisory 
Hub will provide appropriate support and technical assistance to applicants and investors, including on circular 
economy.  

Under  the  EU’s  Horizon  budget,  the  ‘Cityloops’  project  brings  together  seven  European  cities  –  Apeldoorn, 
Bodø, Mikkeli, Porto, Seville, Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde – to pilot a series of actions to close the loop of 
two of the most important waste streams in Europe: construction & demolition waste, and bio-waste. The 2021 
‘Increasing circularity in textiles, plastics and/or electronics value chains’  project demonstrates and deploys at 
large  scale  innovative  solutions  and  designs  for  increased  quality,  non-toxicity  and  durability  of  secondary 
materials and demonstrating circular business practices. 

Under the Single Market Programme, action grants were awarded for EU Member State and stakeholders to 
improve measurement of food waste and help implement food waste prevention initiatives.  

Another  example  is  the  ‘Technical  Support  for  the  preparation  of  circular  economy  roadmap  for  the  Slovak 
Republic’ project, supported by the Structural Reform Support Programme under the call for 2020. Slovakia 
was facing severe challenges in transitioning towards a circular and climate-neutral economy. In particular, its 
performance on waste management was well below the EU average, characterised by a high level of landfilling. 
In addition, Slovakia was at risk of not meeting the 2020 EU recycling targets. The project aimed at creating a 
coherent policy framework including concrete measures that would enable the country to transition to a circular 
economy and meet its contribution to a carbon-neutral economy.  

Stakeholder engagement 

The EU delivers on SDG 12 in a collaborative approach. For example: 

The  European  Circular  Economy  Stakeholder  Platform,  a  joint  initiative  of  European  Commission  and  the 
European Economic and Social Committee, brings together a wide range of stakeholders to share best practices 
and  address  challenges.  The  platform  bridges  existing  initiatives  at  local,  regional  and  national  level,  and 
supports implementation of the circular economy in general. 

The High Level Construction Forum brings together the EU construction ecosystem, stakeholders and Member 
State authorities. Its meetings facilitate the process to co-create a transition pathway towards a green, digital and 
resilient construction ecosystem. 

The Transition Pathway for Tourism is a plan jointly created with actors in the tourism ecosystem. It details key 
actions, targets and conditions to achieve the green and digital transitions and long-term resilience of the tourism 
sector. This includes pledges submitted by EU stakeholders on their concrete commitments. So far, over 180 
commitments and pledges (which include the TUI group, booking.com and Costa Cruises) have been published. 

The EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing together international 
organisations,  Member  States  and  actors  in  the  food  value  chain  including  food  banks  and  other  NGOs  to 
accelerate the EU’s progress towards SDG Target 12.3. The Platform helps define measures needed to prevent 
food waste, share best practice and evaluate progress made over time. 

115 

 
 
The EU Code of Conduct on responsible food business and marketing practices is a voluntary industry initiative, 
facilitated  by  the  Commission,  that  enables  EU  associations  and  individual  companies  to  support  the  seven 
objectives of the Code (for associations) or pledge concrete commitments (for companies). The Code’s objectives 
relate  to  increasing  the  uptake  of  healthy  and  sustainable  diets,  of  sustainable  internal  processes  and  of 
sustainable supply chains.  

Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 12 include:  

The ‘GR-eco Islands’ initiative (linking SDG 12 with SDGs 7.2, 10 and 13), which is a strategic initiative aiming 
to transform Greek islands into innovation labs and models of the green and circular economy, energy autonomy, 
digital innovation and eco mobility. Key pillars of the initiative, which builds on the high renewables potential of 
Greek islands and takes into account their sensitive natural ecosystem, include: (i) the promotion of sustainable 
waste and water management based on circular economy principles by increasing reuse and recycling; (ii) the 
development  of  zero-pollution  schemes;  (iii)  the  electrification  of  transport;  (iv)  the  green  transformation  of 
agriculture and tourism (both key sectors for the local economy), and (v) the promotion of renewables and energy 
efficiency  practices.  The  initiative  will  also  seek  to  develop  sustainable  port  and  other  infrastructure  facilities 
through targeted support and custom-made programmes to fit each island’s special characteristics and needs, 
devised  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Energy.  These  interventions  at  the  very  local  level  will  produce 
transferable results that can be duplicated in other remote and secluded areas worldwide.  

At  local  level,  the  city  of  Warsaw  in  Poland  is  actively  promoting  the  circular  economy  through  its 
#Warszawa2030  Strategy  and  educational  campaigns  such  as  the  ‘Separate  waste  properly’  campaign,  the 
Warsaw Recycling Month and webinars. In addition, Warsaw is investing in infrastructures such as the Recycling 
and Ecological Education Centre, a sorting plant and the creation of a biogas plant. The city intends to expand 
its system of municipal waste collection points based on the type of waste, with a special focus on repair and 
reuse points. 

In  Finland,  a  number  of  cities  are  carrying  out  pioneering  work  to  promote  the  circular  economy,  in  close 
partnership with different stakeholders. For example, the region of Tampere is fostering a network of cleantech 
and circular economy clusters. Meanwhile, the city of Turku (which submitted a Voluntary Local Review in 2020) 
aims to be climate neutral by 2029 and has a circular economy roadmap aiming for a ‘resource wise’ future with 
zero emissions, meaning no waste and sustainable use of natural resources, by 2040. 

EU external action  

Global trends  

The planet’s natural ability to regenerate is hampered by a nearly fourfold increase in global use of materials in 
the  last  50  years.  The  extraction,  cultivation  and  processing  of  material  resources  (biomass  and  food,  non-
metallic minerals, metals and fossil fuels) are responsible for more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress 
impacts, half of climate change emissions and one third of health impacts. Today we only recycle 8.6 % of what 
we use, which leaves a massive circularity gap of over 90%. In only 2 years, global circularity wilted from 9.1 % 
in 2018 to 8.6 % in 2020. 

Between 2000 and 2019, total domestic material consumption (DMC) rose by 65 % across the world, driven by 
increased demand in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, while remaining relatively stable in other areas, including 
Europe and North America. The adoption of sustainable consumption and production policies has been slow and 
uneven.  

116 

 
 
Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

Achieving the objectives under the 2030 Agenda and in particular SDG 12 requires moving from linear, highly 
resource-depleting systems with high emissions, waste generation and high impacts on ecosystems and natural 
capital,  towards  circular,  less  wasteful  systems  that  use  resources  more  efficiently  and  sustainably,  while 
providing  work  opportunities  and  a  high  quality  of  life.  This  requires  systemic  change  in  consumption  and 
production patterns at home and globally. The EU is determined to lead the transition at the global level. Reducing 
the consumption footprint and increasing the circular material use rate is a particular priority, which should also 
be seen in the context of the European Green Deal’s recognition that access to resources is a strategic security 
consideration for the EU.  

The 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan emphasises that the EU cannot deliver alone the European Green Deal’s 
ambition for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and circular economy. The action plan also confirms that the EU 
will continue to lead the way to a circular economy at the global level and use its influence, expertise and financial 
resources to implement the 2030 Agenda in the EU and beyond. 

The  European  single  market  provides  a  critical  mass  enabling  the  EU  to  set  global  standards  in  product 
sustainability  and  to  influence  product  design  and  value  chain  management  worldwide.  Within  the  European 
Green  Deal,  the  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan  has  led  to  revised  regulations  in  areas  such  as  chemicals, 
construction products, packaging, textiles and plastics (as pointed out above). More will be forthcoming under 
the  Sustainable  Products  Initiative,  including  the  Ecodesign  for  Sustainable  Products  Regulation,  and  the 
proposal for a revised Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. These new regulations aim to make 
sustainable products the norm in the EU and reduce the negative environmental impacts of products along their 
value chains. As EU imported products need to comply with  these regulations, they have a significant impact 
across the world. 

Producers and consumers, including in partner countries, face a potential cost from the emphasis on sustainable 
and  responsible  production  and  consumption  throughout  global  value  chains  and  on  companies  being 
transparent  about  the  risks  they  face  from  sustainability  issues  and  their  own  impacts  on  people  and  the 
environment. To address the social dimensions of unsustainable supply chains, the EU’s Decent Work Worldwide 
Communication, adopted as part of the Just and Sustainable Economy Package, sets out internal and external 
policies to promote decent work worldwide. A new legislative initiative to prohibit products on the EU market that 
are  made  with  forced  labour  is  currently  under  preparation.  In  addition,  where  required,  the  EU  supports 
governments, civil society and businesses in partner countries in their efforts to adapt policies, rules and value 
chains to these new regulations.  

In  relation  to  the  challenges  for  a  circular  economy,  marine  plastic  pollution  is  a  worldwide  phenomenon.  To 
prevent plastic pollution throughout the entire plastics lifecycle, the EU and its Member States have been 
among the sponsors of a resolution by the United Nations Environment Assembly to launch an intergovernmental 
negotiating committee (INC) to develop by the end of 2024 an international legally binding instrument on plastic 
pollution,  including  in  the  marine  environment.  The  EU’s  objective  is  to  move  from  linear  to  circular  plastic 
production and consumption within and outside Europe.  The EU also introduced in 2021 rules on the export, 
import and intra-EU shipment of plastic waste, based on the Basel Convention. As above, this affects partner 
countries’ trade with the EU. To help identify trade policy actions that could contribute to a transition to a resource 
efficient  and  circular  economy,  the  EU  has  co-sponsored  and  been  actively  engaged  in  the  World  Trade 
Organisation (WTO) Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions and the WTO Dialogue on 
Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade. In addition, the EU is actively working with 
like-minded WTO Members to address fossil fuel subsidy reform in the WTO in order to rationalise and phase 
out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption. 

The Commission’s proposal for a new Regulation on waste shipments in November 2021 is expected to tackle 
the  illegal  export of  waste  and  waste  challenges  to  non-EU  countries.  It  aims  to  do  this  by  guaranteeing  that 

117 

 
 
waste  is  only  shipped  outside  the  EU  if  managed  in  an  environmentally  sound  manner  in  the  countries  of 
destination, thus addressing as much as 15%-30% of total waste shipments, currently believed to be illegal. The 
proposed regulation is also intended to boost the market for secondary materials and circular economy. This will 
also encourage non-EU countries to reform their approach to waste treatment, should they desire to continue 
importing EU waste. 

Finally,  the  8th  Environment  Action  Programme,  Article  3(s)  and  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan  aims  to 
significantly decrease the EU’s material footprint, i.e. the amount of raw material needed to produce the products 
consumed in the EU, which represented 6.4% of worldwide material extraction in 2020. This will potentially have 
a considerable impact on the extraction of raw materials and associated export activities in partner countries. 

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 1.7 billion in projects contributing to SDG 
12. The largest share of the EU contribution was made by projects targeting SDG 12 as a significant objective, 
clearly underlining the cross-cutting nature of SDG 12. This SDG has been mostly associated with interventions 
where the main SDG was SDG 2, 8, 9 or 13. A smaller share of the EU contribution is made up of projects that 
target SDG 12 as the main SDG, which is closely interlinked with SDGs 5, 8, 9 and 13. When taking into account 
also other official flows, private funds mobilized through public intervention and support to international public 
goods, the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 12 amounted to EUR 
4.8 billion in 2021. In terms of selected results of assistance32, in the period 2018-2021 the EU support contributed 
to  24 000  micro,  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises  applying  sustainable  consumption  and  production 
practices.  

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 3.7 
billion to SDG 12. EU and Member State flows to SDG 12 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in Asia 
(30%), followed by Africa (26%), other countries in Europe (19%) and America and the Caribbean (15%).  

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

In relation to SDG 12, and in line with commitments under the EU Circular Economy Action Plan implementing 
measures, the EU is stepping up its engagement at global, regional and bilateral levels with non-EU countries, 
especially with low- and middle-income countries, to support the sustainability transition and facilitate compliance 
with  the  new  rules.  In  this  context,  and  in  line  with  partner  countries’  own  policies  and  plans  for  sustainable 
consumption and production patterns, the EU’s priorities are to:  

 

  make  sustainable  products  the  norm,  including  by  leading  international  efforts  to  reach  a  global 
agreement on plastics in line with the objectives of the European Plastics Strategy, and by ensuring that 
Free Trade Agreements reflect the enhanced objectives of the circular economy;  
support partner countries in transitioning to green and circular economies through the development 
of enabling policies, support to the adoption of green and circular business practices, enhanced access 
to finance and knowledge and capacity development;  
address sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as 
electronics  and  ICT,  batteries  and  vehicles,  packaging,  plastics,  textiles,  construction  and  buildings, 
food, water and nutrients. 

 

In  2021,  the  EU  together  with  UNEP  and  UNIDO,  launched  the  Global  Alliance  on  Circular  Economy  and 
Resource Efficiency (GACERE) during the fifth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). 
GACERE is an alliance that promotes initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency 
and sustainable consumption and production. In addition, the EU formally joined the African Circular Economy 

32 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

118 

 
 
                                                           
Alliance  and  the  Circular  Economy  Coalition  of  Latin  America  and  the  Caribbean  in  2022  as  a  strategic 
partner.  

To  support  the  transition  to  sustainability  in  partner  countries,  the  EU  has  launched  the  ‘SWITCH  to  Green 
Initiative’ to facilitate the transition to an inclusive green economy that generates growth, creates decent jobs 
and helps reduce poverty while reducing environmental impact. It supports SWITCH programmes in Africa, Asia 
and the Mediterranean, the SWITCH to Circular Economy Value Chains project, to the Partnership for Action on 
Green Economy (PAGE), the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production 
(10YFP) and the One Planet Network, as well as the Green Economy Coalition (GEC). This is complemented by 
programmes like AL-INVEST Verde and EU4Environment (in Latin American and the Caribbean and Eastern 
Neighbourhood regions) that the EU also supports. 

Current G7/G20 processes of particular interest in advancing the global transition to a circular economy include 
the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency (launched in 2015 under German Presidency) and the G20 Resource 
Efficiency Dialogue (launched in 2017, also under German Presidency). The Commission launched a Partnership 
Instrument support contract in 2018 for ‘Environmental Diplomacy in G7/G20’ to facilitate the EU's engagement 
in  relevant  environmental  activities  and  encourage  greater  ownership  of  environmental  issues  within  these 
forums, including through workshops.  

EU policy action also addresses the social dimensions of SDG 12. The EU supports globally responsible business 
conduct  and  sustainable  production  and  consumption  in  global  supply  chains.  This  includes  the  promotion  of 
decent work worldwide (Decent Work Worldwide Communication) and of human rights and environmental due 
diligence throughout global supply chains (Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and Corporate 
Sustainability Reporting Directive).  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 12, the EU has set up several regional programmes to support the switch to more sustainable 
consumption and production (SCP) patterns. A 2018 Strategic evaluation of EU international cooperation on SCP 
concluded  that  EU  actions  had  resulted  in  significant  green  economy  policy  reforms  taking  shape  in  over  45 
partner  countries  and  achieved  high  impact  in  terms  of  uptake  of  SCP  practices  and  increased  levels  of 
investments by micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), contributing to the creation of green jobs, 
and leveraging over EUR 1 billion in investments. For example, SWITCH-ASIA funded 143 projects in the region, 
supported the uptake of SCP practices by the private sector and facilitated the exchange of information among 
stakeholders,  thus  making  a  significant  contribution  to  the  implementation  of  SDG  8  on  decent  work  and 
economic growth. In illustration, the SWITCH-Asia ‘Mata Kali’ project, has worked towards encouraging young 
people  in  Indonesia  to  start  their  own  businesses  in  the  sustainable  fish  processing  sector,  thus  strong 
interlinkages with SDGs 8 and 14. 

In the Eastern Neighbourhood, the EU4Environment programme is contributing to Global Gateway investment 
priorities with strong interlinkages between SDG 12, SDG 7 on energy and SDG 13 on climate change. It has 
helped  public  and  private  actors  adopt  circular  economy  principles  and  practices,  enterprises  to  adopt  more 
resource efficient, cleaner production, and the legislative framework to align with the EU acquis in areas such as 
green  procurement  (in  Georgia  and  Moldova)  and  waste  management  (in  Armenia,  Georgia, Moldova  and 
Ukraine).  

In Africa, to transform production and consumption methods , the Team Europe initiative ‘Cacao Durable’ in 
Côte d’Ivoire, contributing to the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package priorities, pools efforts for 
sustainable  transformation  of  the  cocoa  value  chain  by  addressing  at  the  most  appropriate  level  (regulation, 
voluntary trade agreements, etc.) the economic, social, environmental and political dimensions of this structural 
transformation in the context of SDG 12. By supporting the monitoring of deforestation, the TEI also addresses 
climate  change  and  environmental  issues  and  the  implementation  of  SDGs  13  and  15.  In  Kenya,  the  Team 
Europe initiative on green transition similarly addresses several interlinked SDGs: it aims to contribute to the 
119 

 
 
reduction  of  waste,  pollution  and  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  promoting  the  adoption  of  sustainable 
approaches to production, consumption, recycling and logistics.  

In Asia, the Team Europe initiative (TEI) in Vietnam for a ‘Climate-resilient, low-carbon circular economy’ 
contributes to the Global Gateway strategy in three ways. First, it enhances climate resilience by supporting the 
climate-proofing  of  infrastructure,  livelihoods,  investments  and  production.  Secondly,  it  promotes  low-carbon 
development thus supporting Vietnam’s achievement of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Thirdly, it 
strives  to  transform  the  economy  towards  a  more  circular  model.  Hence,  the  initiative  has  strong  linkages 
between various SDGs including 8, 9, 12 and 13.  

The ‘Green initiative in South-East Asia’ TEI, which also directly contributes to the Global Gateway investment 
priorities, embodies synergies between the European Green Deal and the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. It 
promotes the joint commitment to a lasting and sustainable transformation towards circular, climate-neutral and 
environmentally sustainable economies and resilient ecosystems. The TEI targets the regional, sub-regional and 
country  levels  via  actions  on  clean,  affordable  and  secure  energy  (SDG  7),  the  circular  economy  (SDG  12), 
biodiversity and sustainable landscape (SDG 15), sustainable food systems (SDG 2), green and smart cities, 
and horizontal issues such as pollution, ensuring a just transition, climate change and migration (SDGs 8 and 
13). 

Similar  interlinkages  among  SDGs  can  be  found  in  the  Latin  America  and  Caribbean  region,  where  in  the 
framework  of  the  Global  Gateway,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States,  through  a  Team  Europe  initiative  support 
Ecuador’s economic green recovery. The initiative facilitates sustainable private and public investments and 
stimulates innovation and productivity, in particular in carbon neutral circular and bioeconomy, clean technology 
and eco-business. The initiative does not only assist Ecuadorian citizens but also support European business 
investments in Ecuador. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 12. A few such initiatives are set out below for illustrative purposes. 

In the context of global supply and value chains, the  PREVENT Waste Alliance was founded by Germany to 
help  ensure that  waste is  minimised  across  the  world,  harmful  substances  are eliminated,  and  resources  are 
managed in circular patterns. This multi-stakeholder platform’s  mission is to advance  the circular economy in 
low- and middle-income countries. The Alliance includes around 390 member organisations from more than 70 
countries  that  are jointly  committed  to  promoting  sustainable  practices for secondary  raw  materials,  including 
their collection, recycling and deployment in partner countries. So far, innovative solutions to prevent waste and 
progress towards circularity have been tested in 15 countries. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 11. For illustrative purposes, the Netherlands supports sustainable production and trade initiatives, through 
partnerships  and  agreements  on  international  responsible  business conduct,  improvement  projects  in  partner 
countries,  private  sector  instruments,  economic  diplomacy,  trade  policy  and  efforts  to  strengthen  the  role  of 
women  in  trade.  In  this  context,  the  Netherlands  has  funded  civil  society  actors  such  as  Solidaridad,  the 
Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Fair Wear and the Rainforest Alliance, which facilitate working directly with 
farmers, small producers and large companies to move towards sustainable production (in Uganda, Kenya and 
Mozambique).  Furthermore,  through  the  Fund  for  Responsible  Business,  the  Netherlands  encourages 
companies to work with civil society organisations to tackle the risks and abuses in their value chains. 

Looking ahead 

120 

 
 
To protect future generations, the EU must decouple economic growth and human well-being from virgin resource 
use and subsequent negative environmental impacts. It needs to move to a regenerative economic model based 
on the polluter pays principle, which returns to the planet more resources than used. 

Implementing  a  circular  economy  will  reduce  demands  for  primary  resources  and  energy,  thus  reducing 
dependencies and increasing the resilience to shocks such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and 
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is particularly important as the demand for key raw materials in renewables 
and e-mobility will increase multiple times from 2030 to 205033. 

In 2023, the Commission intends to put forward several proposals aimed at deepening the circular economy. The 
Commission will review the Waste Framework Directive to introduce food waste reduction targets which will 
contribute to reaching the global SDG target 12.3, as well as presenting legislation on sustainable food systems, 
including food sustainability labelling. In this context, the Commission will also propose provisions on textile waste 
management with the aim to ensure a higher level of circularity. Moreover, it will propose measures to reduce 
unintentional releases of microplastics into the environment and revise the REACH legislation.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 12 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries 
where sustainable consumption and production patters are a shared priority. A tangible contribution to SDG 12 
(and other interlinked SDGs) will be the deployment of Global Gateway and its dedicated regional investment 
plans at regional and national level, including through the Team Europe initiatives highlighted above. 

33 In-depth reviews of strategic areas for Europe’s interests. 

121 

 
 
 
                                                           
SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate 
change and its impacts  

EU internal action  

Overview and challenges 

Through the European Green Deal, the EU is progressing on SDG 13 and has made strong commitments to 
address  the  climate  crisis  domestically  and  internationally.  It  has  set  itself  the  objective  of  achieving  climate 
neutrality by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at  least 55% by 2030 compared to 
1990.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  met  their  international  climate  commitment  under  the  United  Nations 
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): to achieve, by 2020, a 20% reduction in GHG emissions 
compared to 1990 levels. Total GHG emissions, excluding land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) 
and including international aviation, fell by 32%. 

The EU is supporting its Member States in adapting to the impacts of extreme weather and becoming climate-
resilient through the updated Climate Adaptation Strategy. All Member States now have a national adaptation 
strategy or plan. The EU is also working to predict and measure the impact of climate disasters more accurately. 

The EU and its Member States, acting jointly, submitted their updated Nationally Determined Contributions 
(NDCs) to the UNFCCC in December 2020, setting out a binding target of a net domestic reduction of at least 
55% in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. Member States are required to develop 10-year national 
energy and climate plans. Each country must submit a progress report every 2 years. Member States are also 
required to submit national long term strategies looking forward to 2050.  

EU funds and instruments increasingly support the green and just transition, as seen in the Sustainable Finance 
Action  Plan,  EU  taxonomy,  Sustainable  Finance  Disclosure  Regulation,  Corporate  Sustainability  Reporting 
Directive, European Green Bond Standard and Benchmark Regulations among others.  

Progress is being made on international climate finance, and although the global collective goal of mobilising 
USD 100 billion a year for partner countries has not been met by the donor countries as a whole, the EU and its 
Member States remain the world’s largest provider of climate finance, with total EU contributions reaching EUR 
23.04 billion in 2021.  

2030 targets and trends at EU level 

Target and policy reference  

Trends  

By 2030, reduce net greenhouse gas emissions 
at EU level by at least 55% compared to 1990 

European Green Deal 
European Climate Law 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  met  their 
international climate commitment under the UNFCCC to 
achieve,  by  2020,  a  20% reduction  in  GHG  emissions 
compared 
total  GHG 
emissions,  excluding  land  use,  land  use  change  and 
forestry (LULUCF) and including international aviation, 
fell by 32%.since 1990. For all main sectors and gases, 

levels.  By  2020, 

to  1990 

122 

 
 
 
 
 
 
except  buildings,  emissions  are  expected  to  remain 
below  pre-pandemic  levels,  continuing  the  overall 
downward  trend  of  the  past  30  years.  Overall,  EU 
emissions in 2021, including LULUCF and international 
aviation,  were  29.7  %  lower  than  1990  levels,  broadly 
consistent  with  the  trajectory  to  achieve  the  EU  55% 
reduction  target  by  2030.  However,  the  speed  of 
reduction needs to increase significantly. 
By  2021,  the  EU  ETS  had  driven  emissions  from 
stationary installations down by 34.6%[1] against 2005 
levels.  In  parallel,  Member  States  have  raised  over 
in  auction  revenues  since  2013, 
EUR 100 billion 
further  climate  action  and  energy 
available 
transformation. 

for 

In 2021, EU ETS emissions increased slightly compared 
with  2020,  reflecting  both  the  economic  recovery  from 
COVID-19 and the developing energy crisis. While 2021 
emissions  remained  on  a  downward  trend  compared 
with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, more action is needed 
in ETS sectors to meet the 2030 climate target. 

[1] Update reflecting the departure of the UK from the EU and the ETS. 

Since  2013,  EU-wide  emissions  in  the  effort  sharing 
sectors  have  been  below  the  annual  limit.  Emissions 
covered  by  the  Effort  Sharing  Decision  were  16.3% 
lower  in  2020  than  in  2005;  the  EU  overachieved  its 
2020 target by 6 percentage points. All Member States 
met their effort sharing obligations in all years between 
2013 and 2019. 
In the EU, LULUCF emits less GHG into the atmosphere 
than  the  CO2  it  removes  through  biogenic  processes, 
but  recent  years  have  seen  a  decline  in  this  natural 
carbon  sink.  For  2013  to  2020,  Member  States 
to  accounting 
committed 
in 
LULUCF, 
in  reported  GHG  emissions  and  CO2 
removals, to assess the target under the Kyoto Protocol. 

for  additional  action 

GHG net removals by LULUCF has been increasing by 
10,15%  from  1990  to  2021,  based  on  the  final  2021 
GHG  inventory.  A  strong  positive  initial  trend  in  1990-
2006  (68,3%)  was  reversed  between  2006  and  2021. 
The  net  removals  were  230,0  Mt  CO2-equivalent  in 
2021, well below the target proposed. 
Average  CO2  emissions  per  km  from  new  passenger 
cars registered in the EU fell by 9.4% between 2015 and 
2020. Since 2021, data are collected according to a new 
procedure and figures are not comparable to the period 
2015-2020.  In  2021,  average  CO2  emissions  per  km 
from  new  passenger  cars  stood  at  116.3  g/km.  The 

123 

Contribution of the sectors covered by the EU 
emissions trading system (ETS) of 62% in 2030 
compared to 2005 

Emission reductions of 42 % in 2030 compared 
to 2005 for the sectors of buildings and road 
transport 

Set in the ETS Directive 

Overall ambition of the Effort Sharing 
Regulation (ESR) is increased by 11 percentage 
points from -29% to -40% (compared to 2005) 

Set in the Effort Sharing Regulation 

Net removals by the land use, land use change 
and forestry (LULUCF) sector of 
310 million tonnes CO2 equivalent in 2030 

Member-State-level binding targets for 2030 

A budget for 2026-2029 

Set in the LULUCF Regulation 

55% CO2 emission reduction target (i.e. 100% 
zero emission vehicles) for new cars and 50% 
for new vans by 2030 compared to 2021  

100% CO2 emission reduction target for both 
new cars and vans by 2035  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CO2 emission performance standards for cars and 
vans 

share  of  zero-emission  vehicles  in  newly  registered 
passenger cars rose from 0.4% in 2015 to 5.3% in 2020, 
even  though  the  share differs  considerably  across  the 
EU Member States. 

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  13  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives  

To deliver on the 2030 target and the climate neutrality target, in July 2021, the European Commission tabled 
the Fit for 55 Package (FF55) of legislative proposals. This package reflects the increased ambition in horizontal 
and sectorial legislation, particularly for industry, transport, buildings, land use, and the internal energy market. 
It  includes  dedicated  measures  aimed  at  ensuring  the  sufficient  availability  of  alternative  fuel  infrastructure  – 
notably  electric  recharging  infrastructure  –  as  well  as  the  increased  use  of  sustainable  fuels  in  aviation  and 
maritime transport, in addition to support measures for the green just transition, through the new Social Climate 
Fund and enhanced Modernisation Fund and Innovation Fund. 

A new Carbon  Border  Adjustment Mechanism  (CBAM) will put a carbon price on imports of a selection of 
products to create a level playing field that incentivises producers in non-EU countries to green their production 
processes.  

Alongside  mitigation  actions,  the  importance  of  adaptation  measures  cannot  be  overstated.  The  EU’s  2021 
Adaptation Strategy has begun delivering results and achieving important milestones in a broad range of policy 
fields such as, for example, the adoption of new guidance on how to climate-proof future infrastructure projects. 
The research and innovation initiative ‘Mission on Adaptation’ is making good progress; 118 regions and local 
authorities have signed the associated Charter to date and 12 calls for funding  have been launched. The EU 
Action Plan for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction includes adaptation measures at both 
the EU and international level, linking these to disaster risk-reduction and management strategies. Additionally, 
the EU Civil Protection Mechanism provides assistance for Member States dealing with emergencies following 
a natural disaster.  

Selected enablers 

In  2020,  the  EU  adopted  the  European  Green  Deal  Investment  Plan  (EGDIP).  The  plan  will  mobilise 
EUR 1 trillion in sustainable investments before 2030. A selection of financing mechanisms are outlined below.  

At  least  30%  of  the  current  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  will  be  spent  on  climate  objectives.  Other 
spending programmes also have climate spending targets of at least 30%. These include Horizon Europe (35%), 
the  Cohesion  Fund  (37%),  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)  (30%),  the  Connecting 
Europe Facility (60%), and the LIFE programme (61%). 

The Innovation Fund funds the rollout of innovative low carbon technologies. It is financed by the EU ETS and 
will provide over EUR 38 billion in the coming decade. The Modernisation Fund (EUR 51 billion) and Social 
Climate Fund (EUR 72.2 billion) assist Member States with investment in energy systems, energy efficiency and 
clean mobility among others.  

In  light  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  EU  launched  its  NextGeneration  EU.  Through  the  Recovery  and 
Resilience Facility, consisting of EUR 338 billion in grants and EUR 385.5 billion in loans, at least 37% of the 
resources  in  the  national  recovery  and  resilience  plans  must  be  allocated  to  climate  action  and  the  green 
transition. The national recovery and resilience plans have allocated 40% of this planned expenditure to achieve 
the EU climate objectives.  

124 

 
 
 
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund will provide more than EUR 94 
billion for climate action, a substantial increase from the EUR 56 billion invested in the 2014-2020 programming 
period. 

The Just Transition Fund has an EU contribution of EUR 19.2 billion for investments by 2027 for carbon-
intensive regions to alleviate the socio-economic impact of the green transition.  

InvestEU  will  spend  30%  of  its  EUR 372 billion  budget  on  climate  objectives.  Furthermore,  60  %  of  the 
investments under the Sustainable Infrastructure Window will be spent on climate and environment. 

The Horizon Europe programme will allocate at least 35 % of its EUR 95.5 billion budget to climate action and 
the green transition through the Climate, Energy, and Mobility work programme.  

The Horizon mission for adaptation to climate change supports EU regions, cities, and local authorities in 
building  resilience  against  the  impacts  of  climate  change.  By  2030,  at  least  150 European  regions  and 
communities will be climate-resilient. 

The Horizon Europe Health Cluster aims to promote healthy societies in Europe. In this regard, the CATALYSE 
programme aims to catalyse climate action in Europe and to protect public health through the provision of new 
knowledge,  data  and  tools.  It  is  in  the  process  of  developing  an  indicator  framework,  quantifying  health  co-
benefits, developing forecasting tools and strategies, and providing evidence and training on the most effective 
strategies. 

EIT Climate-KIC, a Knowledge and Innovation Community supported by European Institute of Innovation and 
Technology since 2010, has a common ambition to create a prosperous, inclusive, climate-resilient society with 
a circular, zero-carbon economy, where the long-term impact is to achieve deep decarbonisation and strengthen 
climate resilience through innovation. EIT Climate-KIC takes urgent actions to combat climate change and its 
impacts primarily through integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning as 
well as by strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and national disasters. 

Another  example  is  the  project  for  ‘Pilot  implementation  of  the  national  plan  for  integrated  wildland  fire 
management’ in Portugal, supported by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2021. The afforested 
lands provide goods and services for local villages and communities and foster prosperity. The aim of the national 
plan  is  to  protect  people  and  their  property  from  severe  rural  wildland  fires,  developing  at-risk  territories  and 
ensuring proper care for ecosystems.  

Stakeholder engagement 

Stakeholders are at the heart of climate action and the EU is committed to providing them with channels for input 
and dialogue. Since young people will be acutely affected by climate change, it is vital that their voices are heard. 
For that reason, the EU is engaged in active dialogue with young people and exploring new forums where young 
people youth can engage directly with policymakers. 

The European Climate Pact gives people in the EU a platform for designing new climate initiatives, amplifying 
activities, sharing knowledge, and showcasing solutions. Over 4 million pledges have been made by EU citizens 
to shape a climate-friendly society.  

The  Global  Covenant  of  Mayors  for  Climate  and  Energy  fosters  the  engagement  of  cities  and  local 
governments  in  climate  action,  leading  to  a  fairer,  climate-neutral  Europe.  In  2022,  there  were  over 
10 000 signatories to the Covenant committed to reducing GHG emissions by 55% by 2030. 

125 

 
 
 
 
Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery requires ambitious action at all levels. Some examples of good practices in implementing SDG 13 
are given below.  

In Finland, a network was launched in 2008 bringing together municipalities, regions, businesses, members of 
the  public  and  experts  to  find  ways  of  reducing  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  Coordinated  by  the  Finnish 
Environment  Institute,  the  Towards  Carbon  Neutral  Municipalities  network  facilitates  knowledge  exchange 
regarding  good  practices  in  climate  change  mitigation,  supports  the  municipalities  in  their  climate  action  and 
creates demand for climate-friendly products and services. 

The  city  of  Vienna  in  Austria  uses  participatory  budgeting  to  accelerate  climate  action  and  strengthen 
democracy.  The  Vienna  Climate  Teams  put  out  public  calls  ideas  for  climate  action.  1100 ideas  have  been 
submitted  and  checked  by  city  experts,  who  selected  238  for  a  co-creation  workshop  where  members  of  the 
public  and  experts  clustered ideas  into  102 projects.  A  representative  jury  of  members  of  the  public  selected 
19 winning projects. These will be financed by the city and implemented within 2 years. In 2022 and 2023, the 
project covers six districts with a budget of EUR 13 million. 

EU external action 
Global trends 

Insufficient  progress  has  been  made  on  reducing  greenhouse  gas  emissions  to  limit  global  warming  to 
1.5 degrees  Celsius  above  pre-industrial  levels.  According  to  the  2022  UN  SDG  Report,  based  on  current 
national commitments, by 2030 global emissions could have increased by almost 14% compared to 2010. Over 
the last two decades, the number of low- and middle-income countries exposed to climate extremes increased 
from 76% to 98%.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

Climate action is a central part of the EU external policy toolbox and strongly linked with the implementation of 
the  2030  Agenda.  Climate  diplomacy  remains  a  core  component  of  EU  foreign  and  security  policy  and  is 
increasingly  important  for  the  EU’s  international  engagement.  The  EU  participates  actively  in  the  UNFCCC 
processes in support of SDGs 13 and 7.  

To  support  the  transition  of  partner  countries  to  a  climate-resilient,  net-zero  emissions  economy,  the  EU 
organises climate dialogues and regional and bilateral cooperation activities, including  high-level dialogues on 
climate change with the US, Canada, India, Japan, South Korea and others. A major vehicle for climate diplomacy 
is the EU Climate Dialogue (EUCDs) project. The objective of such dialogues is to project the European Green 
Deal priorities abroad and to make EU knowledge and experience available to major economies outside Europe 
in order to facilitate action by them to implement the Paris Agreement.  

As part of its efforts to implement the external aspects of the European Green Deal, the EU seeks green alliances 
with key partners who share the EU’s ambitions and  the objective of climate neutrality by 2050. The alliances 
involve  a  commitment  to  cooperate  on  climate  action  through  facilitating  the  green  transition  by  reducing 
emissions,  phasing  out  fossil  fuel  energy,  deploying  low-carbon  technologies,  and  supporting  mitigation  and 
adaptation efforts. The EU has signed Green Alliances with Japan and Norway and a Green Partnership with 
Morocco. 

The EU and several partner countries established ‘The Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate’ to foster global 
action to promote trade policies that can help address climate change through local and global initiatives. The 
Coalition aims to build partnerships between trade and climate communities to identify ways in which trade policy 

126 

 
 
 
can help address climate change. It will promote trade and investment in goods, services and technologies that 
help mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

The EU supports science-based decision-making by offering information and by basing decisions on the latest 
available science. In this regard, the EU’s scientific lighthouses such as Copernicus and the European Marine 
Observation and Data Network provide data and information on an open access basis to inform climate services 
(e.g. remote sensing, smart weather stations and artificial intelligence). These instruments are powerful tools for 
monitoring implementation of the Paris Agreement objectives and NDCs. This is particularly important for partner 
countries , where monitoring tools and early warning systems are often insufficient.  

Commitments and accounting under the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC cover greenhouse gases in the country 
where  they  are  emitted.  There  is  increasing  focus  on  the  impacts  of  consumption  and  production  on 
greenhouse  gas  emissions.  Further  research  is  required  to  understand  the  overall  dynamics  of  the  impact  of 
imported  and  exported  goods  and  services  on  global  emissions.  Current  estimates  of  technology-adjusted 
consumption-based  emissions  for  the  EU  suggest  that  these  follow  a  similar  trend  to  the  production-based 
emissions accounted for under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement. Eurostat is also working on statistics on GHG 
emissions associated with EU trade in goods and services.  

While it provides technical assistance and support to partner countries to decarbonise their economies, the EU 
is ready to explore possibilities for dialogue and cooperation with low- and middle- income countries regarding 
implementation  of  the  Carbon  Border  Adjustment  Mechanism,  having  regard  to  policy  coherence  for 
development. The EU is committed to ensuring that trade contributes to sustainable development and combatting 
climate change. All modern EU trade  and investment agreements include  trade and sustainable development 
(TSD) chapters, including provisions on the implementation of global climate commitments.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

There are two  main  sources  of information  to  track  support  for  SDG 13.  As  with  other SDGs,  EU support  for 
SDG 13 can be estimated where this specific SDG field is marked in projects reported to the  OECD-DAC. In 
addition, the OECD climate mitigation and adaptation markers, which are the basis for climate finance reporting 
to the UNFCCC and under the EU Governance Regulation, can be used to identify measures that contribute to 
fighting  climate  change  and  SDG 13.  The  assessments  made  in  preparing  this  Review  indicate  that  there  is 
scope for greater consistency between these complementary and related reporting tracks.  

In 2021, EU institutions reported to OECD commitments amounting to EUR 5.8 billion in projects contributing to 
SDG 13.  A  substantial  proportion  of  the  EU  contribution  was  from  projects  targeting  SDG 13  as  the  main 
objective. These projects also contribute to several other interlinked SDGs such as SDGs 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11. EU 
support for SDG 13 also includes a significant number of projects targeting SDG 13 as a significant objective, 
clearly underlining the cross-cutting nature of SDG 13. This SDG has been mostly commonly associated with 
interventions where the main SDG was SDG 1, 8, 16 or 17. When taking into account also other official flows, 
private funds mobilized through public intervention and support to international public goods, the Total Official 
Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 13 amounted to EUR 11.8 billion in 2021. In 
terms of selected results of assistance34, EU support contributed to 95.8 million tons of CO2 emissions averted 
in the period 2018-2021. 

Collectively,  the  EU  and  Member  States  that  reported  on  SDGs  to  the  OECD  in  2021,  contributed 
EUR 16.2 billion to SDG 13. EU and Member State flows to SDG 13 predominantly focused on projects in Africa 
(35%), Asia (25%), America and the Caribbean (14%) and other countries in Europe (14%). There is also a global 
component (12%). A significant share of this contribution to SDG 13 has been provided through global thematic 
funds such as the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund or the Clean Technology Fund. Considering the five 

34 For the methodology and results, please see the description under SDG 2.  

127 

 
 
 
                                                           
main global climate funds, EU and Member States contributions to global funds related to SDG 13 is estimated 
at EUR 15.7 billion.35  

As for the reporting on climate finance for developing countries, this is based on annual reporting by EU Member 
States under the EU Governance Regulation. This reporting complies with the relevant reporting requirements 
under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement and uses the OECD-DAC mitigation and adaptation markers (the 
‘Rio Markers’). Under this reporting system, in 2021 the EU and the 27 Member States reported a cumulative 
total  of  EUR 23.04 billion  committed  from  public  sources  to  support  developing  countries  to  reduce  their 
greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

EU Member States are important donors to global funds supporting the fight against climate change. The EU 
Member States account for approximately 60% of global contributions to the Green  Climate Fund (GCF), the 
largest global fund focusing on climate. EU Member States’ contributions to the GCF account for USD 9.4 billion 
out of a total donor contribution of USD 15.8 billion. EU Member States have also made sizeable contributions 
to the Strategic Climate Fund and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). Significant contributions have also been 
made to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) established 
under the UNFCCC. EU commitments on adaptation have translated into a EUR 100 million contribution to the 
Adaptation Fund (with EUR 80 million earmarked for sub-Saharan Africa), making the EU and its Member States 
the biggest contributor to the fund, with more than EUR 350 million committed. 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement  

The EU continues to be at the forefront of international efforts to promote sustainable and inclusive development, 
in  line  with  the  external  dimension  of  the  European  Green  Deal,  with  climate  change  a  central  theme.  The 
European Green Deal is Europe’s blueprint for implementing a sustainable recovery model to ‘build back better’ 
globally, together with the European Consensus on Development and the NDICI-Global Europe Regulation 2021-
2027. Reflecting this ambition, the EU set itself the target of dedicating 30% of the NDICI-Global Europe financial 
envelope  to  climate  spending  for  2021-2027.  This  target  will  be  exceeded  after  the  announcement  by  the 
Commission President, in her 2021 State of the Union address, of an additional effort of EUR 4 billion, taking the 
figure to 35%. The EU’s new Global Gateway strategy is expected to  make a major contribution to the green 
transition. Being particularly geared towards climate mitigation, it represents a major economic opportunity for 
low and middle-income countries. 

The EU remains an active voice in the international arena in promoting the implementation of the Paris Agreement 
and  the  transition  to  low-carbon  and  climate-resilient  economies.  The  EU  is  also  committed  to  international 
cooperation and supporting partner countries’ own policies and plans for climate action including those related 
to climate adaptation (in line with the 2021 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change) or with a focus on 
climate  mitigation  towards  decarbonisation  and  energy  transition.  By  working  closely  with  international 
organisations  such  as  the  International  Civil  Aviation  Organization  (ICAO)  and  the  International  Maritime 
Organization (IMO), the EU plays an important role in the advocacy and design of concrete measures such as 
the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) aimed at reaching science-
based global emission reduction goals consistent with the Paris Agreement.  

Climate  change  and  the  environment  are  being  integrated  by  the  EU  into  all  its  policies  and  interventions. 
Continuous  support  is  provided  for  implementation  and  upgrading  of  NDCs  and  national  adaptation  plans 
globally, and for commitment to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030. In 
2021,  the  Commission  supported  international  climate  governance,  sustainable  energy  transition,  the  global 
pledge on reducing methane emissions, phasing out of coal and the just transition as well other environmental 
actions. This included direct support for 60 countries, for the design and implementation of their NDCs. Ongoing 

35  The  calculations  consider  total  EU  and  Member  State  historical  contributions  to  the  following  funds:  Adaptation  Fund,  Clean 
technology Fund, Green Climate Fund (GCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and Strategic Climate Fund (SCF). 

128 

 
 
                                                           
initiatives  in  the  fields  of  renewable  energy,  resource  efficiency,  circular  economy,  sustainable  urban 
development and health resilience also supported the implementation of SDGs 3, 7, 11, 13 and 17. 

Several  Team  Europe  initiatives  (TEIs)  address  climate  change  as  a  priority.  The  TEI  on  climate  change 
adaptation  and  resilience  in  Africa,  part  of  the  Global  Gateway  Africa-EU  Investment  Package,  is  a  leading 
example in this field with the EU and selected Member States joining efforts by bringing together existing and 
new programmes, including current contributions to global climate funds, under African leadership. Other relevant 
TEIs  include  the  DeSIRA  programme  which  addresses  the  development  of  smart  and  climate-resilient 
agriculture in  Africa,  Latin  America,  and  Asia;  and  projects  on  water, energy  and  climate  in  Central  Asia;  the 
Africa-EU  Green  Energy  initiative  and  the  EU-Pacific  Green-Blue  Alliance,  which  also  contributes  to  the 
objectives of Global Gateway.  

The EU’s overall policy frameworks for its neighbouring regions are enshrined in the Economic and Investment 
Plans (EIPs). The EIP for the Western Balkans aims to spur the long-term economic recovery of the region and 
speed  up  economic  convergence  with  the  EU.  It  is  accompanied  by  guidelines  for  implementing  the  Green 
Agenda in line with the EU Green Deal. Close to EUR 30 billion in funding is expected to be mobilised through 
grants, guarantees and preferential loans to the region. Similarly, the EIP for the Eastern Partnership aims to 
mobilise  potential  investments  of  up  to  EUR 17 billion  across  all  policy  sectors  through  the  EFSD+ and  other 
financial instruments, with green transition playing a central role.  

In 2021, the EU and the US launched the Global Methane Pledge in an effort to slash methane emissions by 
30 % by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. So far, 150 countries have joined the pledge, and more than 50 countries 
have developed national methane action plans or are in the process of doing so. The EU action plan focusing on 
energy,  agriculture  and  waste,  contributes  to  various  SDGs,  such  as  2,  7  and  12.  The  EU  also  supports  the 
establishment  and  operationalization  of  the  International  Methane  Emission  Observatory  (IMEO)  in 
collaboration with various international agencies.  

In its Communication on the EU’s Humanitarian Action of 2021, the Commission highlighted that climate change 
also  has  a  humanitarian  impact.  By  2050,  over 200 million  people  could  need  humanitarian  assistance  every 
year due to climate-related disasters. As climate and weather-related crises are increasing in both frequency and 
severity, the EU humanitarian budget allocated for disasters caused by natural hazards has steadily grown over 
the years. To this end, climate and environmental resilience are one of the priorities for the dedicated budget line 
for preparedness in the EU humanitarian aid budget for 2021-2024. At the same time, the minimum environmental 
requirements and recommendations for EU-funded humanitarian aid operations will be applied from 2023. These 
will contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing emissions from EU-funded humanitarian aid. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 13, the EU and its Member States are actively supporting climate finance initiatives benefiting 
partner countries. By way of illustration, the joint V20/G7 initiative of a Global Shield against Climate Risks 
offers  financial  and  social  protection  to  the  most  vulnerable  countries  dealing  with  climate-related  loss  and 
damage. Including strengthened coordination within the global climate and disaster risk finance and insurance 
(CDRFI) architecture, this initiative was launched at COP27, with Germany already pledging EUR 170 million. 
The InsuResilience Global Partnership is an international alliance that promotes the scale-up of climate and 
disaster  risk  finance  and  insurance  solutions  (total  EUR 1 billion  contributed  by  all  donors,  with  the  majority 
provided  by  EU  Member  States).  Similarly,  the  multi-country  risk  pool  African  Risk  Capacity,  supported  by 
several  Member  States  and  the  European  Commission,  enables  African  Union  Member  States  to  take  out 
insurance policies for droughts and tropical cyclones.  

The  EU  also  funds  the  African  Adaptation  Initiative,  an  African  Union-mandated  initiative  in  which  African 
partners are taking the lead as key facilitators for Africa's action on adaptation and in averting, minimizing and 
addressing loss and damage on the continent. Strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related 

129 

 
 
risks and natural disasters aims to reduce inequality within and between the most vulnerable countries to the 
adverse impacts of climate change, while reducing the expected large-scale migration. 

The intensity and frequency of natural hazards and disasters is expected to increase due to climate change. To 
address  this,  the  Intra-ACP  Natural  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  Programme  (EUR 100 million)  provides  a 
coordinated response by non-state and state actors to reduce the impact of natural hazards and disasters and 
increase  the  overall  resilience  in  79 African,  Caribbean,  and  Pacific  countries.  To  track  change,  the  Global 
Monitoring  for  Environment  &  Security  (GMES)  &  Africa,  an  EU-African  Union  joint  initiative,  aims  to 
strengthen and further develop infrastructure for more coherent Earth observation data by adapting Copernicus 
Earth Observation Programme data and services to African needs. 

To  strengthen  the  resilience  and  adaptive  capacity  of  partner  countries,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  have 
proposed  several  initiatives  that  contribute  to  the  Global  Gateway  and  the  priorities  set  out  in  its  dedicated 
regional  investment  packages.  A  Territorial  Team  Europe  Initiative  ‘Green  Deal  and  Resilience  in  the 
Septentrion'  in  Cameroon  aims  to  reduce  the  long-term  risk  of  security  and  territorial  crises  and  prevent  the 
effects  of  climate  change  and  the  degradation  of  natural  resources.  To  improve  the  climate  ambition  and 
resilience  and  recovery  in coastal  regions,  the  Green-Blue  Alliance  in the  Pacific,  a  TEI launched in  2022, 
supports mitigation and adaptation efforts in 15 Pacific Island countries and 3 French Overseas Territories, by 
mainstreaming and enhancing climate ambition and disaster risk management, and developing a stewardship 
model reconciling biodiversity, environmental protection, and restoration with sustainable development. In the 
field of energy, the TEI on green energy transition in Bangladesh, contributing to Global Gateway investment 
priorities, aims to support the building of a power system for maximum coverage of the country’s energy demand 
through  renewable  energy.  It  does  this  by  promoting  public  and  private  investment  in  renewable  energy  and 
energy efficiency measures.  

The Commission also supports climate and environmental resilience as one of the priorities for preparedness in 
EU humanitarian aid in, for example, Bangladesh, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region (linking it to 
disaster preparedness), Madagascar (nexus with food and nutrition), Central America and Mexico (disaster 
and conflict preparedness), Cuba (drought management), and the Caribbean (disaster emergency management 
with the World Food Programme). 

Action by the EU and its Member States is mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity and 
impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and Team 
Europe  initiatives,  EU  Member  States  carry  out  their  own  projects  in  support  of  the  2030  Agenda  including 
SDG 13. Some of these are described below. 

On the margins of PreCop26, Italy hosted the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition event, which then evolved 
into the Youth4Climate initiative, an annual event to empower youth activities. Co-led by Italy and the United 
Nations  Development  Programme  (UNDP),  this  virtual  platform  for  knowledge-sharing  and  training 
promotes  climate  action  through  the  identification  and  support  of  concrete  and  advanced  solutions  led  by 
young people. 

France has been supporting Mexico’s national effort to reduce gas emissions by 50% by 2050 by providing 
climate loans for forest preservation and ecological territorial development, climate change economics and the 
adaptation  of  agriculture  to climate change, and  by  supporting  Mexico’s  energy  transition, focusing  on  water 
governance and water and power infrastructure renovation and rehabilitation. 

Under the Sahel climate programme, Belgium is helping to restore about 10 000 h of land to fertility through 
investments in better rainwater storage and tree planting. The aim is to support sustainable local solutions and 

130 

 
 
protect  existing  ecosystems,  including  the  Great  Green  Wall  project.  By  combating  desertification,  local 
communities can continue to ensure their food security in the longer term.  

In 2019, at the UN Climate Action Summit, Greece launched the initiative ‘Addressing climate change impacts 
on cultural and natural heritage’ to raise awareness and strengthen cultural and natural resilience to climate 
risks.  

Looking ahead 

Domestically,  the  EU  will  continue  to  deliver  on  the  European  Green  Deal  and  work  towards  SDG 13  by 
implementing  packages  of  climate  and  environment  measures.  These  will  aim,  in  particular  to  speed  up 
renewable energy infrastructure deployment and other sustainable solutions in industry, transport and buildings 
and  to  promote  sustainable  agriculture  and  land  use  through  carbon  removal  certification  –  a  regulatory 
framework  to  reward  land  managers  for carbon  sequestration,  in  full  respect  of  ecological  principles  (‘carbon 
farming’).  

The implementation of the Energy Union and Climate Action Governance Regulation has established a flexible 
but transparent and cooperative system between the EU and its Member States. In the coming 2 years, Member 
States  will  submit  their  updated  national  energy  and  climate  plans  to  reflect  new  legislation  and  geopolitical 
developments. Their adoption will be a major step towards implementing the energy and climate transition, while 
also ensuring movement towards the objectives of the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan, including 
supporting local communities and households in this transition.  

On  the  external  side,  the  EU  will  work  on  further  promoting  a  coordinated  approach  to  investment  in  climate 
action in partner countries. It will continue to take  resolute action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 13 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries 
where climate action is a shared priority. A tangible contribution to SDG 13 (and other interlinked SDGs) will be 
the deployment of Global Gateway at regional and national level through Team Europe initiatives, such as the 
one  on  climate  change  adaptation  and  resilience  in  Africa  as  part  of  the  Africa-Europe  Investment  Package. 
Under the external dimension of the European Green Deal, the EU is also negotiating a Green Partnership with 
South Korea.  

Similarly,  the  Green-Blue  Alliance  in  the  Pacific  is  another  Team  Europe  initiative  launched  in  2022  that  will 
support Global Gateway investment priorities at regional level. The EU is also committed to working with other 
developed counties to urgently implement the ‘Climate Finance Delivery Plan: Meeting the USD 100 Billion Goal’ 
by 2023. The EU has committed to the Glasgow goal of at least doubling the collective provision of climate finance 
for adaptation by 2025 from 2019 levels. The EU will also work on averting, minimising, and addressing loss and 
damage as a result of climate change, and on achieving the Glasgow goal on finance for adaptation. The EU 
aims to deploy a range of Global Gateway priority flagships projects on urban transport infrastructure as a 
contribution to SDGs 13, 11 and other interlinked SDGs, including on electric mobility and sustainable transport.  

Speeding up the green transition is necessary to tackle the climate crisis and to strengthen global economies 
and  geopolitical  security.  Climate  action  remains  at  the  core  of  global  politics  and  recent  shocks  to  energy 
systems prove the need for resilience against international pressures. The food and energy crisis sparked by 
Russian aggression in Ukraine has increased the need for renewable sources of energy and resilience against 
global shocks to the energy markets. The EU remains committed to achieving SDG 13 on climate action within 
the EU and is supporting partner countries with their implementation goals through development cooperation.  

131 

 
 
 
 
 
SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the 
oceans, seas and marine resources for 
sustainable development 

EU internal action 

Overview and challenges 

SDG 14  is  the  compass  of  EU’s  ocean  policy  and  there  are  no  significant  policy  gaps  in  the  EU  policy 
framework.36 Building on a comprehensive set of policies and legislation, the EU recently renewed its agenda on 
international ocean governance (target 14.C) for a sustainable blue economy and a sustainable fisheries policy. 
Progress is being made towards sustainable fishing in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea, and the EU 
pursues an effective zero tolerance approach towards illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing (target 
14.4), while the area designated as  marine protected areas (MPAs) (12%) has already exceeded 10% of EU 
waters (target 14.5).  

However, many other SDG 14 targets are unlikely to be met by the agreed timelines. The good environmental 
status defined by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive has not been achieved. Regarding pollution (target 
14.1),  46%  of  European  coastal  waters  suffer  from  eutrophication  caused  by  excess  nutrients.  High 
concentrations of at least certain contaminants are found in all European sea basins and in seafood. Marine litter, 
notably plastics, is present in all compartments of the marine environment.  Between 2014 and 2019, the total 
volume of underwater noise more than doubled in EU waters. Maritime traffic is a major source of continuous 
underwater noise, while oil and gas and offshore renewables are the main source of impulsive noise. 

The loss of biodiversity has not yet been halted in Europe’s seas (target 14.2). Across European seas, seabed 
habitats are under significant pressure from fishing, coastal developments and other activities.  

Together with the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022, (see 
more  details  in  the  chapter  on  SDG 15),  the  agreement  on  marine  biodiversity  in  areas  beyond  national 
jurisdiction concluded in February 2023 will aim to protect 30% of international marine waters. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 
Achieve a Good Ecological/Environmental Status 
in coastal waters by 2027 and marine 
environment by 2020 

Water Framework Directive (WFD) 
Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 

Trends  
In 2020, good environmental status was not achieved 
for all  descriptors  (quality  parameters)  of  the  marine 
environment,  as  defined  by  the  Marine  Strategy 
Framework  Directive  (MSFD).  In  2018,  58%  of 
surface  waters  (rivers,  lakes  and  transitional  and 
coastal  waters)  had  not  achieved  the  WFD’s  ‘good 
ecological  status’37,  which  would  be  one  of  the 
reasons the MSFD’s objective has not been achieved. 
Nevertheless, there have been drastic improvements 
in  terms  of  the  determination  of  good  environmental 
status,  the  knowledge  base,  data  availability  and 

36 Assessment of the existing EU policy tools in the field of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 and other ocean-related Agenda 
2030 targets (europa.eu). 
37 Ecological status of surface waters in Europe (europa.eu) 

132 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Legally protect and effectively manage at least 
30% and strictly protect at least 10% of EU sea 
area 

EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 
Birds Directive and Habitats Directive 

Reach Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) for fish 
stocks regulated under the Common Fisheries 
Policy by 2020. 

Adhere to zero-tolerance policy towards illegal, 
unregulated and unreported fishing. 

EU Common Fisheries Policy 

50% reduction of nutrient losses, of the use and 
risk of chemical pesticides, of the use of the 
more hazardous ones, and of the sale of 
antimicrobials for farmed animals and in 
aquaculture. 

50% reduction of plastic litter at sea and 30% 
reduction of microplastics in the aquatic 
environment 

Zero Pollution Action Plan 
Priority Substances Directive 
Farm to Fork Strategy 
Proposal for a Regulation on the Sustainable Use of 
Pesticides 

related 

monitoring  mechanisms  and  methodologies  for  the 
marine environment. 
In 2021, 9% of the EU’s seas were protected areas 
under the Natura 2000 network, with an additional 3% 
covered by national protection schemes. Only 1% of 
the  sea  area  is  strictly  protected  and  many  marine 
protected  areas  are  still  not  effectively  managed. 
Significant  activities 
to  marine-based 
restoration have been implemented, yet an estimate 
of  the  restoration  area  is  not  available.  It  is  clear, 
however, that the EU did not meet the voluntary target 
to  restore  at  least  15%  of  degraded  ecosystems  by 
2020,  which  was  included  in  the  previous  EU 
Biodiversity Strategy . 
MSY was achieved for major commercial fish stocks. 
In  2020,  the  overall  ratio  of  fishing  mortality  to  MSY 
level (F/FMSY) fell below 1 in the Northeast Atlantic 
for the first time (overfishing occurs when F/FMSY≥1). 
Other  stocks  remain  overfished  and/or  outside  safe 
biological  limits.  In  the  Baltic  Sea,  due  to  the  dire 
environmental  situation  and  a  history  of  overfishing, 
habitat  loss  and  declines  in fish  biomass  have  been 
recorded.  In  the  Mediterranean,  steps  towards  the 
MSY  objective  were  observed,  with  a  decrease  of 
F/FMSY  below  2  for  the  first  time  since  2003. 
However, 
the 
in 
the  state  of  most  stocks 
Mediterranean and Black Seas remains critical.  
Progress  towards  the  -50%  nutrient  losses  is 
measured with the help of three indicators. Firstly, the 
gross  nitrogen  balance  (kg  per  ha  utilised 
in 
agricultural area) slightly increased in the EU-28 from 
2008 
to  2015.  Secondly,  data  on  nitrates 
concentration in the EU show that groundwater quality 
has  improved  over  the  past  30  years.  Thirdly,  the 
gross  phosphorus  balance  (in  kg  per  ha  utilised  in 
agricultural  area)  slightly  decreased  from  1.7  to  1.6 
from 2008 to 2015. 
The Gross Nitrogen Balance was 46 kg/ha of utilised 
agricultural  area  and  Gross  Phosphorus  Balance  1 
kg/ha  of  UAA  (EU  average  2012-14).  The  share  of 
groundwater  monitoring  stations  with  nitrates 
concentrations  above  50  mg/L  was  14.1%  as  EU 
average in 2016–2019, slightly up from 13.2% in the 
period 2012-15. 
Under  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive 
(MSFD),  a  threshold  value  for  beach  litter  was 
agreed  on  in  2020.  Monitoring  activities  provided 
beach  litter  data  for  several  years  but  harmonised 
methodologies  for  their  collection  and  assessment 
have  only  recently  been  put  in  place;  collection  and 

133 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
processing of recent data is being finalised, which will 
make it possible to identify trends. 
For microplastics, a baseline for quantities is being 
set,  while  work  will  continue  throughout  2023  on 
baselines  and  threshold  values  for  seafloor  macro 
litter, floating macro litter and micro litter and threshold 
values.  

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  14  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

An important body of legislation is in place to achieve the goal of preserving coastal and marine environments, 
notably:  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive,  the  Water  Framework  Directive,  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives, the Invasive Alien Species Regulation, the Bathing Water Directive, the Urban Wastewater Directive, 
the Nitrates Directive, the EU waste law, the Directive on Single Use Plastics and the Port Reception Facilities 
Directive. 

The  Maritime  Spatial  Planning  Directive,  the  EU’s  new  approach  for  a  sustainable  blue  economy,  and  the 
common fisheries policy (CFP), which underwent deep reform in 2013, contribute to the sustainable use of 
marine resources, to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to preserving biodiversity.  

These  policies  are  complemented  by  other  EU  initiatives  such  as  the  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan,  the  EU 
Plastics Strategy, the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan and the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles.  

In  2022,  the  Commission  adopted  criteria  and  guidance  for  the  identification  and  designation  of  additional 
protected areas. Under the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Member States are expected to submit pledges for 
new areas to be designated. These pledges will be discussed in biogeographical seminars in 2023. 

In early 2023, the Commission proposed an important set of measures to improve the sustainability and resilience 
of the EU's fisheries and aquaculture sector, including  a Pact to foster sustainable, science-based, innovative 
and inclusive fisheries management, an Action plan to protect and restore marine ecosystems and an action plan 
to foster the energy transition in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. 

Selected enablers 

The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) supports the achievement of SDG 14 through 
support  in implementing  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy  (CFP),  the  EU maritime  policy  and  the  EU agenda for 
international ocean governance. Between 2021 and 2027, EMFAF has a total budget of EUR 6.108 billion. Here 
is an example of a project under EMFAF’s predecessor, the European Maritime and Fisheries fund (EMFF): 

  The Maricap aquaculture project promoted small-scale, sustainable and virtuous aquaculture in Capraia, 
a remote island in Tuscany that used to be dependent on fishing and seasonal tourism. New high-skilled 
and well-paid jobs were created in ecologically sound and sustainable marine aquaculture. 

The Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) has funded more than a hundred marine projects 
since  1992.  For  the  period  2021  to  2027,  LIFE  has  a  total  budget  of  EUR  5.43  billion.  It  supports  the 
implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Birds and Habitats Directive, the EU Biodiversity 
Strategy and other EU maritime-related policies. Examples of projects include: 

 

Integrative,  Innovative  and  Participatory  Management  for  Natura2000  Network  in  the  Marine 
Environment  (LIFE  INTEMARES)  is  one  of  the  largest  marine  environment  conservation  projects  in 

134 

 
 
 
Europe.  It  integrates  various  funds,  policies  and  actors  across  Spain’s  national  network  of  marine 
protected areas to bolster critical knowledge of management practices, improve the monitoring of habitat 
types  and  species,  and  guarantee  the  conservation  of  marine  species  and  habitats  with  sustainable 
socio-economic development. 

Copernicus, the EU’s flagship for Earth observation, and the European Marine Observation and Data Network 
(EMODNET) will be key to providing ocean data and observations in the EU and worldwide. The EU is a top 
provider of ocean science, with up to 85% of all funding being provided by its Member States.  Under Horizon 
Europe, about EUR 350 million annually is earmarked from the EU budget to contribute to this over the 2021-
2027 period. In addition, for 2021-2023, the ‘Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ mission will receive about 
EUR 110 million each year. 

The Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 Mission will support the aforementioned targets and protect some 
25 000 km of free-flowing rivers. It also aims to make the blue economy climate-neutral and circular with net-zero 
maritime emissions. In addition, it will heighten citizens’ awareness and scientific knowledge (target SDG 14.a) 
and strengthen ocean observation through a European digital twin of the ocean.  

Stakeholder engagement 

The EU delivers on SDG 14 in a collaborative approach. For example, 

  The Fisheries Advisory Councils are stakeholder-led platforms which provide the European Commission 

and EU countries with recommendations on fisheries management. 

  The  European  Maritime  Day  is  an  annual  event  during  which  Europe’s  maritime  community  meet  to 

network, discuss and outline joint action on maritime affairs and a sustainable blue economy. 

  The EU Marine Strategy Coordination Group for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework 
Directive and involving Member States brings together key stakeholders and the European Commission.  
  The  #EUBeachCleanup  campaign,  co-organised  by  the  EU  and  the  United  Nations  around  World 
Coastal Clean-up Day every year in September is a key event to raise awareness about marine litter. 

Multi-level approach 

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 14 include: 

Ireland’s  Programme  for  Government-Our  Shared  Future  (2020)  commits  to  achieving  10%  MPA  (marine 
protected area) coverage of the maritime area as soon as is practicable and 30% coverage by 2030. To that end, 
the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is developing specific new legislation to underpin 
and enable the identification, designation and management of MPAs. 

Community-led local development (CLLD) is supported by the EU in coastal and fisheries areas. Fisheries 
local  action  groups  (FLAGs)  are  partnerships  between  fisheries  actors  and  other  local  private  and  public 
stakeholders to address their area’s needs, involving thousands of local stakeholders. In the 2014-2020 period, 
348 FLAGs were operational under the EMFF in 19 Member States and  supported over 10 000 local projects 
with EUR 440 million of EMFF funding. Examples of projects include: 

  Marine protected areas under fishers' surveillance: fishers are helping enforce protection measures 
and halt poaching in the region’s oldest fisheries marine reserve, Cabo de Palos, Spain. Its improved 
protection has led to an increase of endemic species. 

  A coastal management plan by local fishers and fish farmers. They have been actively involved in 
designing a coastal stock management plan for the Emilia-Romagna coastline, focusing on three local 
high value species identified by the sector at regional level. 

135 

 
 
The  Flanders  Marine  Institute  in  Belgium  promotes  marine  knowledge  creation  through  interdisciplinary 
research and collaboration at all levels. The principle of co-design is central in its approach, with collaboration 
with other marine research groups, citizens, policy makers and industrial partners. Its InnovOcean Campus hosts 
partners from the global and European level to  Flemish marine research institutes, provincial authorities. The 
institute connects local to global across all ocean-related SDGs. 

EU external action 

Global trends  

In relation to SDG 14, the increasingly adverse impacts of marine pollution and climate change, combined with 
overfishing,  are  jeopardising  recent  gains  in  protecting  portions  of  the  world’s  oceans.  Cumulative  impacts 
threaten organisms and ecosystem services, and hence food security, tourism and coastal protection. Between 
2009 and 2018, the world lost about 14% of its coral reefs, and the oceans are also under increasing stress from 
multiple sources of pollution, which is harmful to marine life and eventually makes  its way into the food chain. 
Trends for marine ecosystems’ status are in general not positive. However, the efforts made by governments to 
protect these environments, and especially their key biodiversity areas, increased from 2000 to 2020.  

The rapidly growing consumption of fish (an increase of 122% between 1990 and 2018), along with inadequate 
public policies for managing the sector, have led to depleting fish stocks. Almost half a billion people depend at 
least partially on small-scale fisheries, which account for 90% of employment in fisheries worldwide. Nearly all 
small-scale fishers (97%) live in partner countries and many face high levels of poverty and lack broader social 
and economic development opportunities.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development  

Concerning  the  external  dimension  of  EU  policies  on  oceans  in  relation  to  SDG  14,  the  EU  is  strongly 
committed to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The EU's International Ocean Governance 
agenda  embodies  its  renewed  commitment  to  strengthening  implementation  of  the  UN  2030  Agenda,  and 
particularly synergies between SDGs 14, 2 and 6, interlinking marine, water and food security aspects.  

As  part  of  this  agenda,  the  EU  commitment  to  an  ambitious  renewed  set  of  marine  biodiversity  targets  was 
instrumental to the conclusion in December 2022 of the Kunming-Montreal agreement on a post-2020 Global 
Biodiversity Framework, which provides the new framework for pursuing all targets under SDG 14. Similarly, 
the EU supported an ambitious UNCLOS Implementing Agreement on the protection of marine biodiversity in 
areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) (targets 14.2 and 14.4), agreed in March 2023. The EU was also a 
driving  force  behind  the  launch  of  negotiations  that  will  address  pollution  through  a  legally  binding  global 
agreement on plastics (target 14.1) and is committed to reaching an agreement by end-2024. Furthermore, the 
EU is advocating for the designation of two new MPAs in the Southern Antarctic.  

As  part  of  EU  efforts  of  coherence  between  internal  and  external  actions,  the  Marine  Strategy  Framework 
Directive  emphasises  the  need  for  EU  Member  States  to  cooperate  with  their  neighbours  in  the  four  marine 
regions,  notably  through  the  Regional  Sea  Conventions.  Four  Regional  Sea  Conventions  cover  EU  marine 
waters: (i) The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment in the Baltic Sea Area (HELCOM); (ii) 
The  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  the  Marine  Environment  of  the  North-east  Atlantic  (OSPAR);  (iii)  The 
Barcelona  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  the  Marine  Environment  and  the  Coastal  Region  of  the 
Mediterranean  (UNEP-MAP);  and  (iv)  The  Convention  on  the  Protection  of  the  Black  Sea  Against  Pollution 
(Bucharest Convention). The EU is a contracting party to the first three and is actively engaged  in ensuring a 
shared understanding of the ambition for marine environmental protection across the marine regions.  

As regards fisheries, since 2012 the EU has applied the core principles of the CFP – promoting responsible and 
sustainable  fisheries  –  at  international  level.  EU  Member  States  have  ratified  or  acceded  to  implementing 
agreements  of  UNCLOS  such  as  the  1995  UN  Fish  Stocks  Agreement  and  joined  global  efforts  to  prevent 

136 

 
 
illegal fishing under the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported 
and  Unregulated  (IUU)  Fishing  (target  14.4).  The  EU  financially  supported  and  actively  participated  in  the 
negotiations that led to the conclusion of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Transhipment, which is another 
important tool to combat IUU fishing.  

At regional level, the EU plays an active role in 18 Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) 
to  foster  sustainable  fisheries  conservation  and  management  measures  (target  14.C).  Through  its  voluntary 
financial contributions, the EU has been instrumental in developing sound stock status assessments, monitoring 
fishing activities and preventing marine pollution in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.  

In all marine areas surrounding the EU, it cooperates with riparian countries using relevant international forums. 
As a member of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), over the last 5 years the 
EU successfully promoted the adoption of 75 conservation and control measures which have already started to 
bear fruits. In the Arctic, the EU has been a leading proponent of, and is a party to, the Agreement to prevent 
unregulated high seas fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. 

The EU also ensures that its trade policy is consistent with SDG 14. The EU was active in the negotiations that 
successfully  resulted  in  the  new  WTO  Agreement  on  Fisheries  Subsidies  at  the  12th  WTO  Ministerial 
Conference on 17 June 2022, delivering on SDG Target 14.6. The EU is committed to achieving a complementary 
agreement  in  the  continued  WTO  negotiations  on  the  outstanding  issues.  The  EU  has  also  engaged  in,  and 
contributed to, discussions of the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics 
Trade  with  the  aim  of  developing  new  products  and  services  that  can  contribute  to  preventing  pollution  from 
reaching  the  marine  environment  and  provide  innovative  solutions  through  a  multi-stakeholder  approach. 
Moreover, in recent years, the EU has ensured that the bilateral free trade agreements concluded with non-EU 
countries include a sustainable development chapter in which fisheries and aquaculture are an integral part.  

Science is fundamental to the sustainable management of the ocean. The EU advocates science-based fisheries 
management in all international forums. More broadly, it is committed to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for 
Sustainable Development 2021-2030. The EU is a strong partner in the Future of the Seas & Ocean Initiative 
(FSOI) of the G7 and the GEO Blue Planet initiative linking ocean and coastal information with society. The EU 
is cooperating with key partners on both sides of the Atlantic to build an All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. 
The IOG Agenda also encourages the creation of an Intergovernmental Panel for Ocean Sustainability. 

In  relation  to  impacts  on  developing  countries  and  policy  coherence  for  development,  the  EU  zero 
tolerance policy for IUU fishing entails a strong dimension of dialogue with countries in all regions of the world, 
most of them developing and least developed countries. Before taking any measure to restrict imports of fisheries 
products, the primary aim is to address shortcomings and improve the fisheries control system as flag, coastal, 
port  or  market  states  (indicator  14.6.1). When  the  EU  considers  that  the  control  systems  in  place  in  non-EU 
countries exporting fishery products to the EU are deficient, it takes action to encourage change. These actions 
have proved instrumental in triggering positive reform in most of the countries concerned and  have facilitated 
that  countries  with  poor  monitoring  and  controls  systems  and,  sometimes,  flag  of  convenience  status,  have 
progressed towards greater cooperation and respect for international obligations. 

To carry out and sustain such reforms, many countries receive financial technical assistance to upgrade their 
fisheries governance frameworks. For example, in 2021 the CAPFISH Programme supported Cambodia's efforts 
to combat IUU fisheries by helping it become a party to the FAO Port State Measures Agreement and the UN 
Agreement on straddling and migratory fish stocks and prepare and implement the new Fisheries Law.  

Managing  fisheries  sustainably  at  international  level  goes  beyond  fighting  IUU  fishing.  The  EU  also  works 
bilaterally  with  partner  countries  to  promote  sustainability,  while  fully  recognising  the  role  of  fisheries  in  the 
livelihoods  of  coastal  developing  countries  and  the  challenges  they  face  to  set  up  performing  fisheries 
management and monitoring policies.  

137 

 
 
To this end, the EU considerably adapted its Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) with 13 
partner countries in Africa and the Pacific38, six of which classify as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and 
seven as Least Developed Countries (LDCs). These agreements grant EU vessels access to fisheries surpluses 
in the exclusive economic zone of partner countries and support sustainable fisheries management, including 
small coastal fisheries, with a yearly contribution of EUR 135 million from the EU. These ensure that EU fishing 
is  based  on  the  best  available  scientific  knowledge  and  transparency  standards  and  strengthen  fisheries 
governance in partner countries by applying EU standards for monitoring and control of fishing operations and 
social  provisions  for  fishers.  Partner  countries  derive  additional  economic  benefits  by  supplying  goods  and 
services to EU fishing vessels and through jobs on-board and in the processing industries (estimated at 20 000). 

EU and Member States financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In  2021,  EU  institutions  reported  to  the  OECD  commitments  for  EUR  314  million  in  projects  contributing  to 
SDG 14, which makes it the smallest SDG when measured by the volume of funding. The largest share of the 
EU contribution is made up of projects targeting SDG 14 as a significant objective, clearly underlining the cross-
cutting nature of SDG 14. This SDG has been mostly associated with interventions where the main SDG was 
SDG 2, 8, 6 or 13. A smaller share of the EU contribution is made up of projects that target SDG 14 as the main 
SDG. These projects show  significant interlinkages with SDGs 1, 2, 5 and 13. When taking into account also 
other official flows, private funds mobilized through public intervention and support to international public goods, 
the Total Official Support to Sustainable Development (TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 14 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion 
in  2021.  In  terms  of  results  of  the  selected  assistance39,  a  total  of  543 000  km2  of  marine  areas  was  under 
protection with EU support in the period 2018-2021.  

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 1.1 
billion to SDG 14. EU and Member State flows to SDG14 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in America 
and the Caribbean (27%), Asia (27%) and Africa (14%). SDG 14 also has a significant global component (24%). 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

In relation to SDG 14, the sustainable management of oceans, seas and marine resources is an increasingly 
important  aspect  of  international  partnerships  and  cooperation.  The  EU  promotes  an  integrated  approach  to 
effectively  address  the  drivers  of  ocean  degradation,  while  linking food security,  nutrition  and  livelihoods  with 
natural  resources  preservation.  The  Commission  committed  to  investing  up  to  EUR  1  billion  for  ocean  and 
coastal biodiversity and climate, including for the high seas (2021-2027).  

This  cooperation  takes  place  within  a  dense  network  of  ocean-related  relations  with  several  regions.  The 
technical  and  financial  support  provided  promotes  monitoring  and  assessment  of  the  state  of  the  marine 
environment and measures to protect and improve it.  

In  the  Southern  neighbourhood,  increasing  attention  is  being  given  in  the  context  of  the  Union  for  the 
Mediterranean  and  the  Barcelona  Convention  to  protection  of  natural  resources,  promotion  of  sustainable 
fisheries,  reduction  of  marine  pollution,  in  particular  plastic  pollution,  and  protection  biodiversity  in  the 
Mediterranean. At the same time, a strategy for the Western Mediterranean between the northern and southern 
riparian  countries  fosters  sustainable  development  of  the  blue  economy.  Regional  support  programmes 
contribute by acting either on the causes of biodiversity loss or on the preservation of endangered ecosystems. 
For example, the IMAP-Marine Protected Area (MPA) project on achieving good environmental status through 
MPAs  has  strengthened  and  further  developed  the  MPA  network,  and  the  Water  and  Environment  Support 

38  Morocco,  Mauritania,  Senegal,  Ivory  Coast,  Guinea  Bissau,  Sao  Tome  e  Principe,  Gabon,  Cabo  Verde,  Gambia,  Seychelles, 
Mauritius, Madagascar and the Cook Islands. 
39 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

138 

 
 
                                                           
project  has  provided  technical  assistance  and  training  on  depollution  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  notably  on 
plastics.  

Sustainably  managing  and  protecting  marine  resources  is  also  part  of  the  Green  Agenda  for  the  Western 
Balkans. With the support of the EU, the region is exploring avenues to strengthen cooperation. For instance, 
the EU is helping Albania develop its circular economy, which will  have a positive impact on reducing marine 
pollution, especially plastics, to protect biodiversity and sustainably manage its fisheries.  

Similarly,  the  EU  works  closely  with  its  neighbours  in  the  Black  Sea  in  the  context  of  the  Common  Maritime 
Agenda for the Black Sea and aims to join the Bucharest Convention. Support was given to an environmental 
monitoring  project  (EU4EMBLAS)  implemented  together with  UNDP  that focused  on SDG 14  and  used  novel 
techniques  to  assess  the  state  of  Black  Sea  biodiversity  and  screen  for  the  presence  of  more  than  65 000 
chemical substances. Several wide-reaching awareness and beach litter clean-up campaigns were carried out.  

With  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  (ACP)  countries,  under  the  extended  Cotonou  Agreement  the  EU 
continues to work with each region on areas including sustainable blue economy and sustainable fishing as joint 
areas for cooperation. Over the years, cooperation significantly expanded from support to sustainable fisheries 
to a wider set of interconnected issues including water, biodiversity and climate adaptation.  

Several regional programmes strengthen ocean governance, promote a sustainable blue economy and improve 
ocean protection within a coordinated regional approach. EUR 180 million have been allocated to five regional 
ocean programmes. The  aim is to foster regional collaboration and capacities to implement regional fisheries 
management  measures,  to  boost  the  joint  fight  against  IUU  fishing  and  to  strengthen  regional  scientific  and 
monitoring and control systems.  

For instance, under PESCAO, a Western African fisheries and aquaculture policy is being developed and the 
coordination  of  ECOWAS  Member  States  and  stakeholders  is  improving.  Under  ECOFISH,  EU  support  is 
strengthening capacity to fight IUU fishing in the Eastern Africa-Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region. The EU 
and Sweden are funding the Pacific European Union Marine Partnership Programme (PEUMP), which is an 
extensive  multi-sectoral  programme  that  supports  sound  ocean  and  coastal  governance,  with  a  focus  on 
biodiversity protection and sustainable use of fisheries and other marine resources. For its part, the FISH4ACP 
programme contributes to unlocking the potential of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in 12 ACP countries 
while minimising detrimental effects on natural habitats and aquatic resources.  

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 14, using a Team Europe approach, the EU and Member States support 18 countries and 
overseas territories in the Pacific Region through the regional TEI Green Blue Alliance for the Pacific. As part of 
this initiative, support is provided to integrated ocean management to sustain livelihoods in the region.  

In addition, in recent years, the EU has launched various water-sensitive programmes and projects. In Namibia, 
a  capacity-building  project  supports  the  development  of  environmentally  sustainable,  climate-resilient  inland 
fisheries and aquaculture. In Tanzania, the EU supports the ‘Blue economy’ TEI, focusing on: (i) environmental 
protection and climate-resilient sustainable management of coastal ecosystems; (ii) support to sustainable and 
job-intensive businesses in the blue economy, including productive uses of the marine and coastal ecosystems; 
and (iii) transformative governance and policy reforms. An EU budget support programme in Guyana focused 
on  improving  integrated  coastal  zone  management  by  enhancing  disaster risk  management  and  resilience  to 
flooding, as well as on integrating gender equality into the sector.  

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 14. A few examples of such initiatives are set out below for illustrative purposes.  

139 

 
 
Croatia  has  been  supporting  Albanian  institutions  by  establishing  a  mutual  network  for  risk  prevention  and 
incident  management,  in  order  to  mitigate  risks  of  marine  pollution  and  to  strengthen  Albanian  response 
capacities in fighting oil and HNS (hazardous and noxious substances) spills.  

As a member of the Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans joint initiative, implemented in a Team Europe 
approach by 21 EU Member States, Belgium is supporting the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute 
(KMFRI) for biological, chemical and oceanographic research in the Western Indian Ocean, notably through the 
donation of a research vessel, the provision of training activities and monitoring marine upwelling zones in support 
of measures promoting sustainable fishing practices.  

Spain’s Galicia region and Mozambique collaborate on strengthening fisheries and aquaculture in Mozambique 
to  improve  food  and  nutritional  security.  The  Pe1xan  MZ  project  is  financed  with  funds  from  the  Regional 
Government of Galicia (Spain) and aims to contribute to improving the living conditions of the communities of 
Namaacha and to financing the Centro Tecnológico del Mar-Fundación Cetmar, with the Fundación Ayuda en 
Acción and the Direção Provincial da Agricultura e Pescas as partners.  

Looking ahead  

As set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, many of the framework 
policies and legislations relating to SDG 14 are being reviewed. Recognising a clear need for enhanced marine 
restoration efforts, the EU Nature Restoration Law is being negotiated, together with a new regulation on the 
sustainable  use  of  pesticides.  The  aim  is  to  restore  20% of  land  and  sea  areas  by  2030  and  reduce  by  50% 
nutrient losses and the use and risk of chemical pesticides. As part of the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Urban 
Wastewater Directive and the lists of surface and groundwater pollutants are being also updated. In addition, 
the EU is set to conclude its revision of EU fisheries control system.  

Looking further ahead, the EU will prepare a legislative framework for sustainable food systems, which should 
address the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. An integrated nutrient management action 
plan will be adopted in early 2023, addressing nutrient pollution in an integrated manner across sectors. New 
measures will be proposed in 2023 to address the unintentional release of microplastics into the environment 
and  the  chemicals  legislation  (under  the  REACH  regulation)  will  be  applied  to  restrict  intentionally  added 
microplastics. These initiatives will also help address marine litter.  

Additionally,  the  Commission  will  make  a  proposal  to  boost  ocean  observation  and  is  evaluating  the 
performance of, and possibly reviewing, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Furthermore, the Commission 
has  launched  a  fitness  check  of  the  polluter  pays  principle,  which  will  look  at  how  well  the  EU  applies  the 
principle and should provide the basis for recommendations on how to better implement it.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 14 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries 
where marine and coastal resources and fisheries is a shared priority. A tangible contribution to SDG 14 (and 
other  interlinked  SDGs)  will  be  the  deployment  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy  and  its  dedicated  regional 
investment plans at regional and national level, to be undertaken in a Team Europe approach. In relation to global 
oceans  governance,  the  EU  will  advocate  swift  ratification  and  implementation  of  the  three  recent  landmark 
agreements on fisheries subsidies (WTO), a framework on biodiversity (under the CBC) and on marine areas 
beyond national jurisdiction (under UNCLOS). 

140 

 
 
 
SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable 
use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage 
forests, combat desertification, and halt and 
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity 

loss 

EU internal action 

Overview and challenges 

Europe’s  nature  is  in  decline,  with  more  than  80%  of  protected  habitat  types  assessed  as  being  in  poor 
condition40. Drivers for this decline include changes in land and sea use, the direct exploitation of organisms, 
climate change, pollution, and invasive species. While both the EU’s forest area and terrestrial protected areas 
have  expanded  slightly,  pressures  on  biodiversity  continue  to  intensify.  The  expansion  and  intensified  use  of 
agricultural land and the doubling of urban areas since 1992 have come at the expense of forests, wetlands and 
grasslands.  

The global situation is equally bleak for biodiversity. However, the EU land area at risk of severe soil erosion by 
water has shrunk slightly since 2010 and the chemical condition of freshwater has improved. 

In response to these challenges, the COP-15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-
Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) in December 2022, with four goals and 23 targets to be achieved 
by 2030. Parties committed themselves inter alia to protecting 30% of land and inland water and 30% of coastal 
and  marine  areas,  restoring  30%  of  degraded  ecosystems,  significantly  increasing  the  area  of  natural 
ecosystems,  addressing  land-  and  sea-use  change  through  100%  of  spatial  planning,  reducing  the  rate  of 
introduction  and  establishment  of invasive  alien species  by  50%,  and  reducing  by  half food  waste  as  well  as 
excess nutrients lost to the environment and overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals. Harmful 
incentives must be identified by 2025 and reduced by USD 500 billion per year thereafter. Biodiversity financing 
from  all  sources  has  to  increase  to  USD  200  billion,  including  a  USD  30  billion  increase  of  international 
biodiversity financing by 2030. To track progress, a monitoring framework was adopted, including an initial set of 
27 headline indicators to be reported by all Parties. 

2030 targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference 

Trends 2015 – 2023 

Legally protect and effectively manage at 
least 30% and strictly protect at least 10% 
of the EU’s land area 

EU biodiversity strategy for 2030  

Reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030 

From  2015  to  2021  data  available  seem  to  suggest  an 
increase in protected area coverage. Percentage of terrestrial 
protected  areas  have  increased  from  19.7%  to  26.4%, 
however, parts of this increase might be due to improved data-
availability. The progress has slowed down in recent years, but 
the  EU  seems  nevertheless  to  be  on  track  to  meet  its  30% 
target by 2030.  

In  recent  decades,  European  wild-insect  pollinators  such  as 
bees,  butterflies,  hoverflies  and  moths  have  dramatically 
declined in occurrence and diversity in Europe. Many species 
are also on the verge of extinction. According to the European 

40 See Figure 3.4 page 41 in State of nature in the EU — European Environment Agency (europa.eu). 

141 

 
 
 
                                                           
EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 

EU pollinators initiative 

Red List, around one in three bee and butterfly species has a 
declining population, while around one in ten are threatened 
with extinction. 

Increase the degree of connectivity in 
forest ecosystems with a view to creating 
and integrating ecological corridors 

The  average  degree  of  connectivity  in  forest  ecosystems 
decreased  from  72.64%  in  2000  to  72.43%  in  2018  for  the 
EU27.  

EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and 8th 
EAP monitoring framework.  

Strictly protect all primary and old growth 
forests  

EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 

EU forest strategy for 2030 

Reach no net land take by 2050 

EU soil strategy for 2030  

Plant at least 3 billion new trees in the EU, 
in full respect of ecological principles, by 
2030 

EU biodiversity strategy for 2030  

Make significant progress in remediating 
contaminated soil sites by 2030 

EU biodiversity strategy for 2030  

EU soil strategy for 2030 

The trends from 2000 to 2018 are stable at EU27 level but are 
quite  different  at  national  level.  For  example,  Spain  showed 
the highest decrease in connectivity, of 3.1%, while Latvia had 
an increase of 2.1% in the same period. 

Primary  and  old  growth  forests  cover  about  3%  of  total  EU 
forest  area.  They  are  vital  for  their  rich  biodiversity,  their 
capture  and  storage  of  atmospheric  carbon  dioxide,  and 
provision of critical ecosystem services.  

Despite  a  reduction  in  the  last  decade  (land  take  was  over 
1000km2/year  between  2000-2006),  land  take  in  EU28  still 
amounted to 539 km2/year between 2012-2018.  

By  April  2023,  more  than  10.6  million  trees  were  planted  as 
part of the 3 Billion Trees Pledge.  

In  2016  (latest  available  data),  1.38  million  potentially 
contaminated  sites  were  registered  on  an  estimated  total  of 
2.8 million. 115 000 contaminated sites were remediated in the 
EU. Based on current projections, at least 166 000 additional 
sites  are  expected  to  need  risk  reduction  measures  or 
remediation. 

Combat desertification, restore degraded 
land and soil, including land affected by 
desertification, drought and floods, and 
strive to achieve a land degradation-
neutral world by 2030 

During 
the  period  2000-2021,  on  average  4.5%  (ca. 
146,000km2) of the EU was affected annually by droughts due 
to  low  precipitation,  high  evaporation  and  heatwaves.  The 
extent of intense drought impacts showed increasing tendency 
in the EU indicating worsening ecosystem conditions 

EU soil strategy for 2030 

Ensuring forest restoration and reinforced 
sustainable forest management for 
climate adaptation and forest resilience by 
2030 

EU forest strategy for 2030  

The EU share of forests slightly increased by 0.9% between 
2015-2018. Over 2013-2018, only about 14% of forest habitats 
were 
forests 
in  good  conservation  condition,  although 
experienced  the  most  improvement  Only  about  2%  of  the 
forests are considered undisturbed by man, but almost 24% of 
forests  are  in  areas  protected  for  the  conservation  of 
biodiversity  and  landscape,  considerably  more  than  several 
decades ago. The share of forests designated for landscape 

142 

 
 
 
 
and  for  biodiversity  conservation  has  increased  by  8%  and 
65% respectively in the last 20 years.  

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  15  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs. 

Key initiatives 

As  a  key  pillar  of  the  European  Green  Deal,  the  EU  biodiversity  strategy  for  2030  aims  to  put  Europe’s 
biodiversity  on  a  path  to  recovery  by  2030  by  establishing  a  larger  EU-wide  network  of  protected  areas,  by 
implementing  an  ambitious  EU  nature  restoration  plan  and  by  tackling  global  biodiversity  challenges.  The 
Commission’s proposal for a Nature Restoration Law calls for binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems, 
particularly  those  with  the  most  potential  to  capture  and store carbon.  The  revised  EU pollinators  initiative 
addresses  the  decline  in  pollinators.  The  Birds  Directive  and  the  EU  Habitats Directive  respectively  aim  to 
protect all wild bird species and their habitats and to ensure the conservation of a wide range of rare, threatened 
or endemic habitat types as well as animal and plant species. 

The EU forest strategy for 2030 sets out concrete actions to improve the quantity and quality of EU forests and 
strengthen  their  protection,  restoration  and  resilience.  It  includes  a  roadmap  outlining  how  to  achieve  the 
commitment of at least 3 billion additional trees, including through clear criteria for tree planting, counting and 
monitoring. The Deforestation Regulation seeks to ensure that products, whether sourced in the EU or from 
non-EU countries, sold on the EU market do not contribute to global deforestation, thereby aligning EU internal 
and external policy. 

The EU soil strategy for 2030 sets out concrete measures to protect and restore soils and ensure they are used 
sustainably, with a target to ensure that by 2050 all soils in the EU are healthy. It also includes a medium-term 
objective  for  2030  focusing  on  combatting  desertification,  restoring  degraded  land  and  soil,  including  land 
affected by desertification, drought and floods, which are increasingly affecting the European continent.  

Europe’s common agricultural policy (CAP) sets requirements to protect utilised agricultural areas against soil 
erosion.  The  common  agricultural  policy  has  the  potential  to  mitigate  the  negative  impacts  of  unsustainable 
farming management and contribute to halting biodiversity loss. The EU Farm to Fork Strategy aims to make 
food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly, and contribute, among others, to reversing the loss of 
biodiversity. 

Selected enablers 

The EU biodiversity strategy announces ambitious spending targets: at least EUR 20 billion per year should be 
unlocked for spending on nature; a significant proportion of the 30% of the EU budget dedicated to climate action 
will be invested on biodiversity and nature-based solutions and under Invest EU, a dedicated natural-capital and 
circular-economy initiative will be established to mobilise at least EUR 10 billion over the next 10 years, based 
on public/private blended finance. 

Compared to the 2014-2020 period, where the EU’s biodiversity-related expenditure reached EUR 85 billion (or 
8% of its overall expenditure), the EU budget 2021-2027 is projected to allocate EUR 112 billion thanks to the 
mainstreaming of biodiversity throughout the EU programmes, with the ambition of reaching annual spending 
levels of 7.5% in 2024, increasing to 10 % in 2026 and in 2027. A new tracking has been developed to track 
biodiversity expenditures in EU’s multiannual financial framework (for most instruments), as well as tools to help 
Member States apply sustainability proofing across EU funds and programmes, in line with the Green Deal 
pledge to Do No Significant Harm (DNSH). 

143 

 
 
The LIFE Programme is the EU’s key funding instrument for environmental and nature conservation projects, 
with a budget of EUR 5.4 billion for the period 2021-2027. The LIFE sub-programme for Nature and Biodiversity 
plays an important role in restoring and safeguarding the condition of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.  

For  example,  since  1992,  363  LIFE  projects  have  restored  thousands  of  peatlands  through  rewetting  across 
Europe. In Belgium, 40% of peatlands have been restored and in Lithuania, the conservation status of degraded 
bogs  has  improved  thanks  to  LIFE.  LIFE  projects  have  supported  both  restoration  work  on  the  ground  and 
measures to encourage paludiculture, apply innovative financial mechanisms and enhance the benefits provided 
by peatland ecosystems for health and wellbeing, carbon storage, water filtration and storage, flood protection, 
recreation and biodiversity habitat. Furthermore, LIFE projects under Circular Economy and Quality of Life, 
Climate Mitigation and Adaptation and other sub-programmes contribute to developing tools and solutions that 
also benefit biodiversity. LIFE agricultural projects develop good practices for soil protection and conservation, 
technologies and decision support tools for farmers. Through over 200 environment  and climate projects, the 
LIFE  Programme  is  helping  make  the  transition  to  a  food  system  that  is  fair,  sustainable,  healthy  and 
environmentally friendly – key components of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. 

Under the 2021-2027 Cohesion policy, the programmed  contribution to the objectives of the  EU Biodiversity 
Strategy  for  2030  reaches  6% (EUR 16.6  billion) of  the  ERDF,  CF  and  JTF  total  allocation.  This substantial 
increase compared to the 2014-2020 period reflects the renewed commitment to the protection and preservation 
of nature and biodiversity. 

Under Horizon Europe there is a commitment to dedicating EUR 1.6 billion to support R&I under the 2021-2022 
work programme and €1.7 billion under the 2023-2024 work programme in the area of protection and restoration 
of ecosystems and biodiversity. Examples of projects recently launched include:  

 

 

 

‘SUPERB’:  the  largest-ever  funded  forest  research  project  allocating  more  than  EUR  90  million  for 
protection, restoration and sustainably managed forests.  

‘PantEOn  -  A  Multi-Scale  Earth  Observation  Indicator  System  for  Land  Degradation  Assessment  of 
Transitional Mediterranean Climates’: The project aims to obtain evidence about the long-term evolution 
and  regime-shifts  due  to  climate  change  of  the  functional  and  structural  properties  of  Mediterranean 
ecosystems.  This  evidence  is  crucial  for  the  identification  of  ecosystem  resilience  thresholds  &  the 
development of land degradation indicators. 
‘B4EST  -  Adaptive  BREEDING  for  productive,  sustainable  and  resilient  FORESTs  under  climate 
change’: B4EST’s goal is to increase forest survival, health, resilience and productivity under the impact 
of climate change on forest vulnerability, while maintaining genetic diversity and key ecological functions, 
and fostering a competitive EU bio-based economy. 

Another  example  is  the  project  ‘Framework  for  assessment  of  effectiveness  of  biodiversity  conservation 
measures in Estonia’ supported by the Technical Support Instrument under the call for 2021. The project aims 
to provide the Estonian Environmental Board with a methodology to assess the effectiveness of their biodiversity 
conservation measures. The support measures focus on the development of a methodology and testing it on 20 
natural protected sites, the provision of a management plan to support the implementation of the methodology, 
capacity building for conservation specialists and a roadmap for the digitalisation of processes.  

The EU Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity works to enhance the knowledge base, facilitate its sharing and 
foster cross-sectorial policy dialogue for EU policy making in biodiversity and related fields. 

Stakeholder engagement 

The EU delivers on SDG 15 in a collaborative approach. For example,  

144 

 
 
  The EU Biodiversity Platform is an operational steering group between the Commission, the Member 
States and stakeholders for the coherent and coordinated implementation of the EU biodiversity strategy 
for 2030. 

  The  EU  Business  @  Biodiversity  Platform  provides  a  forum  for  dialogue  and  policy  interface  to 
discuss  the  links  between  business  and  biodiversity  at  EU  level.  Its  around  300  members  include 
businesses  from  a  broad  variety  of  sectors  and  countries,  EU  trade  associations,  NGOs,  public 
authorities, governments and international organisations. It supports the integration of biodiversity and 
natural capital into decision-making process of a critical mass of businesses and financial institutions, 
for  example  through  natural  capital  accounting,  a  methodology  for  the  quantitative  measurement  of 
ecosystem services and their values and their incorporation into the accounting systems of a company). 

Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 15 include:  

The  Forest  Carbon  Farms  pilot  project  implemented  by  the  Polish  State  Forests  between  2017  and  2026 
concerns new practices in forest management to support CO2 sequestration, accumulation, and issuing of carbon 
credits. Operationalisation of the implementation version of the carbon forests project is planned for 2022-2035. 
As of 2022, the additional amount of CO2 sequestered by the pilot project is over 936 thousand tonnes of organic 
carbon, equivalent to 1 tonne of CO2 that will be accumulated in forests and soil. 

At local level, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, banned pesticide use and encourages the use of plants that are 
suitable for pollinators. It has 2 100 hectares of protected areas and is creating two green corridors (14 km and 
9 km) for animals to move between different green areas. The city promotes biodiverse landscaping to citizens 
and city developers with a plant catalogue which rates 900 plants according to their value for pollinators. New 
parks and neighbourhoods come with embedded communal food growing possibilities. In 2022 Tallinn had 129 
educational gardens in schools and kindergartens.  

EU external action 
Global trends  

Terrestrial ecosystems are under immense pressure. The main direct drivers of biodiversity loss – changes in 
land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species  – are making natural 
biodiversity  disappear  quickly.  Deforestation,  forest  degradation  and  the  overall  extinction  risk  of  species  in 
selected taxonomic groups are increasing at alarming rates. In 2020, the proportion of forest area in the total 
land area stood at 31.2%. In the last two decades, the world lost 100 million ha of forest area, in particular in sub-
Saharan  Africa  and  LAC.  Over the  same  period,  the  Red  List  Index,  which  measures  extinction  risk  of  major 
species groups and serves as an indicator of the state of global biodiversity, deteriorated by 10%.  

On the other hand, at global level, progress has been made on safeguarding sites to improve biodiversity, which 
is a key requirement for environmental sustainability. Between 2000 and 2020, the protected area coverage of 
terrestrial  and  freshwater  key  biodiversity  areas  increased  from  29%  to  42%.  Similarly,  increased  efforts  are 
made to halt land degradation and accelerate the restoration of degraded land. As of July 2021, commitments to 
land restoration are estimated at 1 billion hectares. In November 2020, the G20 launched an initiative to restore 
50% of all degraded land by 2040.  

Internal/external coherence including policy coherence for development 

Under  the  European  Green  Deal  (EGD),  the  EU  committed  to  supporting  the  achievement  of  SDG  15  both 
internally and in partner countries. Relevant internal actions, as well as European consumption, potentially have 
an  impact  on  the  use  of  terrestrial  ecosystems,  deforestation,  biodiversity  and  land  degradation  in  partner 
countries.  

145 

 
 
Deforestation, of which 90% is provoked by the expansion of agricultural land, is a main driver of climate change 
and biodiversity loss. The EU contributes to deforestation in non-EU countries by consuming a significant share 
of products associated with deforestation and forest degradation.  As a matter of policy coherence, and in line 
with  the  EU’s  responsibility  in  ending  deforestation  and  forest  degradation,  the  EU  is  finalising  its  work  on  a 
Regulation on deforestation and forest degradation free supply chains, which will guarantee that products bought, 
used, consumed or exported by the EU do not contribute to global deforestation and forest degradation, whether 
legal or illegal. The mandatory due diligence rules for companies wanting to place these commodities on the EU 
market are accompanied by dialogue in all the relevant bilateral and multilateral fora, such as the Cocoa Talks 
with West African countries, and, where needed, by development cooperation funds.  

To address illegal logging and improve forest governance, the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade 
(FLEGT) is a mechanism whereby partner countries can issue licenses that guarantee that their timber products 
meet  the  EU  timber regulation  requirements,  after  having  signed  Voluntary  Partnership  Agreements  (VPA)  to 
improve governance and regulatory frameworks leading to greater transparency and accountability, as well as 
sustainable forest management. VPAs have so far been signed with 5 African, 2 Southeast Asian and one Central 
American country, with the system being fully operational so far only for timber from Indonesia. In addition, at the 
UNCCC COP27 the EU signed five Memoranda of Understanding for Forest Partnerships, the new and holistic 
EU cooperation framework for joint work on forests in the framework of the global gateway strategy, aiming for 
sustainable forest management, job creation through the value chains, reduction of deforestation, and facilitating 
trade in legal and sustainable wood products between partner countries and the EU.  

Increased  internal  biodiversity  ambition  led  the  EU  to  integrate  the  High  Ambition  Coalitions  in  view  of  the 
negotiation  of  a  global  agreement  at  CBD  COP-15.  The  EU  pledged  to  double  its  external  financing  for 
biodiversity,  representing  EUR  7  billion  between  2021  and  2027  to  support  partner  countries  in  the 
implementation  of  the  new  global  targets.  This  will  notably  materialise  through  flagship  initiatives  such  as 
NaturAfrica,  which  promotes  a  landscape  approach  that  works  for  biodiversity  and  land  resources,  drawing 
inspiration from the internal Natura 2000 network. Furthermore, the recently established EU Knowledge Centre 
on  Biodiversity,  in  charge  of  tracking  domestic  progress  against  the  EU  biodiversity  strategy  2030,  will  also 
support a global knowledge platform which will track progress against the global agreement. 

The EU also strengthened its response to another major driver of global biodiversity loss,  the illegal trade of 
species, by revising in 2022 the EU wildlife trafficking action plan to scale up enforcement measures, resulting 
in  more  seizures  and  prosecutions.  The  EU  has  provided  substantial  funding  for  capacity  building  and 
international action against wildlife trafficking in support of local communities and platforms for international action 
against wildlife trafficking, such as the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime.  

Pollution  of  land  and  water,  notably  from  hazardous  pesticides  and  chemicals,  is  another  main  driver  of 
biodiversity  loss.  The  EU  strengthened  its  internal  policies,  notably  through  the  farm-to-fork  and  chemical 
strategies,  which  will  both  have  consequences  outside  of  the  Union.  More  specifically,  compliance  with  EU 
sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and food safety standards is fundamental for partner countries, as agricultural 
products, fish, and timber account for a large share of the traded goods. In addition, SPS systems that protect 
human,  animal  and  plant  health  are  critical  to  any  agricultural  value  chain,  and  have  a  positive  impact  on 
domestic, regional and international trade. The 2020 chemicals strategy for sustainability sets the objective to 
ensure that hazardous chemicals banned in the EU are not produced for exportation; and the zero pollution action 
plan set an EU integrated vision to achieve by 2050 a toxic-free environment within and outside the EU borders. 

More generally, the evaluation of the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 recognised that although the strategy is in 
line  with  Agenda  2030  and  relates  to  various  interlinked  SDGs  (14,  15,  12,  13),  a  more  integrated,  coherent 
approach to supporting biodiversity and sustainable development in EU external action could have brought even 
more synergies and benefits. The evaluation highlights the centrality of natural capital in societal wellbeing and 
prosperity, and thus achievements in relation to water, climate and life on land and underwater are a precondition 
for the achievement of all other SDGs. 

146 

 
 
EU and Member States financial support for SDG implementation and results 

There are two  main  sources  of information  to  track  support  for SDG 15.  As  with  other SDGs,  EU support  for 
SDG 15 can be estimated where this specific SDG field is marked in projects reported to the  OECD-DAC. In 
addition, the OECD biodiversity and desertification markers can be used to identify measures that contribute to 
SDG 15  (although  also  actions  related  to  other  SDGs  such  as  14).  The  assessments  made  in  preparing  this 
Review indicate that there is scope for greater consistency between these complementary and related reporting 
tracks.  

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 4.3 billion in projects contributing to SDG 15. 
A  significant  share  of  the  EU  contribution  is  accounted  for  by  projects  that  target  SDG 15  as  the  main  SDG. 
These projects also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, with the most important ones being SDG 5, SDG 12 
and SDG 13. The EU also contributes to SDG 15 through projects targeting the SDG as a significant objective, 
highlighting the cross-cutting nature of SDG 15. This SDG has been mostly associated with interventions where 
the main SDG was SDG 2, SDG 8, SDG 13 and SDG 16. In terms of results of the selected assistance41, a total 
of 75 million hectares of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are under protection with EU support, while for 69 
million hectares EU support contributed to the sustainable management of such ecosystems in the period 2018-
2021. 

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 8.7 
billion to SDG 15. EU and Member States flows to SDG 15 in 2021 predominantly focused on projects in Africa 
(44%), Asia (17%) and America and the Caribbean (15%). EU and Member States flows to SDG 15 also have a 
strong  global  component  (15%).  Some  of  the  funding  for  SDG 15  is  accounted  for  by  contributions  to  global 
funds. In the case of SDG 15, the most relevant global fund is the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) which has 
dedicated biodiversity and land degradation windows. Since the GEF was launched in 1991, EU and Member 
States have contributed approximately EUR 10.6 billion to the fund (46% of all contributions received).  

As to the OECD desertification and biodiversity markers, which another source of information to track support for 
SDG  15,  the  EU  and  the  27  Member  States  reported  to  OECD  EUR  8.2  billion  in  commitments  for  projects 
targeting desertification and biodiversity in 2021. Projects targeting desertification or biodiversity as a significant 
objective  contributed  EUR  5.8  billion  to  this  figure,  while  the  remainder  is  accounted  for  by  projects  with 
desertification or biodiversity as the main objective. 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

The European Green Deal contains an external dimension which explicitly refers to key strategies such as the 
biodiversity  strategy  2030,  the  farm  to  fork  strategy  or  the  EU  forest  strategy  for  2030.  Through  these 
strategies, the EU is stepping up its engagement with non-EU countries, at global, regional and bilateral level, to 
make progress towards SDG 15. In this context, the main EU priorities are to:  

  Support partner countries across the world to achieve the new global targets adopted in the Kunming-
Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, fight environmental crime, and tackle the drivers of biodiversity 
loss.  

  Promote the concept of forest partnership to address in an integrated way the several challenges forests 
are facing and develop innovative and sustainable financing to support forests in partner countries. 

The  EU  further  prioritised  environmental  (and  climate)  resilience  in  the  funding  allocation  for  disaster 
preparedness  for  the  period  2021-2024,  ensuring  that  humanitarian  action  contributes  to  environmental 
resilience. 

41 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

147 

 
 
                                                           
The EU has also developed specific actions such as the NaturAfrica initiative, contributing to the Global Gateway 
Africa-Europe  Investment  Package  designed  to  protect  wildlife  and  key  ecosystems  while  creating  economic 
opportunities  in  green  sectors  and  better  livelihoods  for  local  populations  using  the  ‘landscape  approach’. 
NaturAfrica  aims  to  improve  the  livelihood  of  65  million  people,  sequestering  up  to  21  billion  tons  of  carbon, 
stabilising 3 million km² of land and ensuring water security.  

In  the  Sahel  and  the  Horn  of  Africa,  continuous  EU  actions  on  land  restoration  and  alternative  livelihoods 
development support the African-led Great Green Wall initiative, to which the EU has pledged over EUR 700 
million/year in 2021 in support of Global Gateway objectives under the Africa-Europe Investment Package. The 
EU  will  support  a  mosaic  of  bottom-up  initiatives  to  reverse  land  degradation,  sequester  carbon  and  support 
small-scale farmers and food entrepreneurs to make agri-value chains more resilient. As an example, one million 
hectares of degraded land will be restored across 8 countries under the regreening Africa programme, notably 
through  the  application  of  agroforestry  and  farmer-managed  natural  regeneration  (FMNR).  In  fact,  the 
Regreening Africa initiative is now close to fulfilling its goal of restoring 1 million hectares of degraded land and 
reaching 500 000 households with sustainable land management and agro-ecological techniques that improve 
their livelihoods. 

Further,  the  EU  provides  support  to  the  International  Treaty  on  Plant  Genetic  Resources  for  food  and 
agriculture (PGRFA) with the aim of linking networks of small-scale farmers and their institutions to global and 
regional mechanisms involved in research and innovation for crop diversity so that PGRFA materials and data, 
knowledge gained, and lessons learned are exchanged in both directions. The visibility of PGRFA innovations 
for food systems will serve for evidence-based policy and planning, with particular emphasis on equity, resilience 
and promoting cooperation at different levels. 

The EU is mainstreaming biodiversity across all its interventions; for example, in the food systems area, the 
promotion  of  integrated  and  agro-ecological  approaches  contributes  to  the  preservation  of  ecosystems  and 
biodiversity, including agro-biodiversity.  

The  EU  Member  States  are  also  a  key  source  of  funding  for  the  Global  Environmental  Facility  (GEF)  which 
focuses  on  biodiversity  protection,  nature  restoration,  pollution  reduction  and  climate  change  response  in 
developing  countries.  EU  Member  States  have  contributed  approximately  half  of  the  USD  22  billion  in 
contributions received by the GEF. Through grants and blended finance, the GEF has mobilised another USD 
120 billion in co-financing for more than 5 000 national and regional projects. In addition, it has supported 27 000 
community-led initiatives through its Small Grants Programme. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 15, in Papua New Guinea, a Team Europe initiative jointly assessed needs and identified the 
forestry-climate  change-biodiversity-renewable  energy  nexus,  with  a  particular  focus  on  environmental 
governance and the generation of sustainable jobs and growth, as a critical area for PNG's development 
where Team  Europe  can  be  the  partner  of  reference.  This  action  contributes  to  Global  Gateway  and  several 
SDGs  (including  15,  13,  8  and  16).  Support  will  be  provided  for  mapping  and  data,  governance  and  policy 
development,  capacity  development,  infrastructure,  investment  promotion,  policy/political  dialogue  and 
awareness and mobilisation. 

The Team Europe initiative Green Deal in the Lao PDR brings the EU, its Member States and other partners 
together to contribute to Global Gateway objectives and to pursue several SDGs (including 2, 15 and 13) through 
the  support  areas  with  high  potential  for  climate-adaptation  and  mitigation  action,  including  farm  to  fork  (e.g. 
agriculture,  value  chains,  food  safety,  nutrition),  forest  partnership  (e.g.  forest  restoration,  biodiversity, 
livelihoods, watershed management) and complementary areas (such as infrastructure and connectivity, energy, 
tourism and green cities). 

148 

 
 
The  EU and  its  Member  States  are proposing  to  support  Cambodia  with  a  TEI  for  sustainable  landscapes, 
forests and agriculture, in line with the country’s plan to make agriculture the main driver for economic 
recovery. This TEI, with an indicative support amount of EUR 375 million (including blending operations), will 
contribute to Global Gateway objectives and pursue several SDGs (including 2 and 15) by supporting a more 
sustainable use of natural resources, combining protection and increased incomes for the rural population.  

The Team Europe initiative  ‘Alliance  verte: un partenariat pour les hommes, la nature et une économie’ 
verte  in  the  Democratic  Republic  of  the  Congo  will  contribute  to  Global  Gateway  and  a  range  of  SDGs 
(including SDG 15, 8 and 5) by promoting a fair green economy and the protection of biodiversity in priority areas 
at  country  and  regional  levels,  joining  EU  existing  efforts  with  those  of  6  Member  States  already  active  in 
protected areas, biodiversity and sustainable forests. Private sector development and the role of women will be 
at the centre of this initiative. 

In the Pacific Islands region, the multi-donor Kiwa Initiative, which supports the use of nature-based solutions 
for climate resilience by preserving biodiversity, launched its first project in 2021 aiming to establish an agro-
ecological farms network. The Voice for Mekong Forest project, implemented by RECOFTC, worked to promote 
forest  governance  in  several  Mekong  countries  bringing  together  stakeholders  from  Lao,  Thailand  and 
Vietnam, and has supported the drafting of legal texts to regulate community forests. 

In the context of its humanitarian actions, the EU has supported Bangladesh in providing Rohingya refugees 
with access to liquefied petroleum gas for cooking while supporting reforestation efforts in and around the camps 
to restore deforested land, and has supported Djibouti, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda with a project that will 
promote ecosystem restoration and sustainable forest management for enhanced energy access and livelihood 
resilience in displacement settings. 

Together  with  Austria,  the  EU  supports  the  development  of  sustainable  mountain  tourism  &  organic 
agricultural production in Georgia by working with local authorities and public and private sector stakeholders 
to  improve  small  and  medium  enterprises’  capacities,  scale  up  their  activities  and  improve  the  business 
environment,  as  well  as  create  new  income  opportunities  in  the  two  growth  sectors  of  mountain  tourism  and 
organic agriculture.  

In North Macedonia, the EU promoted the sustainable use of natural resources and improved the management 
of  protected  areas  in  an  inclusive,  professional  and  sustainable  way.  The  programme  was  implemented  in 
partnership  with  UNDP,  the  management  authorities  of  protected  areas,  municipalities  and  local  civil  society 
organisations,  in  24  locations  in  protected  areas,  some  of  which  will  be  future  NATURA  2000  sites.  In  total, 
241,755 ha of protected areas today benefit from improved management. 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the  EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda, including 
SDG 15. By means of illustration, under the Sahel climate programme, Belgium will help to make about 10 000 
hectares of land fertile again through investments in better rainwater storage and in planting trees. The aim is to 
support sustainable local solutions and protect existing eco-systems, including the Great Green Wall project. By 
combating desertification, local communities can continue to ensure their food security in the longer term. 

Looking ahead 

Key EU policy instruments related to SDG15 are under development. As set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 
for 2030, the Commission proposal for an EU Nature Restoration Law, under negotiation, sets the target to 
restore 20%  of  EU land  and  sea  areas  by  2030.  This  will  also  provide  the  basis for the  EU to  deliver on  the 
restoration target set by the  Kunming-Montreal  Global Biodiversity Framework. As a  follow-up to the EU Soil 
Strategy, a proposal for an EU Soil Health Law is under preparation, to be published in 2023 with the aim to 

149 

 
 
ensure healthy soils by 2050. A legislative proposal on Sustainable Food Systems, also envisaged for adoption 
in 2023, aims to accelerate and facilitate the transition to sustainable and resilient food systems. As a follow-up 
to  the  EU  Farm-to-Fork  Strategy  and  the  EU  Biodiversity  Strategy  for  2030,  an  Integrated  Nutrient 
Management Action Plan is being finalised for adoption. It will also contribute to the 50% reduction target set 
at global level. As part of the implementation of the EU Forest Strategy, the Commission will publish in 2023 its 
proposal for a Forest Monitoring and Planning Law to provide a comprehensive picture of the state and use 
of forests in the EU and facilitate forest planning and forest policy decision-making. 

The  Commission  intends  to  publish  an  assessment  of  progress  in  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Biodiversity 
Strategy  for  2030  in  March  2024.  The  report  will  provide  an  overview  of  implementation  efforts,  gaps  and 
challenges, and reflect on the effectiveness of EU biodiversity governance. In 2023, the Commission intends to 
publish a fitness check of the polluter pays principle. In addition, the EU will continue to work on the EU Regulation 
on deforestation-free supply chains, to ensure that key goods placed on the EU market will no longer contribute 
to deforestation and forest degradation in the EU and elsewhere.  

The Commission will work with the Member States to step up implementation of the  Regulation on Invasive 
Alien  Species  and  other  relevant  legislation  and  international  instruments.  The  aim  is  to  ensure  that  the 
introduction  and  establishment  of  alien  species  in  the  EU  environment  is  minimised  and  where  possible  is 
eliminated, while established invasive alien species are managed. 

In 2022, the Commission proposed legislation on ecosystem accounting with the goal of producing national and 
EU-wide ecosystem accounts in the second half of the decade. Ecosystem accounts measure the condition of 
ecosystems alongside their extent and the ecosystem services they provide to society and the economy. The 
ecosystem services covered by the proposed legislation include wood and crop provision, pollination of crops, 
the removal from the atmosphere and storage of carbon, and nature-based tourism. The EU proposal is fully 
aligned with the UN standard SEEA-EA. As one of several monitoring systems, the accounts will also feed into 
EU’s reporting under the new COP-15 monitoring framework. Setting up a system of ecosystem accounts is the 
EU contribution to the SDG Target 15.9: to integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local 
planning,  and  accounts,  with  the  indicator  (Indicator  15.9.1:  defined  as  implementation  of  the  System  of 
Environmental-Economic Accounting). 

The Commission will continue to work on the implementation of COP15 commitments in accordance with the 
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including to protect 30% of land, inland water, coastal and 
marine areas by 2030, restore degraded ecosystems and reduce pollution risks to biodiversity.  

On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 15 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries 
where  terrestrial  ecosystems  and  biodiversity  a  shared  priority.  A  tangible  contribution  to  SDG  15  (and  other 
interlinked SDGs) will be the deployment of the Global Gateway strategy and its dedicated regional investment 
plans at regional and national level, to be undertaken in a Team Europe approach. In the framework of the Global 
Gateway  Africa-Europe  Investment  Package,  the  Commission  will  support  African  partners  through  the 
deployment of initiatives such as NaturAfrica and the African-led Great Green Wall initiative. 

In  addition,  the  minimum  environmental  requirements  and  recommendations  for  EU-funded  humanitarian  aid 
operations come into force in 2023. These will promote the sustainable management of forests in and around 
humanitarian  settings,  the  restoration  of  degraded  land  and  the  halting  of  biodiversity  loss  in  humanitarian 

contexts. 

150 

 
 
 
SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies 
for sustainable development, provide access to 
justice for all and build effective, accountable and 
inclusive institutions at all levels 

EU internal action 
Overview and challenges  

The European Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the 
rule of law, and respect for human rights. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which 
pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail1. The 
EU’s key objective is to promote peace, its values and the wellbeing of its people, offering an area of freedom, 
security and justice2.  

The founding values and objectives of the EU are therefore fully in tune with SDG 16, and the actions taken by 
the EU to protect and promote fundamental rights, the rule of law and democracy contribute to the implementation 
of SDG 16. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing peace, reconciliation, democracy, 
and human rights in Europe.  

In the last several decades, the EU has become a safer place to live – but Russia’s war of aggression against 
Ukraine brought back war to its borders. Deaths due to  homicide or assault and the perceived occurrence of 
crime,  violence  and  vandalism  in  European  neighbourhoods  have  fallen  considerably.  At  the  same  time, 
government expenditure on law courts has increased in nominal terms but remained stable in relation to GDP 
and  total  government  expenditure.  The  perceived  level  of  independence  of  the  justice  system  has  improved 
marginally and trust in EU institutions  has increased, following a drop after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. 
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index the EU scored 64 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very 
clean) in 2021, 21 points more than the world average  score.  Some 10 EU  Member States are in the top 20 
countries perceived least corrupt in the world.  

Nevertheless, threats to the rule of law challenge the legal, political and economic basis of the EU. Crime remains 
a  threat,  and  corruption  is  a  particularly  big  challenge.  Some  findings  point  to  a  degradation  of  civic  space 
throughout the EU, a trend further accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

2030 Targets and trends at EU level  

Target and policy reference  

Trend  

Make sure that all public powers act within the 
constraints set out by law, under the control of 
independent and impartial courts and in 
accordance with the values of democracy and 
fundamental rights  

53% of EU inhabitants rated as ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’ 
the independence level of courts and judges in their 
country in 2022 (+3% higher than 2016). The ‘very bad’ or 
‘fairly bad’ ratings fell by 3% in the same period (35% in 
2022).  

The Rule of Law Mechanism 
Fight corruption in the private sector, involving 
European officials or national officials of 
Member States 

According to Transparency International’s Corruption 
Perceptions Index (CPI), the EU scored 64 on a scale from 
0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) in 2021. EU countries 
continued to rank among the least-corrupt globally in 2021 

151 

 
 
  
 
  
Convention against corruption involving public 
officials and combating corruption in the private 
sector framework  
Foster access to democratic participation and 
trust in democracy  

European Democracy Action Plan  

and made up one half of the global top 20 least-corrupt 
countries, although many differences persist among 
Member States.  
The confidence of citizens in EU institutions such as the 
European Parliament, European Commission and 
European Central Bank is increasing since 2015, despite a 
fall in 2020 (coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic).  

More  details  on  indicators  and  trends  for  SDG  16  can  be  found  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex  and 
Eurostat’s monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs.  

Key initiatives  

The  EU  has  several  instruments,  and  mechanisms  at  its  disposal  to  help  overcome  challenges  to  different 
aspects of SDG 16.  

In 2020, the Commission reinforced its toolbox to promote and protect the rule of law with the European Rule of 
Law Mechanism. This provides a process for an annual dialogue between the Commission, the Council and the 
European Parliament together with Member States and national parliaments, civil society and other stakeholders 
on  the  rule  of  law,  based  on  an  annual  rule  of  law  report.  The  2022  Rule  of  Law  report  includes  specific 
recommendations for all EU Member States, aimed at assisting them in implementing reforms, advancing positive 
developments and identifying where further improvements or follow-up action to recent changes or reforms may 
be needed.  

A  key  tool  in  the  EU’s  rule of  law  toolbox  is  the  new  Regulation  on  a  general  regime  of  conditionality  for  the 
protection of the EU budget. This Regulation makes it possible for the Commission to propose measures to the 
Council to protect the EU budget in case of rule of law breaches in Member States when they affect (or seriously 
risk affecting) the sound financial management of the EU budget in a sufficiently direct way.  It covers both the 
long-term budget and NextGenerationEU.  

Fighting corruption is one of the pillars of the rule of law. With the adoption of the  Stockholm Programme, the 
European Commission was given a political mandate to monitor the fight against corruption and to develop a 
comprehensive EU anti-corruption policy. In EU legislation, the fight against corruption is covered by the 1997 
Convention  on  fighting  corruption  involving  officials  of  the  EU  or  officials  of  Member  State  and  the  2003 
Framework Decision on combating corruption in the private sector. 

EU  Member  States  implement  national  anti-corruption  strategies  and  coordinated  anti-corruption  policies 
required by international law3. In line with international standards4 and EU law5, the EU and its Member States 
aim at eliminating obstacles to criminal investigation, prosecution, and the application of dissuasive sanctions for 
corruption.  

The European democracy action plan, adopted in December 2020, aims at empowering citizens and building 
more resilient democracies across the EU by promoting free and fair elections, strengthening media freedom and 
countering disinformation.  

As part of its implementation, the Commission adopted an initiative to fight against abusive litigation (SLAPP) 
targeting  journalists  and  rights  defenders.  The  initiative  aims  to  provide  civil  procedural  safeguards for cross-
border  situations  and  to  recommend  best  practices  also  to  national  level,  as  well  as  European  supporting 
measures.  

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the “Charter”) is not just any instrument of EU law. 
It enshrines the fundamental rights that everyone in the EU should enjoy and reiterates the principles on which 
the EU is founded, namely democracy and the rule of law.  

152 

 
 
 
  
The Charter has helped to better promote and protect people’s fundamental rights and has triggered new EU 
legislation directly protecting and promoting certain key rights. The new rules on data protection, gender equality, 
protecting whistle-blowers, fair trial and defence rights, and victims of crime are key examples6. The Commission 
also put forward a proposal to revise the Digital Services Act with new rules to curb illegal content, including hate 
speech online. Additionally, the Commission tabled a proposal on artificial intelligence, which aims to ensure a 
fundamental rights approach in the design and rolling out of artificial intelligence. The case-law of the Court of 
Justice of the EU (‘the Court’) invoking the Charter has developed significantly7 in a wide range of policy areas8. 

In December 2020, the Commission adopted a new strategy on strengthening the application of the Charter 
of Fundamental Rights in the EU to make sure people can effectively enjoy their fundamental rights in their daily 
lives. The Commission presents a thematic annual report on the application of the Charter in the EU, focusing 
on areas of strategic relevance governed by EU law and which looks more closely at the Charter’s application in 
the  Member States.  Together with  the  annual  Rule  of  Law  report,  the  annual  Charter  report will contribute  to 
further upholding fundamental values in the EU. 

Concerning the need to develop the area of freedom, security and justice, improving the effectiveness of justice 
systems  in  Member  States  has  been  identified  as  a  key  component  for  structural  reforms  in  the  European 
Semester. With the help of the EU justice scoreboard, the EU monitors the efficiency, quality and independence 
of Member States’ justice systems.  

The EU has a wide range of policies in place that address or touch on personal security. They are covered by 
the EU security union strategy 2020-2025, which identified as priorities: a future-proof security environment, 
tackling evolving threats (e.g., cybercrime, modern law enforcement, hybrid threats), protecting Europeans from 
terrorism and organised crime and a strong European security ecosystem. There are many sectoral strategies 
regarding the issue made in the same time period, e.g. the EU agenda and action plan on drugs, the EU action 
plan on firearms trafficking, a counter-terrorism agenda for the EU, the EU cybersecurity strategy, the EU 
strategy  on  combating  trafficking  in  human  beings,  the  EU  strategy  for  a  more  effective  fight  against 
child sexual abuse, and the EU strategy to tackle organised crime. 

The European Commission proposal for a revision of the EU Anti-trafficking Directive to strengthen the EU 
rules to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims also feeds into SDG 16 given 
that over 50% of the victims of trafficking in the EU are EU citizens. 

Selected enablers  

The Justice programme (running from 2021 to 2027) provides funding to support judicial cooperation in civil and 
criminal matters such as training for judges and other legal practitioners and effective access to justice for citizens 
and businesses. It contributes to the further development of a European area of justice based on the rule of law, 
including  independence  and  impartiality  of  the  judiciary,  and  on  mutual  recognition,  mutual  trust  and  judicial 
cooperation. It is strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights.  

The  Citizens,  equality,  rights  and  values  programme  (CERV)  protects  and  promote  rights  and  values  as 
enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights by supporting civil society organisations 
active  at  local,  regional,  national  and  transnational  level.  It  aims  to  sustain  and  develop  open,  rights-based, 
democratic, equal and inclusive societies based on the rule of law. That includes a vibrant and empowered civil 
society,  encouraging  people's  democratic,  civic  and  social  participation  and  cultivating  the  rich  diversity  of 
European society based on our common values, history and memory. CERV also aims to promote the rights of 
the child and prevent violence against children, young people, women and other groups at risk.  

Promising  research  is  carried  out  under  Horizon  Europe.  For  example,  the  project  PushBackLash  has  as 
objective  to  systematically  explore  the  present-day  contestation  of  gender  equality  issues  and  policies. 
Approaching democracy from a global feminist perspective, the project employs a rigorous, comparative, multi-
method design. To develop sustainable solutions, it brings together gender activists, EU experts and researchers 
153 

 
 
from several fields of political science, anthropology, communication and media, philosophy, sociology and social 
psychology.  

Another example is the project ‘Strengthening Access to Justice in Latvia (Phase II)’ supported by the Technical 
Support Instrument under the call for 2021. The project is connected to the Mediation Directive that calls for the 
establishment  of  mediation  and  legal  aid  services  and  development  of  an  effective  online  dispute  resolution 
system. This domain is relatively weak in Latvia and the ‘traditional’ way of rendering justice suffers from workload 
and delays. Therefore, the project’s objective is to enhance access to justice through an improvement of legal 
aid, mediation and online dispute resolution systems as well as the professionalisation of involved personnel. 

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) was set up to provide independent evidence-
based assistance and expertise relating to fundamental rights in the domain of European Union law. It collects 
data and information on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU, which supports EU institutions and bodies 
as well as Member States in their policy-making. This includes data relevant under SDG 16, such as the extent 
and nature of violence and harassment experiences within the EU, including the general population as well as 
selected  groups  such  as  immigrants,  Roma,  LGBTIQ  people  and  Jewish  people  to  analyse  intersectional 
experiences. FRA dedicated the focus chapter of its 2019 Fundamental Rights Report to the interrelationship 
between the human and fundamental rights framework and the SDGs of the global Agenda 2030 in the context 
of Member States’ and the EU’s internal policies. It takes a closer look at the SDGs related to reducing inequality 
(SDG 10) and promoting peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16).    

Stakeholder engagement  

The EU delivers on SDG 16 in a collaborative approach. For example:  

  To  prepare  its  annual  rule  of  law  report,  the  Commission  carries  out  targeted  stakeholder 
consultations, which are published with the consent of the stakeholder. The list of contributions to the 
third  edition  of  the  rule  of  law  report  published  in  July  2022  includes  the  Council  of  Europe,  the 
Fundamental Rights Agency, and the United Nations Human Rights Office.  

  The EU Network for Children’s Rights was launched in March 2022 with the aim of reinforcing dialogue 
and mutual learning between the EU and the Member States on children’s rights. The network supports 
the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the EU strategy on the rights of the child.  

  To prepare the annual thematic report on the application of the Charter, the Commission carries out 
targeted consultations with relevant stakeholders. The 2022 report, which focused on “A thriving civic 
space for upholding fundamental rights in the EU”, was prepared based on the results of consultations 
of  international  organisations,  the  European  networks  of  NHRIs  (ENNHRI)  and  Equality  bodies 
(EQUINET), civil society organisations at EU and national level. 

  The ‘Have Your Say’ portal is a one-stop shop for citizens’ engagement at EU level.  
  The European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest tribute paid by 
the European Union to human rights work. It gives recognition to individuals, groups and organisations 
that have made an outstanding contribution to protecting freedom of thought.  

  The European Citizen’s Prize recognises initiatives that contribute to European cooperation and the 
promotion of common European values. Awarded each year by the European Parliament, the prize goes 
to  projects  organised  by  citizens  or  organisations  that  encourage  mutual  understanding  and  closer 
integration between people in the EU, cross-border cooperation that builds a stronger European spirit, 
and EU values and fundamental rights.  

  Mayor  Paweł  Adamowicz  Award  -  Mayor  of  Gdansk  Paweł  Adamowicz  focused  his  activities  on 
fostering  solidarity,  the  integration  of  migrants  and  minorities,  dialogue  with  civil  society,  and  the 
promotion  of  fundamental  rights  on  the  ground.  He  was  assassinated  on  13  January  2019.  The 
establishment of this award is a homage to and recognition of everyone who works with courage and 
integrity  against  intolerance,  radicalisation,  hate  speech,  oppression  and  xenophobia,  those  who 
promote equal opportunities, social integration and fundamental rights.  

154 

 
 
Multi-level approach  

SDG delivery implies ambitious action at all levels. Good practices in implementing SDG 16 include:  

Austria has introduced a series of initiatives and measures to protect victims of violence. Among these is the 
Violence Protection Summit held in 2021 to spread awareness among the population, the 2021 law prescribing 
compulsory  violence  prevention  consultation  for  perpetrators,  and  the  2020  legal  reform  to  protect  victims  of 
cyber violence.  

The city of Jihlava in Czechia implements SDG 16 by making its policymaking inclusive. The first step was to 
join a supporting network. Jihlava followed the methodology of the EU funded URBACT Global Goals for Cities 
network  for  developing  a  strategic  plan  aligned  with  SDGs  and  defining  a  systematic  participatory  approach. 
Jihlava benefited from exchanges of good practices and expert advice and training. It worked and exchanged 
with 150 experts, 20 companies, 1 300 citizens and 1 110 children from the city to co-create a sustainable plan 
for the city.  

EU external action  

Global trends  

Peace  and security  are vital  for sustainable  development  and,  conversely,  sustainable  development  is  key  to 
maintaining peace and development. With the highest number of conflicts worldwide since 1947, and a sharp 
deterioration of 2002 indicators of the Global Peace Index (political instability, political terror scale, neighbouring 
country relations and refugees) and indicators of democracy, the rule of law and bribery, together with the rise in 
internally displaced people, achieving SDG 16 seems further away than ever before.  

Internal / external coherence including policy coherence for development  

In relation to SDG 16, the EU internal security has been increasingly linked to addressing the external dimension 
of  security.  From  the  Strategic  Compass  to  the  Security  Union  Strategy  and  other  related  strategic  policy 
documents, EU action is underpinned by a broad toolbox covering the internal-external nexus, based on a whole-
of-society approach and on close cooperation with strategic partners, including non-EU countries, civil society 
actors or international organisations. The EU external policy instruments play an important role in supporting this 
approach and for working with partners on priorities under SDG 16. 

Curbing illicit financial flows to increase domestic resource mobilisation is a key component of the Commission’s 
support  for  partner  countries. When it  comes  to  addressing  money  laundering  and  financing  of  terrorism,  the 
Commission is mandated to identify high-risk non-EU countries having strategic deficiencies on their regime on 
anti-money  laundering  and  countering  the  financing  of  terrorism.  The  Commission  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Financial Action task Force (FATF), the main international body concerned with combating money laundering, 
the financing of terrorism and other threats to the integrity of the international financial system. In the tax area, 
the Commission cooperates with all international organisations, which work on reducing aggressive tax planning 
opportunities and tax evasion, such as the Inclusive Framework on domestic tax base erosion and profit shifting 
(BEPS) and the Global Forum on transparency and exchange of information (see also SDG 17).  

The Commission has also supported specific initiatives in this regard under its Addis Tax Initiative commitment, 
including  through  a  Team  Europe  approach.  The  Commission  supports  developing  countries’  increased 
participation  in  international  tax  fora  and  promotes  double  tax  agreements  between  Member  States  and 
developing countries. In particular, the Commission has developed a toolbox which recommends strategies to 
Member States on how to assess the spillover effects of their tax treaty policy. This issue is regularly discussed 
in the EU Platform for Tax Good Governance, which is an advisory expert group composed of representatives of 
civil society and EU Member States.  

155 

 
 
The EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions is a strong instrument to address tax good governance concerns 
with non-EU countries and an additional example of policy coherence for development. Good governance in the 
tax  area  is  of  mutual  benefit  for  developing  countries  and  for  the  EU  and  its  Member  States.  It  supports  the 
sovereign rights of governments on public revenues and contributes to the efforts made at international level to 
combat  tax  evasion  and  tax  avoidance.  The  EU  list  is  regularly  updated  based  on  a  set  of  criteria  for  good 
governance. These criteria relate to tax transparency, fair taxation and the implementation of anti-BEPS minimum 
standards. To support the efforts of jurisdictions engaged in the process, the Commission is closely engaged in 
dialogue with them on relevant technical matters and has used its various available tools to provide dedicated 
technical assistance and training needed for developing countries to meet international standards.  

Moreover, the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance under the EU 
Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) grants preferential access to EU markets to certain countries on 
the condition that they fulfil, ratify and effectively implement a number of international conventions on sustainable 
development, including on human rights and good governance.  

EU and Member States external financial support for SDG implementation and results 

In 2021, EU institutions reported to the OECD commitments for EUR 3.9 billion in projects contributing to SDG 16. 
The largest share of the EU contribution is accounted for by projects that target SDG 16 as the main SDG. These 
projects also contribute to other interlinked SDGs, with the largest contributions going to SDG 5, SDG 10 and 
SDG 17. Other SDGs also contribute to SDG 16 as a significant objective. The main contributors are SDG 4, 
SDG 8 and SDG 17. When taking into account also other official flows, private funds mobilized through public 
intervention  and  support  to  international  public  goods,  the  Total  Official  Support  to  Sustainable  Development 
(TOSSD) of the EU to SDG 16 amounted to EUR 5.2 billion in 2021.  

In terms of selected results of assistance42, in 2018-2021 the EU supported 56 countries in the improvement of 
their  electoral  process  and  supported  the  development  and  revision  of  1 600  government  policies,  with  the 
participation of civil society organisations. The EU also funded the assistance directly provided to 129 000 victims 
of human rights violation and supported legal aid interventions directly benefiting more than 5.8 million people. 
Through its interventions, the EU also supported 988 000 individuals in situations of post-conflict peace building 
and/or conflict prevention. 

Collectively, the EU and those Member States that reported on SDGs to the OECD in 2021 contributed EUR 14.9 
billion to SDG 16. The EU and Member States flows to SDG 16 target all regions, with a stronger focus on Africa 
(38%) and Asia (24%), America (11%) and other countries in Europe (11%). It also has a strong global component 
(15%) which is explained by the importance of multilateral actors and processes in SDG 16. 

Main policy orientations and initiatives for external engagement 

In relation to SDG 16, in line with partner countries’ own policies and plans for building effective accountable and 
inclusive  institutions,  the  EU’s  priorities,  underpinned  by  its  global  strategy  on  foreign  and  security  policy, 
encompass:  

 

 
 

peace and security, with a focus on conflict risks-early warning and analysis, humanitarian response, 
conflict mediation and resolution, and post-conflict recovery;  
human rights and democracy, and  
the rule of law. 

In line with UN efforts, the EU follows an integrated approach to conflicts and crisis, from conflict prevention to 
crisis management and peacebuilding. It has adopted a comprehensive approach using the entire breadth of its 

42 For the methodology on results, see the same section under SDG 2. 

156 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
policies  and  tools  (diplomatic,  financial,  security,  trade-related,  sustainable  development  actions  and 
humanitarian aid) to this end. These include prompt acting on prevention, responding responsibly and decisively 
to crises, investing in stabilisation and avoiding premature disengagement, while promoting the importance of 
the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the  Responsibility to Protect, the promotion of local 
ownership, inclusiveness, and the resilience and sustainability of supported actors, by engaging with national 
and  local  authorities,  communities  and  civil  society.  The  approach  also  integrates  the  ‘women,  peace  and 
security’ action plan as one of its key priorities, articulates disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) 
around  a  people-centred  approach,  and  implements  the  humanitarian-development-peace  nexus  approach, 
under  which  humanitarian,  development  and  peace  actors  work  hand  in  hand  to  find  and  deliver  collective 
outcomes to reduce overall vulnerability and unmet needs, strengthen risk management capacities and address 
root causes of conflict, and ultimately ensure the protection and well-being of populations and build their resilience 
to shocks. The EU uses different funding instruments (geographical, thematic and rapid response under NDICI) 
as well as actions under its common foreign and security policy (CSFP), complemented by actions under the EU 
Pact  on  Migration  and  Asylum  (2020)  aiming  for  stabilisation,  reconciliation  and  peace  processes  in  partner 
countries and regions.  

Conflict  sensitivity  is  incorporated  into  the  EU’s  external  action,  in  particular  in  fragile  contexts. The  2017 
European  Consensus  on  Development  recognises  that  poverty,  conflict, fragility  and forced  displacement  are 
deeply  interlinked  and  must  be  addressed  in  a  coherent  and  comprehensive  way.  The  EU,  despite  many 
challenges, continues to be seen and perceived in most parts of the world as a key international actor in conflict 
prevention and peacebuilding, with significant added value regarding its different tools and approaches. 

The promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a cornerstone of EU external 
action, implemented in a concerted and coordinated approach with Member States. Resources and expertise 
support inclusive and transparent governance in partner countries, such as illustrated by the important initiative 
on parliamentary capacity strengthening (2019) using a peer-to-peer approach, by facilitating exchanges with EU 
Member State parliaments.  

As upheld in the European Consensus on Development and enshrined in the Global Europe Regulation, the EU 
implements a human rights based approach (HRBA) to international partnerships. The aim is to ensure that all 
EU development actions are anchored on the following key principles: apply all human rights for all (universality), 
meaningful and inclusive participation, non-discrimination and equality, accountability and rule of law for all and 
transparency and access to information.  

The  EU  counterterrorism  agenda  (2020)  aims  to  reinforce  international  cooperation  across  four  main  pillars 
(anticipate, prevent, protect, and respond). The EU Global Facility on anti-money laundering and countering the 
financing of terrorism remained a key tool to assist partners in complying with international standards. In April 
2021, the Commission presented a new strategy to tackle organised crime for 2021-2025. 

The  fundamentals  of  the  rule  of  law  and  the  functioning  of  democratic  institutions,  together  with  public 
administration reform and socio-economic stability, are at the core of the EU’s enlargement policy and determine 
the overall pace of accession negotiations. In the EU’s Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood, stabilisation in 
political, economic and security terms is the main driver for the EU engagement with partner countries. 

Examples of EU actions (with a focus on Global Gateway and Team Europe initiatives) 

In relation to SDG 16, responding to EU-Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) shared challenges in the area 
of security and justice, the regional LAC Team Europe Initiative on security & justice partnership aims to leverage 
the transformative impact of EU-LAC cooperation on the rule of law and the fight against transnational organised 
crime  by  joining  forces  with  EU  Member  States,  Commission  DGs,  the  EEAS,  EU  specialised  agencies,  and 
OLAF. Actions will support LAC’s overall rule of law environment, the consolidation of structural regional and 

157 

 
 
intercontinental cooperation networks to fight against serious and organised crime, and a priority focus on bi-
regional cooperation on the main ‘lines of business’ of LAC organised crime.  

On  law  enforcement  and  judicial  cooperation,  EU  regional  projects  include,  for  instance,  the  Euromed  Police 
project  implemented  by  CEPOL,  in  cooperation  with  EUROPOL.  It  aims  at  enhancing  institutional  capacity  to 
protect EU neighbours’ citizens against transnational serious and organised crime. The Euromed Justice project, 
on the other hand, is a capacity-building initiative designed to develop a sustainable cross-regional mechanism 
of judicial cooperation in criminal matters between EU member states and the south partner countries (SPCs), 
as well as EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies.  

In the Western Balkans, in 2018 a Regional Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse 
and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their ammunition was signed as well as an EU-
Western  Balkans  Regional  Action  Plan  (JAP)  on  Counter-Terrorism  and  countering  and  preventing  violent 
extremism  (C/PVE).  Regional  projects  provide  dedicated  support  to  their  implementation  as  well  as  to  the 
reintegration of returning foreign terrorist fighters, countering radicalisation in prison, exchanging knowledge for 
practitioners, policy makers and researchers (mirroring the Radicalisation Awareness Network activities in EU 
Member States). Other initiatives include regional campaigns such as Block the hatred, Share the love, launched 
by the Council of Europe with EU support in response to the rise in hate speech and the glorification of war crimes 
in the region, and which reached over 1 500 000 people. The Commission has continued to support civil society 
organizations  advocating  for  Good  Governance  and  Anti-Corruption  in  Southeast  Europe,  while  working  with 
OSCE  and  the  Council  of  Europe  on  several  projects  aimed  at  strengthening  the  capacity  of  the  judiciary  to 
investigate and adjudicate corruption, financial crime and organised crime cases. 

Within the Eastern Partnership framework, a regional programme on the fight against organised crime is being 
implemented  in  partnership  with  CEPOL,  Europol  and  the  United  Nations  Interregional  Crime  and  Justice 
Research Institute (UNCRI)  aiming at strengthening strategic and operational police cooperation between the 
region, the EU and its Member States and at increasing capacities to trace, freeze, seize, confiscate and recover 
assets linked to criminal activities.  

Across  regions,  the  EU  assisted  partners  in  the  design  and  implementation  of  reforms  in  the  fields  of  good 
governance, the rule of law, judiciary reform, and the public safety and security sector, including border 
management  and  counterterrorism.  The  Commission’s  budget  support  has  been  an  important  tool  used  in 
support of SDG 16 with EUR 4.4 billion in support of SDG 16 as a main objective in 74 countries and more than 
EUR 15 billion as a significant objective in 271 countries  in 2014-2021. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily 
slowed down engagement in the security area, although the demand for greater accountability and advancement 
in  reforms  remained  high. In  2022,  more  than  20  Team  Europe  initiatives  focusing  on  security  aspects  are 
proposed for co-funding, 60 on resilience and 15 on peace. Examples of EU action in support of SDG 16 include 
support  for  public  administration  reform  in  the  Dominican  Republic,  Georgia,  Ukraine,  Albania,  Serbia, 
Kosovo, Montenegro and Tunisia. Support for public finance management was provided for 14 countries over 
2014-2021 in the form of budget support and associated technical assistance across all regions.  

Similarly, the EU supports justice reforms focusing on institution and capacity building, promoting alternative 
dispute resolution, measuring and enhancing the independence, effectiveness and transparency of the judiciary, 
and improving the penitentiary system. Programmes have spanned the Southern and Eastern Neighbourhood, 
the Western Balkans, West Africa and the Caribbean regions. In Albania, for example, EU budget support 
and technical assistance facilitated the increased pace of the vetting process for judges and prosecutors, under 
the supervision of the EU-funded International Monitoring Operation (IMO). In Armenia, support for justice and 
anti-corruption contributes to strengthening the integrity and accountability of the judiciary. In  Jordan, the EU 
supported the independence, accountability, specialisation and efficiency of the judicial power, including ensuring 
better access to the justice system for Syrian refugees and vulnerable populations. In Georgia, the EU supports 
the project Civil Society Action for Promoting Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities, for the development of 
legal services and effective advocacy with a special focus on women with disabilities and ethnic minorities.  

158 

 
 
The EU also funds regular peer reviews of national justice systems, notably in enlargement countries, as part 
of accession negotiations. Within the Eastern Partnership framework, a third phase of the Partnership for Good 
Governance  programme  is  being  implemented  in  cooperation  with  the  Council  of  Europe  and  targeting  the 
strengthening of the Rule of Law within thematic priority areas such as anticorruption and combating money 
laundering/terrorist finance, key judicial reforms, and combating discrimination. A Governance Progress Board 
programme  for  the  Eastern  Partnership  Countries  has  been  launched  in  cooperation  with  GIZ  and  aiming  at 
enhancing evidence-based policy through improved monitoring of good governance and rule of law reforms. 

The EU has been supporting multiple actions focusing on crisis response, conflict prevention, peacebuilding and 
crisis preparedness, and for addressing global and trans-regional threats. Key ongoing crisis response actions 
include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Venezuela. In Ukraine, crisis 
response  actions  have  spanned  humanitarian  law,  assisting  Ukrainian  authorities  and  key  stakeholders  in 
protecting civilians, and preparing early recovery of liberated areas and preventing further escalation of violence. 
A  regional  conflict  transformation  programme  (EU4Dialogue)  has  been  implemented  in  a  number  of  Eastern 
Partnership countries. The EU has also been supporting UN-led peace processes in Yemen, Syria, Libya, and 
the Central African Republic.  

Support  for  national  reconciliation  processes  is  another facet  of  support,  such  as  support  for  the  Colombian 
Truth Commission or, in Central African Republic, support for national peace and reconciliation processes. 
An  action  in  Iraq  supports  the  digitisation  of  evidence  of  crimes  committed  by  Da’esh  in  order  to  increase 
prosecutions of Da’esh members for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.  

Through its Civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, the EU assists partner countries 
in  conflict  prevention,  combating  organised  crime  &  smuggling,  reforming  national  security  sectors,  border 
management and monitoring the judicial system and the rule of law. For instance, the EU Border Assistance 
Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya) supports the national authorities in developing state security structures, border 
management, law enforcement and criminal justice.  

EU  non-proliferation  and  disarmament  (NPD)  actions  also  contribute  to  SDG 16  by  promoting  the 
universalisation and implementation of international treaties and conventions on the proliferation of weapons of 
mass  destruction.  The  same  objective  is  pursued  by  the  European  Special  Representatives  (EUSRs), 
independent CFSP entities that support EU diplomatic work in key regions and countries. In  Kosovo, the EU 
Special Representative supports the country’s commitment to the rule of law, the protection of minorities and the 
protection of cultural and religious heritage.  

Another area of support is decentralisation. In Togo, for example, a Team Europe initiative is proposed to support 
Togo’s  decentralisation  and  local  governance,  combining  EU  and  Member  State  efforts  through  capacity 
building, budget support and decentralised cooperation, to consolidate the decentralisation process at national 
and local levels, and strengthen the role of town halls in grassroots development and their involvement in the 
stability and security of Togo.  

On humanitarian assistance, the EU together with its Member States remains a key donor and intervenes not 
only in large-scale humanitarian crises – like Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan or Ethiopia – but also in forgotten 
crises, i.e. those of severe and protracted character that do not attract media attention, and where the level of 
international aid to affected populations is insufficient.  

Under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, tailor-made migration partnerships were initiated or strengthened 
with several countries in Africa and Asia. The EU and its Member States are also pooling efforts to reinforce their 
impact  in  supporting  democracy  worldwide  with  a  global  Team  Europe  initiative  on  democracy,  with  better 
targeted, more strategic and more visible actions and a shared and increased knowledge base.  

159 

 
 
Between  2014  and  2020,  the  EU  provided  support  for  its  partners  in  the  Western  Balkans  and  Eastern 
Partnership countries to support prevention and repression of corruption and the fight against organised crime 
and money-laundering, and it continues to do so under the new financial framework for 2021-2027.  

Between  2014  and  2020  the  EU allocated  funds  to  support the  active  involvement  of  civil  society  and  media 
organisations in decision-making and in key sector reforms in enlargement countries through the Civil Society 
Facility and Media Action Programmes. For the period 2021 and 2023, these allocations total EUR 218 million. 
More specifically in the area of freedom of expression, the EU supported the promotion of media pluralism, media 
freedom,  development  and  implementation  of  media  policy  and  regulation,  financial  sustainability,  safety  of 
journalists, fact-checking, fight against disinformation, support to public broadcasters, new media development, 
professional and ethical standards of the media and self-regulation, just to name a few key areas of work 

Actions by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated to ensure complementarity 
and impact in support of the SDGs. In addition to acting together with the EU through joint programming and 
Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 2030 Agenda including 
SDG 16, such as the following initiatives for illustrative purposes.  Several Member States provide support for 
partner countries to implement SDG 16 across the world, including by sharing best practices in organising public 
administration,  state  institutions  or  local  government  reforms.  Scholarships  are  an  important  instrument  for 
supporting the development of partner countries. For instance, in relation to the European Partnership countries 
and the Western Balkans, Latvia and Poland support the training of young professionals in public administration. 
Poland also supports capacity building in local investment plans, decentralisation, democratic change and good 
governance, entrepreneurship and private sector development. In addition, Latvia supports capacity building in 
such areas as anti-corruption, justice and regional development. Croatia supports countries in the EU integration 
process by providing experts with relevant experience of the accession process to transfer knowledge. Slovenia 
actively supports countries in the areas of administrative law, public finance management, central banking and 
reform management.  

Looking ahead 

In  2023,  the  Commission  will  put  forward  a  defence  of  democracy  package  to  strengthen  action  under  the 
European  democracy  action  plan  to  promote  free  and  fair  elections,  including  by  developing  civic  space  and 
citizen  participation  to  bolster  democratic  resilience  from  within.  It  will  include  proposals  to  protect  our 
democracies and strengthen trust by defending our democratic system from outside interests. The Commission 
plans to propose measures to update our legislative framework for fighting corruption.  

In  July  2023,  the  Commission  will  adopt  the  fourth  edition  of  the  annual  rule  of  law  reports  with  specific 
recommendations addressed to all Member States. As part of the European rule of law mechanism the report 
informs the continued dialogue with Member States, the Council, the European and the European Parliament. 
By  the  end  of  2023,  the  Commission  will  also  publish  its  annual  report  on  the  application  of  the  Charter  of 
Fundamental  Rights  in  the  EU.  The  report  monitors  progress  in  the  areas  where  the  EU  has  powers  to  act, 
showing  how  the  charter  has  been  taken  into  account  in  actual  cases,  notably  when  new  EU  legislation  is 
proposed.  

The  Commission  also  plans  to  adopt  a  new  anti-corruption  package,  update  the  anti-corruption  legislative 
framework and include corruption in the sanctions toolbox to promote good governance practices. 

The  Commission  is  strengthening  its  online  engagement  to  facilitate  citizens’  participation  in  European 
policymaking. The upgraded Have Your Say portal will be a single-entry point bringing together all information 
on citizens’ engagement tools and processes that run in the Commission, including the new generation of citizens’ 
panels. This new online hub will not only integrate key features of the Conference’s multilingual digital platform, 
such as direct exchanges between citizens in all EU official languages thanks to eTranslation, but will also host 
online polls and online participatory events. 

160 

 
 
On the external side, the EU will continue to take determined action to accelerate the implementation of SDG 16 
globally, including through the roll-out of a range of multiannual indicative programmes with partner countries, 
which include shared priorities such as peace, security, good governance, the rule of law, democracy and human 
rights,  and  through  mainstreaming  this  priority  across  its  actions.  The  support  is  also  in  the  form  of  thematic 
programmes under NDICI, notably the Thematic Programme on Human Rights and Democracy and the Thematic 
Programme on Civil Society Organisations. A tangible contribution to SDG 16 (and other interlinked SDGs) will 
be made through the deployment of Global Gateway, to be undertaken in a Team Europe approach, which will 
actively integrate these enabling conditions.  

161 

 
 
 
SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation 
and revitalise the Global Partnership for 
Sustainable Development 

Introduction  

Due to the unique nature of SDG17, this chapter reflects the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA, 2015) and the 
EU Report on Investing in Sustainable Development (ISDR), which documents how the EU, its Member States 
and  European  development  financial  institutions  are  implementing  the  agenda  to  support  partner  countries 
through financial and non-financial means of implementation to progress towards the SDGs. It includes where 
appropriate within each section information on how these challenges are addressed within the EU.  

Target and policy reference  

Trends  

The EU is collectively committed to provide 0.7% of 
Gross National Income (GNI) as official 
development assistance (ODA) within the 
timeframe of the 2030 Agenda  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States’  collective  ODA  as  a 
share  of  GNI  stood  at  0.59%  in  2022  (based  on 
preliminary OECD data).  

2017 European Consensus on Development  
The EU undertakes to meet collectively the target 
of 0.15 – 0.20% of ODA/GNI to the least developed 
countries (LDCs) in the short term, and to reach 
0.20% of ODA/GNI to LDCs within the timeframe of 
the 2030 Agenda  

2017 European Consensus on Development  
All European households to be covered by a 
gigabit network by 2030 

Set in the 2030 Digital Compass 

 The EU and its Member States’ collective ODA to LDCs 
as a share of GNI stood at 0.11% in 2021.  

The  uptake  of  high-speed 
internet  coverage  has 
improved  considerably  over  a  short-term  period  in  the 
EU. While only 25.2% of EU households enjoyed such 
connectivity in 2016, this share has risen considerably, 
reaching  70.2%  in  2021.  If  high-speed  internet  rollout 
continues at this pace, the EU will reach 100% coverage 
well ahead of 2030. 

Connectivity has also improved in rural areas. Between 
2016  and  2021,  the  share  of  rural  households  with  a 
fixed  high-speed  internet  connection  increased  from 
7.7% to 37.1% across the EU. 

To  achieve  the  SDGs  and  the  Paris  Agreement  objectives,  the  EU  promotes  its  international  partnerships  in 
support  of  neighbouring  countries,  developing  countries  and  emerging  economies,  notably  in  making  the 
necessary investment. The EU and its Member States, acting in a ‘Team Europe’ approach, have been at the 
forefront of supporting partner countries through a range of financial and non-financial means of implementation 
to  help  meet  the  SDGs,  notably  in  terms  of  supporting  domestic  resource  mobilisation,  innovative  financing 
mechanisms for sustainable finance and initiatives ensuring debt sustainability.  

162 

 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
  
Since 2020, the EU and its Member States stepped up their commitment to working better together to ensure 
coordination  and  consistency  and  to  better  contribute  to  the  implementation  of  the  2030  Agenda  by  initiating 
action at national, regional/multi-country or global level with a ‘Team Europe’ approach. A concrete manifestation 
of this new approach consists in the Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs), which are developed based on joint analysis 
to identify critical priorities that are limiting development and where a coordinated and consistent effort by Team 
Europe would ensure a transformative impact.  

Further,  reinforcing  this  Team  Europe  approach,  the  European  Financial  Architecture  for  Development 
(EFAD) was also improved (in response to the June 2021 Council Conclusions), with the aim of broadening its 
impact, efficiency, and visibility, with a view to deliver a sustainable recovery contributing to the SDGs and the 
Paris Agreement. This includes involving European, national, public and private actors and leveraging the entire 
European financial development  sector, encouraging the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European 
Bank  for  Reconstruction  and  Development  (EBRD)  to  work  together  more  effectively  and  efficiently,  and  to 
strengthen their cooperation with the European development finance institutions in a Team Europe approach.  

Importantly, the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, launched in 2021, aims to deliver on the twin green and digital 
transitions through sustainable infrastructure investment in support of the SDGs around the world to strengthen 
notably  digital,  transport,  health,  climate  and  energy,  and  education/research.  Operating  under  the  Global 
Gateway framework and focusing on its priorities, there are currently over 160 TEIs endorsed all over the world, 
including through dedicated regional investment packages such as the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment 
Package.  

Sustainable finance 

The EU has shown strong leadership in promoting sustainable finance within the EU as well as globally and in 
partner countries, with the objective of channelling private investment towards sustainable economic activities, 
businesses and projects. The financial sector in the EU and beyond needs to play its role in achieving the Paris 
agreement  objectives.  The  transition  to  a  sustainable  economy  is  both  challenging  and  indispensable,  with 
massive payoffs in terms of green job and business opportunities. Domestically, the EU has taken major steps 
to build a sustainable finance ecosystem with the 2018 Sustainable Finance Action Plan followed by the 2021 
Sustainable Finance Strategy. One of the building blocks of the strategy is the EU taxonomy establishing a list 
of environmentally sustainable economic activities and identifying six environmental objectives. A first part of the 
Taxonomy Regulation on sustainable activities for climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives entered 
into force in 2022, with additional action scheduled for 2023.  

Another building block pertains to sustainability-related disclosure requirements through the Sustainable Finance 
Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) as well as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). These apply 
to  financial  market  participants  and  certain  companies.  A  set  of  tools  including  the  EU  Climate  Benchmark 
Regulation,  applicable  since  2020,  and  the  EU  Green  Bond  Standard,  recently  agreed  by  the  European 
Parliament and the Council, is also part of this sustainable finance ecosystem.  

Externally,  low  and  middle-income  countries  face  massive  investment  needs  to  finance  their  sustainable 
development,  which  increased  with  the  COVID-19  pandemic  despite  a  record high  level  of  ODA  and  a  quick 
recovery  of  Foreign  Direct  Investment  and  remittances  levels  (UN  SDG  Report  2022).  Only  20%  of  global 
financial assets are held in developing countries. On the positive side, a change of just 1.1% in the allocation of 
the total financial assets could provide sufficient funds to fill the yawning SDG funding gap according to OECD.  

In recognition of these challenges and opportunities, the EU and its Member States contribute to the acceleration 
of  private  financial  flows  to  partner  countries,  which  is  critical  to  collectively  deliver  on  global  sustainability 
commitments.  A  high-level  expert  group  (HLEG)  has  been  formed  in  2022  to  advise  the  Commission  on 
transformative and innovative action the EU can take to help scale up sustainable finance in low- and middle-
income countries (LMICs). Its recommendations will inform a comprehensive Commission strategy.  

163 

 
 
The European Commission is also seeking to help LMICs develop markets for sustainability-related instruments 
such  as  green  bonds.  Green  bonds  are  a  useful  tool  to  attract,  at  scale,  private  investors  to  sustainable 
investment  such  as  green  (infrastructure)  projects,  therefore  enabling  countries  to  meet  Paris  Agreement 
objectives  and  to  achieve  a  lasting,  sustainable  recovery.  To  this  end,  a  Team  Europe  Global  Green  Bond 
Initiative  is  expected  to  be  launched  in  2023,  under  the  European  Fund  for  Sustainable  Development  Plus 
(EFSD+).  

The European Commission is also supporting, through the EUROCLIMA+ programme, the development of the 
Latin  America  and  Caribbean  Common  Taxonomy  Framework.  This  will  help  ensure  regional  and  global 
interoperability, while allowing for local contextualisation. In  South Africa, the European Commission and the 
National Treasury of South Africa compared the EU taxonomy and the South African green finance taxonomy, 
so that investors can more easily identify investment that could be considered green by both South Africa and 
the EU. This will help reduce their transaction and research costs and facilitate cross-border flows for the green 
and sustainable transition. Moving forward, in 2023, the European Commission will set up a Sustainable Finance 
Advisory  Hub  to  help  stakeholders  in  partner  countries  develop  sustainable  finance  frameworks,  including 
standards and the issuance of sustainability-related financial instruments. This will be in line with international 
good practice and building on the EU experience. 

In addition, the EU and its Member States participate in many international sustainable finance initiatives and 
fora,  with  the  purpose  of  exchanging  best  practices  and  increasing  global  consistency,  cooperation  and 
interoperability.  These  include  the  International  Platform  on  Sustainable  Finance  (IPSF)  and  the  G20 
Sustainable Finance Working Group.  

Measures taken by the EU and its Member States are mutually reinforcing and coordinated, to ensure that they 
complement each other and have impact in support of the SDGs. As well as acting together with the EU through 
joint programming and Team Europe Initiatives, EU Member States carry out their own projects in support of the 
2030 Agenda, including SDG 17. Some initiatives implemented by Member States are presented in the various 
sections of this chapter for illustrative purposes. 

For instance, the Netherlands catalysed private capital towards the SDGs using innovative finance, such as an 
SDG-Focused  Emerging  Market  Credit  Fund,  in  which  pension  funds  invested  without  any  use  of  blended 
finance, allowing capital to be raised to finance private sector projects in LMICs, together with IFIs and DFIs. 

Domestic public resources 

Over the last decade, worldwide government revenue as a share of GDP has remained stable (around 30%) but 
regional data show a clear downward trend of public revenues in LDCs, even though these are the main sources 
of public investment and the provision of basic services to their citizens. Illicit capital flight and tax havens cost 
low-income countries USD 200 billion a year in lost corporate tax revenues.  

At international level, a significant effort is being made by the EU and its Member States to reduce illicit financial 
flows  and  fight  tax  avoidance  and  evasion  worldwide  (addressed  also  under  SDG  16),  which 
disproportionately  affects  developing  countries.  Via  its  list  of  non-cooperative  tax  jurisdictions,  the  EU  has 
engaged  in  enhanced  bilateral  dialogues  on  good  tax  governance  with  countries  around  the  world,  including 
developing countries.  

As a result, dozens of developing countries have joined leading international forums such as the Global Forum 
on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) and the Inclusive Framework 
against Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS IF), as well as becoming parties to the Convention on Mutual 
Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. These reforms are beneficial for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) 
directly and indirectly, as they provide for new tools to secure tax revenues and expand the tax base. The EU 
also helps the Global Forum and the BEPS IF to help developing countries implement DRM-relevant standards. 
In  addition,  in  2021,  close  to  140  countries  around  the  world,  including  EU  Member  States  and  developing 
164 

 
 
countries, agreed to a reform of the international tax framework and joined the G20/OECD statement to address 
the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of economy. They did so by setting a minimum effective level of 
taxation  (Pillar  2)  and  by  re-allocating  parts  of  the  profits  of  the  world’s  largest  multinationals  to  market 
jurisdictions (Pillar 1). This agreement will help bring about a level playing field in international taxation and boost 
tax  revenue  collection,  which  is  paramount  for  increasing  public  investment  and  improving  the  business 
environment.  

In terms of domestic public resources, the EU and its Member States are committed to the EU’s ‘Collect More 
and Spend Better’ strategy. They have substantially increased their support for domestic revenue mobilisation 
and  public  financial  management,  through  global,  regional,  and  country-level  initiatives,  and  these  have 
benefitted over 90 partner countries.  

At country level, the EU and Member States support the improvement of tax policy and tax administration, public 
financial management and governance, and have more than doubled their support for technical cooperation in 
these areas since 2015. Budget support has been particularly significant in these efforts, not only by providing 
technical assistance, policy dialogue and incentives for reform, but also by integrating these aspects as eligibility 
criteria for the support, thus reinforcing the dialogue and incentives around these issues.  

The EU and its Member States are the second-largest provider of budget support after multilateral organisations. 
In 2019, Commission payments for DRM amounted to EUR 98 million, of which 63% was channelled through 
budget support indicators, and 37% through projects. According to data from the IMF, African countries where 
the Commission introduced such DRM indicators saw increased ratios of tax revenue to GDP by 2 percentage 
points on average between 2015 and 2019.  

By way of illustration, a Team Europe Initiative supports domestic resource mobilisation in Mexico, which faces 
high levels of structural inequality across regions and population groups. Since a fairer and more efficient taxation 
system can help to address inequalities and promote social cohesion, the TEI seeks to improve the capacity and 
transparency of the Mexican tax administration across the federal and state levels.  

In Cameroon, where 75% of the wood purchased locally is of illegal origin, the EU has promoted fiscal reforms 
through a budget support programme, accompanied by strong policy dialogue, donor coordination and technical 
assistance.  Analysis  of  the  fiscal  revenue  in  the  timber  sector  revealed  a  financing  gap  of  EUR  72  million  in 
uncollected fees and undeclared revenue by local companies active in the timber sector. These results steered 
a national debate on increasing controls, creating the political space to introduce incentives for the private sector 
to operate legally (see EU budget support trends and results 2021).  

Domestic and international private business and finance 

With regards to domestic and international private business and finance, the EU and its Member States put a 
strong focus on private sector development as a cross-cutting means of building resilience and promoting the 
creation of decent jobs in LMICs. EU assistance to private sector development has grown by 65% over the last 
decade,  supporting  investment  and  policies  to  improve  the  regulatory  environment  for  private  sector 
development, including access to capital. Importantly, the EFSD+ supports sustainable investment worldwide by 
leveraging private capital to complement direct external cooperation grants, including blending and guarantees 
to support micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs), notably in rural areas and for women entrepreneurs. 

Furthermore, the EU and its Member States have taken important steps to support remittances as an important 
source  of  sustainable  investment.  Some  progress  has  been  made  in  reducing  the  costs  associated  with  the 
transfer of remittances from the EU to partner countries, but globally current costs remain well above the 2030 
target  of  3%.  Progress  in  low-income  and  lower  middle-income  countries  in  increasing  access  to  credit  for 
MSMEs, or boosting Foreign Direct Investment flows, essential for sustainable investment, has also been uneven 
and slow. The pandemic has affected developing economies proportionately more in terms of its toll on human 
and physical capital, investment, and economic growth, than in higher income countries.  

165 

 
 
The  EU  is  working  on  harnessing  the  development  potential  of  the  private  sector  through  multi-stakeholder 
initiatives  such  as  the  EU-Africa  business  forum,  which  facilitate  the  identification  of  bottlenecks for private 
sector development and trade. Through Global Gateway, the EU mixes grants, soft loans and guarantees aimed 
at crowding in private sector investment and brings in new bodies such as the export credit agencies. 

Additional funds will also be leveraged through EFSD+, which will make available EUR 40 billion in guarantee 
capacity, for a variety of sectors, in addition to several billion euro in blending grants. The European Commission 
will set up a Business Advisory Group on the Global Gateway. This group will ensure private sector involvement, 
be easily accessible and will serve to discuss the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy.  

By way of illustration, the EU supported financial inclusion in 60 countries, assisting MSMEs and individuals to 
access  financial  products  (such  as  credit,  insurance,  leasing).  Blending  operations  were  the  most  common 
instrument used by firms to access finance. 

International development cooperation  

The EU institutions43provided EUR 22 billion of official development assistance (ODA)44 overall in 2022. Their 
ODA  to  least  developed  countries  (LDCs)45  amounted  to  EUR  3.6  billion  in  202246.  From  a  Team  Europe 
perspective, the EU and its Member States are collectively by far the largest donor of ODA worldwide, providing 
43% of global ODA in 2022. Their collective ODA amounted to EUR 92.8 billion in that year, corresponding to 
0.59% of  collective  gross  national  income  (GNI).  They  have  collectively  provided  EUR 16.5  billion  of  ODA  to 
LDCs in 2021, equivalent to 0.11% of their collective GNI. Although some Member States already exceeded their 
individual targets, more effort is needed to meet the collective and individual targets and to collectively provide 
0.7% of GNI as ODA and 0.2% of GNI as ODA to the least developed countries (LDCs) by 2030. 

ODA  provided  by  the  EU  and  its  Member  States’  is  made  more  effective  by  adopting  joint  programming 
processes,  to  achieve  a  better  division  of  labour  by  collectively  reducing  fragmentation  and  sharing  the 
coordinating workload at sector or policy area level. The approach supports joint implementation such as Team 
Europe Initiatives. Support delivered as Team Europe in response to the COVID 19 pandemic amounted to EUR 
47.7 billion of disbursements (of which EUR 24.9 billion came from the EU institutions) up to the end of 2021, to 
help partner countries cope with the pandemic and its socio-economic consequences.  

A good example of putting in practice Team Europe and Global Gateway is through twinning and TAIEX. These 
peer-to-peer  institution-building  instruments  bring  in  EU  Member  States  public  sector  expertise  in  support  of 
partner  country  reform  processes,  supporting  the  implementation  of  the  SDGs.  TAIEX  and  twinning  are  well 
established in the EU enlargement and neighbourhood countries.  

Over 600 TAIEX events take place every year and over 100 twinning projects are ongoing. The implementation 
of TAIEX and twinning in INTPA countries started in 2020. Twinning projects are ongoing in Zambia, Kyrgyzstan, 
Namibia,  Dominican  Republic,  Madagascar  and  Rwanda.  With  the  lifting  of  COVID-19  travel  restrictions,  the 
number of TAIEX INTPA events increased strongly from mid-2022 onwards. 70 events in more than 30 countries 
have been implemented so far, covering all the SDGs.  

Furthermore,  the  Global  Gateway  strategy,  brings  together  a  360-degree  package  through  a  mix  of  grants, 
concessional loans and guarantees to de-risk private sector investment, as well as a number of operational tools 
such  as  technical  assistance,  policy  and  economic  dialogue,  trade  and  investment  agreements  and 
standardisation. The goal is to create better conditions for quality investment. 

43 Includes the European Commission and European Investment Bank (EIB).  
44 This is measured on a grant equivalent basis in line with OECD methodology. For 2022, figures are based on preliminary ODA data.  
45 This is composed of bilateral net ODA to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), imputed multilateral ODA to LDCs and regional ODA 
known to benefit LDCs, in line with OECD methodology. 
46 Preliminary data. 

166 

 
 
                                                           
Complementing  ODA,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  also  used  innovative  financing  mechanisms,  such  as 
leveraging  private  capital  through  blending  or  guarantees.  This  mobilised  nearly  EUR  10  billion  of  additional 
resources in 2020, close to 15% of EU ODA in 2020. They have also developed a roadmap for a more inclusive 
and coordinated European Financing Architecture for Development (see EFAD in the introduction).  

Consistent with the overall decision that at least 20% of the EU budget is spent on climate finance in 2020 and 
a commitment to reach 30% by 2027, the EU budget includes an additional EUR 4 billion for climate finance for 
partner countries until 2027, such as the substantially increased funding for supporting biodiversity and disaster 
risk reduction. The EU has been helping and encouraging major economies and partner countries to successfully 
execute their climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Many cooperation mechanisms have been put 
in place by the Commission in this respect, in an effort to accelerate the decarbonisation of partner countries. 
For instance, the Commission, with Member States, as part of the D4D Hub Team Europe Initiative, is developing 
measures to ease the green and digital twin transitions in partner countries. 

Gender  equality  (SDG  5)  is  a  core  value  of  the  EU  and  a  universally  recognised  human  right  enshrined  in 
international conventions. To track gender equality, all development cooperation projects are scored according 
to the three-point system of the OECD/DAC, under which an action scoring 0 (“gender not targeted”) must be 
justified.  The  political  commitment  that  85%  of  all  development  cooperation  programmes  must  be  gender 
responsive is reiterated in the Gender Equality Action Plan III for 2021-25.  

International trade as an engine for development  

Facilitating  trade  and  financial  integration  play  an  important  role  in  driving  growth and  supporting  sustainable 
development. The EU is at the forefront of the global efforts to reform the WTO, to reassert its relevance and 
effectiveness in ensuring that trade remains open and fair. Sustainability and the advancement of the SDGs are 
also at the core of the EU’s trade policy review for the coming years. 

Progress on trade globally is poor, with the share of  least developed countries (LDCs) in global merchandise 
export sticking to around 1%. Whilst the EU has become the main export market for LDCs, their share in EU 
imports  remained  at  about  2%  from  2010  to  2020,  while  the  target  of  doubling  the  share  of  LDCs’  exports 
worldwide by 2020, from its value of 1% in 2011, has not been met.  

Within the EU, the customs union contributes to the implementation of the SDGs, through facilitation of trade and 
supporting enforcement of key policy measures in international trade in goods and supply chains. In 2022, the 
Commission began preparations for a comprehensive customs union reform package, which would continue to 
strengthen the contribution of customs in a range of areas, such as the facilitation of legitimate trade (contributing 
to SDG 8), the detection and prevention of imports or exports which contravene relevant EU rules on such on 
waste, chemicals, or safe and sustainable product design (contributing to SDG 12), or the protection of territorial 
ecosystems (e.g. from imports which are products of deforestation) and protection of biodiversity (through helping 
detect traffic contravening CITES) (contributing to SDG 15). 

The EU and its Member States are jointly the world’s largest donors of aid for trade, representing 40% in 2020 
(Aid  for  trade  annual  progress  report 2022),  which  is  seen  as  a  key  tool  for  supporting  developing  countries’ 
sustainable integration into the world economy. The collective commitments of the EU and its Member States 
amounted to EUR 22.9 billion in 2020 (an increase of 22% from 2019). The European Commission accounts for 
38% of this share and the Member States for 62%. EU’s aid-for-trade is relatively more directed towards Africa 
than other regions, and 13% to LDCs. The EU has committed itself to increasing this share in the coming years, 
in line with the SDGs. Key areas of action have related to women’s economic empowerment, environment and 
biodiversity protection, and digitalisation.  

As regards international trade as an engine for development, the EU has fully implemented the Bali package 
which contains advances in the Doha Development Agenda agreed at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference. The 

167 

 
 
Bali package includes the Agreement on Trade Facilitation, which is designed to lower global trade barriers while 
implementing special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries.  

The  EU’s  trade  bloc  offers  an  extensive  network  of  free-trade  agreements  and  arrangements,  with  unilateral 
preferences  for  developing  countries,  as  well  as  autonomous  trade  and  development  policy  tools  with  the 
objective  of  supporting  the  implementation  of  the  SDGs. By  way  of  illustration,  the  EU  negotiated  several 
economic partnership agreements with 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 4 free trade arrangements with 
countries in Northern Africa. Exports to the EU27 from the LDC countries covered by EPAs has increased on 
average  by  8%  between  2010  and  2021,  and  by  13%  in  the  last  year.  This  increase  in  exports  has  been 
accompanied  by  an  increase  in  the  share  of  manufactured  products  over  total  exports  for  Comoros  and 
Mozambique.  

In  2021,  the  EU  supported  the  implementation  of  the  African  Continental  Free  Trade  Area  (AfCFTA) 
Agreement, notably through the African Trade Observatory and the Harmonised System for the classification of 
products. These efforts are further supported through a dedicated Team Europe Initiative as part of the Global 
Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package, as well as through the launch of a High-Level Dialogue on Trade 
and Economic Integration.  

All modern EU trade agreements include Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters with a broad 
set of commitments based on international labour and environmental standards. The EU regularly engages with 
TSD partner countries by means of dialogues on labour rights and environment-related commitments, as well as 
related cooperation projects. For instance, in Vietnam, the EU continued to engage closely with the authorities 
(a) to support the implementation of the country’s new Labour Code, in force since 1 January 2021 (which allows 
the creation of worker representative organisations), and (b) to advance Vietnam’s labour commitments on the 
ratification and effective implementation of the ILO fundamental conventions. On 22 June 2022, the Commission 
adopted a new Trade and Sustainable Development strategy promoting a priority-based engagement with partner 
countries, enhanced participation and support for civil society, as well as a stronger focus on implementing and 
enforcing TSD commitments. This included the possibility to suspend trade preferences in serious instances of 
non-compliance  with  the  ILO  fundamental  principles  and  rights  at  work,  or  in  cases  of  failure  to  comply  with 
obligations that materially defeat the object and purpose of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. 

The  EU’s  Generalised  Scheme  of  Preferences  (GSP)  grants  unilateral  trade  preferences  reducing  or 
eliminating  import  tariffs  on  goods  exported  from  developing  countries  to  the  EU  market.  The  objective  is  to 
increase  trading  opportunities,  reduce  poverty  and  create  jobs  based  on  international  values  and  principles 
relating  to  sustainable  development.  The  EU’s  GSP  covers  67  beneficiary  countries,  of  which  46  are  LDCs 
benefiting from the Everything-But-Arms (EBA) arrangement. The 2018 GSP Mid-Term Evaluation showed that 
the  EU’s  GSP  is  helping  eradicate  poverty  (by  expanding  exports  from  countries  most  in  need)  and  promote 
sustainable development and respect for human rights in beneficiary countries. For example, in 2021 over EUR 
22 billion worth of imports into the EU from LDCs used EBA preferences (66% of all goods imported from LDCs). 
On 22 September 2021, the Commission proposed a new GSP regulation introducing targeted improvements 
that aim to better respond to the evolving needs of developing countries and reinforce the scheme’s social and 
environmental impact.  

Debt and debt sustainability  

While rising public debt levels were already a cause for concern at the end of last decade, the consequences of 
the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war have triggered a massive increase in debt accumulation and have 
exacerbated the risk of debt crises. This highlights the need for more progress in ensuring debt sustainability, 
which will require efforts from the entire global community.  

The  EU recognises  the importance  of  responsible lending  and  borrowing  practices and  has  supported  efforts 
within existing initiatives such as those promoted by the G20, the Paris Club, the international financial institutions 
and  the  UN.  Some  EU  Member  States  have  enacted  laws  to  stop  vulture  funds  from  undermining  efforts  to 
168 

 
 
restructure debt. In broad terms, the measures aim to protect partner countries from having their assets seized 
by creditors who bought the debt when the debtor was in or near default. In addition, since the IMF endorsed 
their use in 2014, collective action clauses have been included in almost all new sovereign bonds.  

More generally, the EU and its Member States have been leading efforts to manage debt and debt sustainability 
for  vulnerable  low-income  countries  and  provided  substantial  liquidity  support  to  them  through  the  G20-Paris 
Club Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), to help manage the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 
pandemic.  They  have  also  supported  the  adoption  and  implementation  of  the  G20-Paris  Club  Common 
Framework for Debt Treatment beyond the DSSI, which ensures a coordinated multilateral approach for countries 
in debt distress.  

Further, they provided financial and technical support to World Bank and IMF facilities set up to address debt 
crises (notably the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust) and to build debt management capacity (through 
the Debt Management Facility – which aims to help develop medium-term debt management strategies, increase 
transparency and enable countries to manage more complex debt portfolios). The EU and its Member States are 
similarly  exploring  the  possibility  of  using  debt-for-SDG  swaps  that  could  link  debt  relief  and  investment  in 
exchange for firm commitments to the SDGs, in view of a green, digital, fair and resilient recovery.  

In the framework of its bilateral cooperation, the EU is implementing budget support programmes offering grants 
under 230 contracts with 95 countries and territories. On average, the budget support accounts for about 40% of 
national cooperation with partner countries. Macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability are an integral part 
of the conditions, analysis and policy dialogue for the programmes, which include building capacity to improve 
debt management and transparency. If the risk of debt distress increases, mitigating measures can be designed, 
together with the national authorities, to address the situation. EU budget support has also enabled access to 
debt relief for LDCs in fragile situations.  

Addressing systemic issues, including enhancing policy coherence for sustainable 
development  

The  pandemic  has  again  illustrated  the  value  and  strength  of  multilateralism,  the  need  for  international 
cooperation between countries in addressing systemic issues, and for countries to assess their policies’ impact 
on all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social, and environmental) and take measures 
to enhance policy coherence for sustainable development. 

The EU and its Member States have done this in their national policies as well as at the EU level. The European 
Commission’s  system  of  better  regulation  contributes  effectively  to  ensuring  policy  coherence  for sustainable 
development,  It  seeks  to  address  interlinkages,  synergies  and  trade-offs  between  the  three  dimensions  of 
sustainable development by identifying and assessing the contribution made to the relevant SDGs in all impact 
assessments legislative proposals and evaluations.  

Externally,  and  as  an  important  contribution  to  the  broader  commitment  to  policy  coherence  for  sustainable 
development,  the  EU pursues  the  principle  of  policy  coherence  for development  (PCD),  derived  from  the  EU 
Treaties  and  enshrined  in  the  2017  European  Consensus  on  Development.  It  seeks  to  enhance  the  positive 
effects and minimise the negative impacts of EU policies on partner countries, promote synergies between EU 
policies and so increase development effectiveness.  

The  Commission  has  integrated  the  concept  of  PCD  in  its  overall  work  to  implement  the  2030  Agenda.  It  is 
specifically followed up through the process of the European Commission’s annual planning of new legislative 
and non-legislative initiatives as well as through the political adoption process for each initiative. These processes 
allow for timely information-sharing and internal dialogues to ensure, by dint of all relevant departments being 
properly  involved,  that  the  external  impacts  of  these  new  initiatives  are  taken  into  account.  The  different  EU 
Commissioners in charge of external relations are also aligned and coordinated with a view to having the external 
dimension and impact of EU internal policies on non-EU countries taken more into account. 

169 

 
 
Member States are responsible for ensuring that their national policies observe PCD and are aligned at EU level 
through their own coordination mechanism. Although the relation with the broader concept of policy coherence 
for sustainable development (PCSD) that emerged with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda may have caused some 
confusion with the concept of PCD derived from the EU Treaty, Member States generally show strong political 
commitment to PCD, with 19 of them codifying such commitment in a national development strategy or related 
guidelines, policies, action plans and legal frameworks, and 7 Member States adhering to a “whole of government 
approach” and strong non-governmental stakeholder consultations in the process of PCD coordination. However, 
progress remains to be made in incorporating into policymaking the practice of carrying out advance evaluations 
of policy impacts on partner countries, as well as in periodic reporting on PCD. 

By way of illustration of actions undertaken within Member States, Italy has defined a National Action Plan (NAP) 
for policy coherence for sustainable development, which became operational in July 2020, including by pursuing 
a  ‘nexus’  approach  needs  to  be  implemented  as  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  2030  Agenda.  This  NAP  provides 
coherence tools aiming at strengthening the system of institutional relations, vertical and horizontal, as well as 
multi-actor participation, and it has the objective of strengthening in Italy the fundamental role that governance 
plays for sustainable development.  

In 2022, Malta launched a funding instrument to support initiatives for sustainable development carried out by 
non-governmental  and  not-for-profit  organisations.  The  Sustainable  Development  Fund 
for  voluntary 
organisations implemented  by  the  Ministry  for  Environment,  Energy  and  Enterprise allocates  EUR  50,000  to 
projects that have the potential to cover activities and initiatives in line with the SDGs.  

Germany has established a mandatory impact assessment for laws to ensure policy coherence for sustainable 
development. The joint rules of procedure for the German Federal Ministries require every draft law or ordinance 
to undergo a sustainable development regulatory impact assessment before being put to a vote. Ministries are 
responsible for performing the assessment procedure, assisted by the eNAP electronic tool (launched in 2018).  

The  Basque  Country  region  in  Spain  is  working  with  local  authorities  and  socio-economic  stakeholders  to 
implement  the  SDGs.  It  created  the  Multi-stakeholder  Forum  for  Social  Transition  and  the  2030  Agenda  to 
establish  an  inter-institutional  SDG  governance  and  facilitate  public,  private  and  social  collaboration  and 
participation, and prepared five voluntary subnational reviews. The city of Bilbao hosts the Local Coalition 2030, 
which promotes activities at local and regional level, including engagement with stakeholders and private sector, 
to localise the implementation of the SDGs.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  also  supported  partner  countries  in  their  own  efforts  to  put  in  place 
institutional mechanisms to increase policy coherence for sustainable development.  

At international level, the EU and its Member States have been the largest contributor to the multilateral system 
and the largest provider of core contributions to multilateral organisations for the entire period under review. The 
2021 Joint Communication on strengthening the EU’s contribution to rules-based multilateralism highlights the 
importance the EU places on close partnerships with multilateral organisations, including to help implement the 
SDGs.  

Science, technology, innovation, digitalisation and capacity building  

Information and communication technologies (ICT) underpin global efforts to accelerate human progress, bridge 
the digital divide and develop knowledge societies. ICT have continued to expand significantly, but less than 30% 
of the population have access to the internet in the poorest regions of the world. 

The  broad  thrust  of  EU  action  to  develop  science,  technology  and  innovation  within  the  EU  –  to  support  the 
implementation of the SDGs – is illustrated in the chapter on SDG9. In addition, the EU is the world’s second 
largest provider of ODA for science, technology and innovation to partner countries, reaching almost EUR 1 
billion in 2019.  

170 

 
 
Regarding digitalisation, in early 2021, the Commission published its Communication ‘2030 Digital Compass: the 
European  way  for  the  Digital  Decade’,  committing  to  building  strong  international  digital  partnerships.  This  is 
complemented by the global Team Europe Initiative Digital 4 Development (D4D) Hub (which is contributing 
to  the  rollout  of  the  Global  Gateway  strategy)  –  a  strategic  multi-stakeholder  platform  that  fosters  digital 
cooperation  between  the  EU,  its  Members  States  and  global  partners,  thereby  contributing  to  the  Global 
Gateway Priorities.  

D4D saw its first operational regional component start working in 2021 with the African Union, through the African 
Union European Union (AU EU) D4D Hub Project. Additionally, a core outcome of the work by African partner 
countries and the AU is the emergence of regionally harmonised data economies, bringing the benefits of data 
use closer to citizens and businesses through the newly launched TEI Data Governance in Africa.  

The D4D Hub has also launched its cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Asia Pacific 
and Central Asia. EU commitments for digital transformation in the LDCs grew extensively, contributing to the 
2020 commitment to provide widespread internet access in the LDCs. Tackling the digital divide is crucial, and 
global  digital  partnerships  are  one  of  five  priority  areas  for  the  EU’s  external  cooperation.  The  EU  launched 
several new initiatives in 2020 to promote digitalisation in partner countries.  

The  EU  engaged  with  international  partners  on  regulatory  and  ethical  matters  to  promote  the  responsible 
development of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) at global level. The initiative prepares the ground for global 
coalition-building  on  human-centric  AI, in  accordance  with  universally  recognised  values.  In  2021,  the  project 
supported  reinforced  policy  dialogue  with  partners,  such  as  Japan,  Canada  and  Australia,  with  the  aim  of 
facilitating knowledge exchanges and regulatory convergence.  

Space technologies are used as innovative support for meeting the SDGs. The EU applies space technologies 
to better understand and protect wildlife, forests and biodiversity. For example: 

 

 

 

the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) provides tailored information products to worldwide users 
on key indicators such as temperature, sea ice and CO2 levels;  

the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) uses near-real-time observations of the location 
and  intensity  of  active  wildfires,  to  estimate  pollutant  emissions  that  may  impact  biodiversity  in  the 
affected areas; 

and  a  digital  platform  shows  real-life  testimonies  from  scientists  and  users  across  the  world  about 
innovative ways to contribute to the achievement of a given SDG.  

In 2018, it was found that about 40% of the 169 indicators underpinning the 17 SDGs are reliant on the use of 
space-based science and technology. 

Capacity-building  is  central  to  boosting  innovation  in  partner  countries  and  the  EU  and  its  Member  States 
increased their funding for scholarships for students from developing countries by 45% between 2014 and 2019; 
they now account for almost 90% of donors’ total ODA spending on scholarships.  

By way of illustration, the European Commission supports the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the 
Mediterranean Area, a multilateral funding programme involving EU Member States, Horizon Europe associated 
countries and Mediterranean partner countries, on an equal footing of co-ownership, co-management, and co-
funding. Through Horizon Europe – the EU’s main research & innovation programme – the EU continued to 
mobilise Indian participation in global research partnerships, with projects aimed at strengthening global climate 
systems (SDG 13), renewable energy systems (SDG 7), crop disease management and agri-systems (SDG 2) 
and vaccine research (SDG 3).  

Another example under Horizon Europe is the EU’s SDG-driven innovation ecosystems project, which aims to 
provide  capacity-building  activities  to  help  partner  countries  set  up  an  SDG-related  innovation  environment 
171 

 
 
across the private sector (investors, start-ups, SMEs) public sector (governments, EU agencies, development 
banks), academia (research, knowledge, R&D) and non-profit sector (NGOS, philanthropy, social enterprises) in 
Italy, France Portugal, Member States in Central/Eastern Europe and Israel. 

Data monitoring and follow-up 

There is broad international consensus on the importance of data monitoring and follow-up on SDG indicators, 
so that the SDGs and their targets can become a management tool to help countries in designing better policies 
and  action,  reinforced  by  adequate  resources  and  effective  implementation  strategies.  National  statistical 
services  are  an  important  part  of  the  SDG  framework  but  they  remain  weak  and  underfunded.  In  partner 
countries, only 4 out of 46 (8%) countries reported having fully funded national statistical plans in 2020. Global 
ODA support for data and statistics has remained stagnant in recent years, with only 0.3% of total ODA dedicated 
to this area.  

The EU and its Member States are supporting and pushing for improved follow-up and monitoring of the SDG 
commitments  in  multiple  ways.  They  disbursed  EUR  110  million  in  2018-20  to  over  50  partner  countries  for 
statistical  capacity  building. EU institutions  are among  the  largest  providers  of funding  for data  and  statistics, 
strengthening  partner  country  capacities  to  produce  and  disseminate  statistics,  including  for  effective  SDG 
monitoring, and thereby increasing accountability. Support focuses in particular on statistics for key economic 
and social variables. 

The European Commission’s statistical office, Eurostat, is supporting the quality, reliability and harmonisation of 
official statistics in Africa at national, regional and continental levels including with management of PAS (Pan-
African  Statistics)  programs  (currently  PAS  II).  Eurostat  continues  to  support  the  development  and  use  of 
statistical  tools  (such  as  Snapshot,  assessing  national statistical  systems),  through  the  ‘Guide  to  statistics  in 
European Commission development cooperation’, tools to support compilation of national accounts (ERETES), 
trade statistics and the assessment of national statistical systems (Eurotrace) as well as fostering international 
standards  for  the  exchange  of  statistical  information  (SDMX).  Workshops,  bilateral  targeted  assistance, 
methodologies,  guidelines,  peer  reviews  and  support  for  the  production  of  continental  trade  statistics  are 
provided, to tackle the specific statistical needs of partner countries.  

The disruption of established lifestyles by recent crises has also reignited the debate on what kind of economic 
growth is desirable and what actually matters for  human wellbeing in a world of finite resources. To support 
policies aimed at improving the wellbeing of all people and the planet, for both current and future generations, 
discussions and work on “beyond GDP” are ongoing in the Commission. Furthermore, the  “Beyond  Growth 
2023  Conference  -  Pathways  towards  Sustainable  Prosperity  in  the  EU”,  organised  by  the  European 
Parliament in May 2023, contributes to the objective of shifting the discourse towards future-oriented economic 
policymaking and the benefits of indicators  that go beyond GDP for a European economy that is healthy in a 
broad sense, in line with the European Green Deal objectives and the SDGs.  

The EU also works to increase the accessibility and transparency of statistics on its international partnerships. 
This includes the EU Aid Explorer, which provides additional transparency on EU and Member States’ spending.  

The  EU  also  played  a  key  role  in  developing  the  statistical  tool  ‘Total  Official  Support  for  Sustainable 
Development’ (TOSSD). TOSSD aims to measure all resources for the SDGs, beyond the flows captured in ODA, 
including non-concessional flows, resources mobilised from the private sector, support from emerging donors, 
etc. The measure has been developed and is being fine-tuned by a task force of statisticians and development 
policy  makers  from  recipient  and  provider  countries  (including  six  EU  Member  States)  and  international 
organisations. TOSSD is now recognised as a data source for SDG indicator 17.3.1 and has been adopted by 
the  UN  Statistical  Commission.  Ensuring  that  even  more  development  providers  report  using  the  TOSSD 
methodology will further improve the success of this tool and its relevance.  

172 

 
 
The  Organisation  for  Economic  Co-operation  and  Development  (OECD)  and  the  European  Commission  are 
collaborating on a project to advance the analysis and evaluation of the extent to which city-to-city partnerships 
are  contributing  to  the  achievement  of  the  SDGs.  As  part  of  this  joint  initiative,  the  OECD  is  developing  a 
monitoring and evaluation framework for city-to-city partnership to localise the SDGs, including a self-assessment 
framework to assess how these partnerships are consistent with the ten G20 Rome High-Level Principles on city-
to-city partnerships for localising the SDGs, and a set of indicators to assess their progress towards the SDGs. 
The list of indicators considered in the framework proposes a specific focus on SDG 11 and in particular SDG 
17, for which most existing SDG indicator frameworks have gaps in terms of indicators and data coverage.  

Several Member States support the development of  statistical capacities in partner countries. For example 
Portugal  is  supporting  this  in  the  Portuguese-speaking  community,  especially  the  PALOP  countries  and 
Timor-Leste, as is Denmark in Morocco, Ghana and Vietnam.  

Slovenia has established the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) under the auspices 
of  UNESCO.  One  of  its  projects  –  IRCAI  GLOBAL  TOP  100  –  releases  a  list  of  100  projects  that  address 
problems related to the 17 SDGs, with the application of  artificial intelligence across all geographical regions. 
The goal is to scope and showcase solutions from around the world and contribute to the SDGs by creating the 
world’s largest sustainable solutions platform, helping these solutions grow and become even more effective and 
efficient.  

Looking ahead  

As  outlined  above,  progress  on  SDG  17  has  been  negatively  affected  since  2020  as  a  consequence  of  the 
consecutive global crises, with rising debt burdens. However, acting in a Team Europe approach, the EU will 
continue its efforts in leading the way to pursue the various complementary targets of SDG 17. The purpose of 
ensuring  the  provision  of  sustainable  and  value-based  support  is  at  the  centre  of  the  EU  commitment  to 
implement  SDG  17  through  its  international  partnerships.  This  approach  is  pursued  through  the  actions 
undertaken  under  the  NDICI  -  Global  Europe,  for  the  2021-27  multiannual  financial  framework,  and  the 
continued EU effort to explore innovative solutions, and is notably reflected in the Global Gateway strategy and 
its dedicated regional investment plans..  

As regards sustainable finance, the EU is committed to continue implementing the  strategy for financing the 
transition  to  a  sustainable  economy.  The  EU  will  also  be  developing  a  comprehensive  strategy  to  scale  up 
sustainable finance in low- and middle-income countries, with the support of a high-level expert group (HLEG). 
The EU will continue to (i) support efforts to scale up green bonds in our partner countries, as they are a key tool 
for mobilising private investors to make sustainable investments and (ii) help support our partner countries build 
a conducive environment for sustainable finance.  

The EU and its Member States will continue working towards their collective and individual commitments on 
ODA in the timeframe of the 2030 Agenda, to collectively provide 0.7% of GNI as ODA and 0.2% of GNI as ODA 
to the least developed countries (LDCs) by 2030. 

To combat international tax evasion and avoidance, the EU recently confirmed its support for the Inclusive 
Framework on BEPS (tax base erosion and profit shifting), to help developing countries (also through technical 
assistance) implement international tax standards, with a focus on the two-pillar solution. The EU and its Member 
States will maintain their support for the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax 
Purposes  and  continue  working  with  partner  countries  in  their  efforts  to  implement  tax  good  governance 
standards. These efforts will be supported through the rollout of major partnership initiatives, including the Team 
Europe Initiative on Fighting Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) in Africa, both on tax and non-tax related IFFs, building 
on ongoing cooperation with the African Union Commission on combatting IFFs.  

173 

 
 
In the field of trade, the EU will continue its efforts to support financial integration as an engine for development. 
The EU ensures sustainability by including commitments in trade agreements to respect international labour and 
environmental conventions. The EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences is widely recognised as the world’s 
most generous regime of unilateral trade preferences for developing countries and the EU continues working to 
reinforce the scheme’s contribution to sustainable development. 

Another aspect is rising public debt levels, which were a cause for concern at the end of the last decade but have 
been further triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating the risk of debt crises for low and middle- income 
countries.  Unsustainable  debt  puts  countries  on  a  difficult  path  and  can  be  a  clear  obstacle  to  sustainable 
development.  To  counteract  this  trend,  the  EU supports  for instance  the  OECD Debt  Transparency  Initiative, 
which aims to set up a database and reporting system to record private lenders.  

Furthermore, innovation, research and capacity building for monitoring and support for data and statistics is 
key.  Tackling  the  digital  divide  is  crucial,  and  global  digital  partnerships  are  a  main  priority  area  for the  EU’s 
external partnerships. Investing in digitalisation infrastructure will be a priority of Global Gateway deployment. 
The  EU  will  keep  improving  SDG  monitoring  and  supporting  partner  countries  with  data  and  statistics.  As 
described in various SDG chapters, the EU provides capabilities for partner countries to use satellite and remote 
sensing monitoring, notably through the Copernicus programme.  

The  EU  will  also  continue  to  make  further  efforts  to  develop  measurements  of  progress  on  sustainable 
development that go “beyond GDP”. These ongoing efforts contribute to the commitments made to this end in 
the European Pillar of Social Rights and the 8th Environmental Action Programme and to delivering on SDG target 
17.19.  

Finally, strengthening policy coherence for sustainable development is a central part of the EU’s approach to 
governance, for implementing the SDGs. This includes ensuring that all EU policies contribute to the achievement 
of  SDGs  in  partner  countries  (traditionally  described  as  ‘policy  coherence  for  development’).  The  European 
Commission will therefore use its system of Better Regulation, recently reinforced in relation to SDG integration, 
to better consider the external implications of internal policies and their significant impact on countries outside 
the EU. 

174