COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION - SYNOPSIS REPORT 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: EU Member State, EU environmental policy, UNO, civil society, climate change policy, institutional cooperation, interinstitutional cooperation (EU), public consultation, social policy, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 15.5.2023  SWD(2023) 703 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION - SYNOPSIS REPORT    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) 700 final} - {SWD(2023) 701 final} - {SWD(2023) 702 final}  
 
 
1.  Introduction  

This synopsis report provides information on the overall consultation process that took place to 
inform  the  preparation  of  the  EU  Voluntary  Review  (EUVR).  This  report  also  considers  the 
views of different stakeholder groups and explains how their opinion contributed to the EUVR.  

This report starts by explaining the European Commission’s strategy of engaging a wide range of 
stakeholders during the preparation of the EUVR. Engaging a wide range of stakeholders in this 
way is a practical expression of the principle of partnership, central to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development. Section 2 of the report presents the main public consultation activities, 
in  particular  the  online  call  for  evidence,  as  well  as  the  Commission’s  engagement  with  EU 
institutions, advisory bodies, the EU Member States and other key actors during the preparation 
of  the  EUVR.  Section  2  also  covers  the  Commission’s  more  focused  engagement  with  civil 
society  through  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  (EESC),  whose  contribution  is 
annexed  to  this  report.  Section  3  of  the  report  outlines  the  main  messages  that  emerged  from 
these consultations with stakeholders and how these main messages were taken into account in 
the EUVR. 

2.  Consultation strategy and activities 

Stakeholders  were  consulted  in  line  with  the  ‘better  regulation’  framework1,  ensuring  a 
transparent, meaningful and proportionate approach to consultation. This made it possible for the 
Commission to: (i) get useful feedback from a wide range of stakeholders; (ii) take the views of 
these  stakeholders  into  account;  and  (iii)  reflect  these  stakeholders’  messages  in  the  EUVR 
where  relevant.  The  consultation  activities  engaged  a  broad  range  of  stakeholders,  including 
other  EU  institutions  and  advisory  bodies;  Member  States;  the  United  Nations;  civil-society 
organisations (CSOs); academia; businesses; and the wider EU public.  

2.1  Call for evidence 

The main tool for stakeholder engagement was a call for evidence, published on the Have Your 
Say portal to which all stakeholders were welcome to contribute. They were invited in particular 
to share feedback on: (i) the initiative to prepare an EUVR; (ii) how the EU  was implementing 
the  SDGs,  including  any  achievements,  challenges  and  opportunities  (distinguishing  where 
appropriate general reflections from specific views on individual SDGs); and (iii) good practices 
from  their  own  experience  of  implementing  the  SDGs  at  all  levels.  The  call  was  published  on 
21 October 2022  in  all  EU  languages,  and  was  open  for  feedback  for  6  weeks  until 
1 December 2022. Stakeholders were able to contribute in all 24 official EU languages.  

1 See https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/planning-and-proposing-law/better-regulation. 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
The call was disseminated on the Commission’s social-media channels and especially the social-
media  channels  of  DG  INTPA.  In  addition,  the  call  was  disseminated  on  the  channels  of  the 
EESC and reproduced by other related social-media channels, including those of the Committee 
of the Regions; the ‘Capacity 4 Development’ collaborative platform; the European Cooperation 
Centre; and the EU Delegation to the United Nations.  

The  call  received  a  total  of  8  933  responses.  These  responses  originated  from  a  wide  range  of 
stakeholders,  including  public  authorities  (especially  at  the  local  level);  CSOs;  trade  unions; 
companies;  business  associations;  research  institutes;  and  the  EU  public2.  A  large  majority  of 
responses were individual responses from private citizens (8 688 from EU citizens and 71 from 
non-EU  citizens).  Many  came  from  citizens  in  Poland  (7  018),  Slovakia  (1  138)  and  Czechia 
(320).  All  replies  were  considered  except  for  chain  answers  (2 810)  which  were  automatically 
excluded from the review according to the applicable framework. 

The analysis of valid replies (6 123) showed that the vast majority of feedback from members of 
the  public  were  one-line  negative  statements  and  negative  views  of  the  2030  Agenda  and  the 
EU’s 
implementation  strategy.  In  particular,  many  Polish  citizens  expressed  general 
disagreement with  the 2030 Agenda, while many  Slovak and Czech  citizens complained about 
the lack of information on the 2030 Agenda from public authorities. Of the analysed responses, 
5 776  of  the  6  123  (94%)  expressed  negative  attitudes  towards  either  the  2030  Agenda  as  a 
programme or its implementation at EU or national level. In very few cases, feedback was also 
received in the form of graphics, public documents, and literature that implied general negative 
views on the 2030 Agenda and on the EU institutions.  

These  very  short  expressions  of  strong  dissent  and/or  disinformation  about  the  2030  Agenda 
have not been considered in the results, since they did not contain information on the three points 
on which the call for evidence sought information, namely views on the initiative to prepare an 
EUVR; views on SDG implementation; and examples of good practice on SDG implementation. 
However,  the  Commission  was  still  open  to  the  feedback  received,  and  took  into  account  the 
general  negative  views  on  the  2030  Agenda  as  an  indication  of  the  need  to  improve 
communication with the public about the content, purpose and scope of the 2030 Agenda, having 
regard to persistent misconceptions often spread as part of anti-EU campaigns.  

Section 3 presents an assessment of both: (i) the substantive replies that responded to the three 
questions  of  the  call  for  evidence;  and  (ii)  similar  feedback  from  stakeholders  through  other 
consultation  activities  described  in  the  sections  below.  Section  3  is  structured  along  several 
thematic  areas  and  includes  an  assessment  of  how  stakeholder  messages  were  reflected  by  the 
Commission in the preparatory work for the EUVR. 

2  The 
say/initiatives/13600-EU-Voluntary-Review-on-the-implementation-of-the-2030-Agenda-for-Sustainable-Development_en.  

for  evidence  are  available  on:  https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-

results  of 

the  call 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
2.2 Engagement with EU institutions, advisory bodies, and EU Member States 

The EUVR was prepared in close contact with the various EU institutions, advisory bodies, and 
Member  States.  The  types  of  engagement  varied  depending  on  the  extent  to  which  the  SDGs 
were structurally integrated in the working methods of the respective institutions.  

2.2.1.  Council of the European Union and the EU Member States 

EU  Member  States  have  been  closely  associated  with  the  EUVR  process  since  its  inception. 
During  the  EUVR  preparation  process,  the  Commission  provided  Member  States  with  regular 
progress  updates  through  the  Council  Working  Party  on  the  2030  Agenda  for  Sustainable 
Development.  The  regular  Working  Party  meetings  held  between  June  2022  and  March  2023, 
spanning  across  the  successive  rotating  presidencies  of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union 
(France, Czechia and Sweden), devoted considerable attention to the preparation of the EUVR. 
In  addition  to  the  regular  exchanges  with  the  Commission,  the  presidencies  invited 
representatives of the European Parliament, the EESC, the Committee of the Regions and several 
CSOs to contribute to exchanges supporting the EUVR during meetings of the Working Party. 

The  EU  Member  States  were  also  invited  to  respond  to  an  online  questionnaire  for  the 
preparation of the EUVR during the summer of 2022. The questionnaire was launched in May 
2022,  and  the  last  responses  were  received  by  the  end  of  August  2022.  The  purpose  of  the 
questionnaire was for Member States to share their experience with the implementation of SDGs 
and showcase good practices at various levels (national, regional and local). A large majority of 
Member States (24) responded to the questionnaire, providing detailed answers to 22 questions. 
These  Member  States  also  provided  supplementary  information  related  to:  (i)  their  own 
voluntary national reviews (VNRs) and voluntary local reviews; and (ii) specific initiatives and 
programmes.  All  this  supplementary  information  was  analysed  by  the  Commission  for  good 
practices, illustrative examples, and approaches.  

In particular, the preparation of the EUVR benefited from the sharing by many Member States of 
their  practices  to  support  implementation  of  the  SDGs  in  both  their  national/domestic  policies 
and their policies outside the EU. This included Member States sharing their experiences on how 
they  ensured  consistency  across  various  policy  areas  to  support  the  SDGs.  For  example,  some 
Member  States  made  changes  to  their  tools  for  measuring  policy  impact  and  their  tools  for 
monitoring and reporting results so that the tools were better adapted to the requirements of SDG 
implementation. One of the areas where Member States made these adaptations to tools was for 
policy  actions  addressing  multiple  objectives  and/or  interlinkages  between  different  SDGs. 
Member  States  also  updated  the  information  they  make  available  to  the  public  on  how  they 
ensure policy coherence for development. Member States also shared good practices on how to 
engage  with  CSOs  in  SDG  implementation.  In  addition  to  general  and  cross-cutting  issues, 
Member States provided: (i) specific examples of successful practices and tools for each of the 
SDGs;  and  (ii)  examples  of  international  cooperation  actions  to  help  partner  countries  to 
implement the SDGs. A number of replies included information on actions that Member States 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
had  taken  to  support  partner  countries’  capacities  for  collecting,  analysing  and  using 
disaggregated data, so as to inform policy and decision-making in support of the SDGs.  

These contributions from Member States provided valuable material for the EUVR in relation to 
both  national/domestic  aspects  and  aspects  outside  the  EU.  While  practices  relating  to 
national/domestic  SDG  implementation  reflected  to  a  large  extent  the  Member  States’  own 
VNRs, the call for evidence was an opportunity to get a focused and updated overview of these 
policy efforts. Moreover, the responses on development cooperation often went beyond the scope 
of the VNRs of most Member States. This information made it possible to bring into the EUVR 
annex on progress in the implementation of SDGs (‘the main annex’)  a selection of illustrative 
initiatives outside the EU by Member States in support of the SDGs, complementary to the EU’s 
own external actions. 

During  this  period,  the  Czech  Presidency  prepared  a  reflection  paper  on  stocktaking  of  SDG 
implementation at EU level, including specific policy elements for each SDG, which was timely 
for the preparation of the EUVR and was taken into account by the Commission, notably across 
the SDG chapters of the main annex of the EUVR.  

2.2.2.  The European Parliament 

The European Parliament (EP) has regularly stressed the importance of the EU leading on SDG 
implementation, as highlighted through its own-initiative resolutions on the SDGs. The EP has 
continuously raised the political relevance of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs as a compass for 
European  action.  It  has  played  an  important  role  in  promoting  the  SDGs’  implementation 
through European policies and heightening the goals’ visibility in public discourse. MEPs across 
committees  have  been  actively  participating  in  various  events  related  to  the  Agenda  and  the 
Parliament’s informal SDGs Alliance has played an important role in this regard.  

The EP has thus early on been supportive of the proposal to present this first EUVR and closely 
followed  its  preparation.  The  exchanges  that  took  place  during  the  various  steps  of  the 
parliamentary procedures, notably on the own-initiative resolution adopted in June 20223 and the 
own-initiative resolution scheduled for adoption in June 20234, provided excellent opportunities 
to discuss the EUVR preparations and to advance the shared understanding of the importance of 
accelerating SDG implementation in the EU and globally. 

The  EP  also  commissioned  a  study  on  achieving  the  2030  Agenda5,  which  was  completed  in 
2022. The study provided a timely contribution to the discussion of the main challenges standing 
in the way of progress towards the SDGs, including the impact of global crises.  

3 More information here. 
4 More information here. 
5 See here . 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Other meetings with MEPs and EP staff made it possible to develop a good understanding of the 
state of play, and showed convergence between the EP and the Commission on the need for: (i) 
continued political commitment from all EU institutions to uphold the  2030 Agenda; and (ii) a 
coordinated approach for greater impact ahead of the 2023 HLPF and the SDG summit.  

Several  of  the  main  points  made  by  the  EP  during  the  preparatory  process  on  SDG 
implementation and the preparation of the EUVR were similar to the feedback  received from a 
number of CSOs, and these were taken into account by the Commission as mentioned in Section 
3.  

2.2.3.  The EESC and the Committee of the Regions  

The  EESC  has  regularly  adopted  opinions  on  SDG  implementation,  in  addition  to  a  range  of 
opinions  on  themes  directly  related  to  each  of  the  SDGs.  The  EESC  engages  in  a  range  of 
dedicated activities on sustainable development and the SDGs, notably  through the Sustainable 
Development Observatory.  

During  the  preparation  of  the  EUVR,  the  EESC,  as  a  core  platform  for  representing  the  EU’s 
civil society, organised at the Commission’s request a broad consultation process focused on the 
achievements  in  –  and  challenges  of  –  implementing  the  SDGs  at  EU  level.  To  prepare  this 
consultation,  the  EESC  drew  on  its  expertise,  compiling  the  most  relevant  messages  from  its 
recent opinions and consulting CSOs within its membership and beyond. 

On  23 January 2023,  the  EESC  Bureau  adopted  the  report  resulting  from  this  consultation 
process, the EESC Contribution to the EU-level Voluntary Review (VR) of the implementation of 
the 2030 Agenda. For transparency purposes and to facilitate its dissemination, this contribution 
is annexed in full to this report.  

The Committee of the Regions has also adopted several opinions relevant to the implementation 
of  the  SDGs  in  the  EU. The  latest  such  own-initiative  opinion  was  adopted  in  February  20236 
and  its  preparation  provided  an  opportunity  for  in-depth  exchanges  between  the  Committee  of 
the  Regions  and  the  Commission  institutions  during  the  run-up  to  the  EUVR.  In  parallel,  the 
Committee of the Regions provided input for the EUVR, including examples of good practices at 
local and regional level for each of the SDGs.  

2.3 Engagement with stakeholders through a range of fora and bilateral contacts 

The  Commission  engaged  CSOs  through  a  series  of  presentations  and  discussions  in  existing 
consultation structures, workshops, bilateral meetings and informal meetings.  

6 More details here.  

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
The  preparation  of  the  EUVR  was  discussed  on  two  occasions  at  the  Policy  Forum  for 
Development  (PFD),  a  structure  that  brings  together  CSOs,  local  authorities  and  European 
institutions to discuss matters relating to international partnerships. A first general discussion on 
the  objective  to  prepare  the  EUVR,  including  its  external  elements,  took  place  at  the  PFD 
meeting  on  8 June 2022.  This  first  discussion  also  included  a  presentation  of  Global  Gateway, 
including  a  discussion  of  Global  Gateway’s  contribution  to  the  SDGs.  A  second  interactive 
session of the PFD on the implementation of the SDGs and the preparation of the EUVR (with a 
focus  on  the  aspects  of  the  EUVR  that  relate  to  countries  outside  the  EU),  took  place  on 
22 November 2022,  with  the  participation  of  the  Head  of  the  UN  Office  in  Brussels.  In  this 
workshop,  PFD  members  were  invited  to  share  feedback  on  the  EUVR  initiative,  the 
implementation  of  SDGs,  and  good  practices  to  be  channelled  through  the  call  for  evidence 
mentioned above.  

The  preparation  of  the  EUVR  also  benefited  from  the  peer-learning  platform  on  ‘Voluntary 
National  Reviews:  Challenges,  Successes  and  Lessons  Learned’  organised  by  the  European 
Sustainable  Development  Network  (ESDN)  and  the  European  Environment  and  Sustainable 
Development Advisory Councils Network (EEAC Network) in June 2022. 

The Commission met bilaterally at various levels with selected representatives from CSOs such 
as:  Concord;  SDG  Watch;  the  European  Youth  Forum;  Forus;  the  Sustainable  Development 
Solutions  Network;  the  ESDN;  and  Platforma  (a  pan-European  coalition  of  towns  and  regions 
active in development cooperation). It has also engaged with scientists, including the Stockholm 
Environment Institute working on the upcoming Global Sustainable Development Report ahead 
of the SDG Summit.  

The  Commission  was  also  in  regular  contact  with  the  United  Nations,  both  in  Brussels  and  in 
New York. The Head of the UN Office also took part in the discussion with stakeholders at the 
PFD  and  engaged  bilaterally  with  the  Commission  at  various  levels  during  the  preparatory 
process of the EUVR.  

3.  Results of the consultation activities and follow-up by the Commission 

During the consultation process, a wide range of stakeholders made their voices heard, and the 
Commission actively took the views of these stakeholders into consideration in the preparation 
of the EUVR. This report summarises the messages emerging from this engagement, which was 
conducted  through  various  and  complementary  consultation  activities  and  events  during  the 
preparatory process. Several points were raised frequently in the feedback from stakeholders, and 
are described below in a structured manner. These stakeholder concerns were heard not only in 
the  consultation  but  also  in  the  various  meetings  that  the  Commission  held  with  a  range  of 
organisations. This section also lays down whether and how these key messages were reflected 
in  drawing  up  the  EUVR.  Some  of  the  views  from  stakeholders  are  broader  in  scope  than  the 
preparation of the EUVR as such, but are still valuable to the Commission as part of informing 
the overall approach to implementing the SDGs.  

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUVR welcomed by most respondents to the consultation  

For  the  replies  that  did  engage  on  the  question  of  the  preparation  of  the  EUVR,  the  overall 
feedback  obtained  from  the  public  consultation  showed  that  respondents  were  very  positive 
about the initiative to undertake the EUVR and about the opportunity to share views on it. Most 
of  the  replies  that  engaged  on  the  EUVR  welcomed  it  as  an  opportunity  to  address  critical 
aspects of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. These replies saw the EUVR as going beyond 
the  positive  achievements  usually  considered  in  official  communications,  and  offering  greater 
transparency and participation around the implementation of the SDGs, particularly in relation to 
stakeholder  engagement  and  evaluation  processes.  In  this  context  some  respondents  –  in 
particular  members  of  the  public  –  regretted  that  the  EU  objectives  in  relation  to  the  2030 
Agenda had not been widely explained or communicated. The preparation of the EUVR should 
contribute to addressing this concern.  

The importance of strong participation and engagement of stakeholders 

Many stakeholders called for stakeholders (especially CSOs and local actors) to participate more 
in SDG implementation, including in the preparation of the EUVR. Several stakeholders called 
for the reinstatement of the high-level multi-stakeholder platform on the SDGs7, whose mandate 
ended  in  2019,  or  for  the  establishment  of  another  platform  to  promote  engagement  between 
stakeholders  and  EU  institutions  on  issues  related  to  SDG  implementation.  Some  stakeholders 
asked for individuals, small businesses, and local actors (cities, municipalities) to be included in 
consultations  on  –  and  the  implementation  of  –  SDGs  at  local  level.  Some  civil-society 
stakeholders noted that the 2030 Agenda had not been well communicated to the public and that 
these  stakeholders  are  often  informed  late  in  the  process  of  SDG  implementation,  including  in 
the review process.  

As  explained  above,  stakeholders  were  provided  with  a  broad  range  of  opportunities  to  share 
their  views  and  engage  with  the  European  Commission  in  the  preparation  of  the  EUVR.  The 
consultation  process  facilitated  the  participation  of  CSOs,  regional  actors  and  local  actors.  It 
made it possible for the Commission to reflect a range of views in the preparation of the EUVR. 
The inclusion of the EESC’s civil-society contribution in the annex to this report expresses in a 
direct  way  the  importance  of  stakeholder  engagement.  On  this  basis,  the  main  report  indicates 
that the EESC and the CoR will continue to play a key role as platforms to regularly exchange 
with stakeholders on SDG implementation. 

A call for an honest review 

7 An expert group that provided support and advice to the Commission in the run-up to the 2019 Reflection Paper ‘Towards a 
Sustainable Europe by 2030’. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Many stakeholders told the Commission that the EUVR should be honest and, where necessary, 
critical  in  assessing  the  EU’s  actions,  and  that  it  should  avoid  selecting  only  the  positive 
achievements  in  progress  towards  the  SDGs.  Many  stressed  that  the  review  should  highlight 
areas where insufficient progress has been made, and where backsliding on progress is a risk. 

The EUVR is strongly anchored in the solid monitoring ensured by Eurostat. Progress is visible 
in  some  areas,  and  the  EU  policies  and  initiatives  described  in  the  EUVR  contribute  to  this 
progress. Nevertheless, the fact that the data show insufficient progress towards the SDGs, and 
sometimes  a  deterioration  in  this  progress,  comes  across  clearly  in  the  EUVR.  This  is  a  direct 
and transparent indication that additional efforts are needed to accelerate SDG implementation – 
a concerning trend that has been aggravated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 
Russian aggression on Ukraine.  

A call for an overarching EU strategy on SDGs and the need to set EU SDG targets 

Many  stakeholders  have  called  on  the  Commission  to  draw  up  an  overarching  EU  strategy  on 
achieving  the  SDGs.  In  addition  to  other  aspects,  such  as  political  recommitment,  one  central 
element  often  present  in  stakeholders’  calls  for  a  strategy  is  the  need  to  draw  up  a  document 
laying down clearly what the EU’s targets are towards the SDGs.  

In addition, a number of stakeholders have said that, irrespective of the possible development of 
an  overarching  EU  strategy  on  SDGs,  an  important  added-value  of  the  EUVR  would  be  to 
clearly  state  what  the  EU’s  targets  and  commitments  are  for  each  SDG  in  the  context  of  EU 
policies.  

The Commission has committed to adopt its first EUVR in 2023, so the call from a number of 
stakeholders for a separate overarching strategy falls outside the scope of the feedback requested 
to prepare the EUVR. The EUVR describes the whole-of-government approach and strategy for 
implementing the SDGs. This being said, and as a related issue, the Commission has fully taken 
into  account  the  request  for  the  EUVR  to  state  the  EU’s  main  SDG  targets  and  commitments, 
and has included these under each SDG chapter of the annex on progress in implementing SDGs, 
usually  containing  timebound  and  measurable  targets.  This  is  supported  by  a  summary 
assessment of trends, which is then expanded on in the statistical and analytical annex.  

Enhancing policy coherence for development, addressing interlinkages between SDGs, and 
reflecting external spillovers 

The need for greater policy coherence and consistency to support the effective implementation of 
the SDGs was a recurrent theme among stakeholders. Several stakeholders suggested that the EU 
should consider expanding on its commitment for greater policy coherence in the implementation 
of the ‘whole-of-government’ approach. Some replies pointed out that policy making at EU and 
national level often continues to work in silos, typically with individual ministries or departments 
being  charged  with  the  2030  Agenda  while  most  of  the  others  focus  on  their  sectoral  issues. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Many  stakeholders  also  called  for  strengthened  coordination  among  EU  institutions  in  this 
regard.  

Many  stakeholders  stressed  that  considerations  on  interlinkages  between  SDGs  should  be 
included  in  the  analysis,  in  order  to  avoid  a  silo  approach  to  SDG  implementation.  Several 
stakeholders were of the view that: (i) policy coherence should include considering synergies and 
trade-offs between SDGs; and (ii) interlinkages between sectoral policies should be considered in 
the design and implementation of EU policies and strategies (through ex ante impact assessment 
and ex post evaluations). These stakeholders stressed that adopting an interconnected perspective 
of this sort is important to ensure policy coherence for sustainable development.  

Many stakeholders also called for the EUVR to place an appropriate focus on the dimension of 
SDG implementation in countries not in the EU, taking into consideration the negative effects of 
EU  policies  on  countries  outside  the  EU.  The  issues  of  policy  coherence  for  development  and 
spillovers  to  non-EU  countries  figured  prominently  in  stakeholders’  concerns  about  SDG 
implementation, with stakeholders calling on the Commission to reflect this in the content of the 
EUVR. Some stakeholders also mentioned some examples of how spillovers can be captured by 
the  EU  using  useful  existing  approaches.  One  such  useful  existing  approach  is  the  recent 
Eurostat  indicator  for  SDG  12  that  measures  the  impact  of  EU  consumption  at  global  level, 
which contributes to measuring the spillover effects linked to EU trade and global supply chains. 

The Commission has fully taken this feedback from stakeholders into account in the preparation 
of the EUVR. First, the importance of addressing interlinkages between SDGs is strongly present 
in  the  EUVR,  consistent  with  the  general  approach  already  laid  down  in  leading  EU  policy 
documents.  This  includes  notably  the  introduction  to  the  main  annex,  which  has  a  dedicated 
section  on  SDG  interlinkages.  Although  the  annex  is  organised  by  SDG  to  structure  the 
information,  and  in  particular  to  lay  down  in  a  transparent  manner  the  EU  SDG  targets  and 
commitments,  the  chapters  of  the  main  annex  present  a  selection  of  national/domestic  actions 
and actions in non-EU countries which often address this broader and integrated perspective. The 
underlying  analytical  framework  to  addressing  synergies  and  trade-offs,  developed  by  the 
Commission’s  Joint  Research  Centre,  is  presented  in  the  statistical  and  analytical  annex.  On 
actions  in  non-EU  countries,  the  EUVR  also  shows  how  the  Commission’s  upgraded 
methodology  for  SDG  reporting  on  official  development  assistance  helps  to  capture  and  show 
the  interlinkages  between  SDGs.  This  is  illustrated  graphically  for  each  SDG  in  the  statistical 
and analytical annex.  

The  Commission  has  also  taken  into  account  the  significant  concerns  from  stakeholders  on 
impacts  in  non-EU  countries.  The  policy  perspective  of  the  Commission  regarding  impacts  on 
partner  countries  and  externalities  is  highlighted  in  a  dedicated  box  in  the  main  report.  This 
policy  perspective  is  then  addressed  in  more  detail,  at  a  cross-cutting  and  general  level,  in  the 
introduction  to  the  main  annex.  This  introduction  to  the  main  annex  highlights  the  critical 
importance of addressing actively the interface between national/domestic actions and actions in 
non-EU  countries,  with  a  focus  on  impacts  on  developing  countries.  Based  on  this,  each  SDG 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
chapter  of  the  main  annex  contains  a  section  dedicated  to  internal/external  coherence.  After 
addressing  aspects  of  EU  policies  in  non-EU  countries,  it  includes  considerations  on  policy 
coherence  for  development  (impacts  on  developing  countries)  and  spillovers  to  non-EU 
countries, where relevant, including new monitoring by Eurostat on selected spillover concerns.  

By setting out these important concerns in a structured and systematic manner, the EU also aims 
to encourage Member States to ensure that their VNRs, to the extent feasible in each reporting 
country,  address  interlinkages  between:  (i)  national  policies;  (ii)  SDGs;  (iii)  impacts  on 
developing  countries;  and  (iv)  spillovers  to  non-EU  countries.  These  remain  important  areas 
where additional understanding, monitoring, and policy effort will be needed in the years ahead 
for the success of the SDGs as a shared universal agenda.  

Good  practices  and  policy  achievements  by  stakeholders,  including  action  at  local  and 
regional level and action by the private sector 

Various stakeholders provided examples of best practices. Many highlighted that broad support 
and active participation by all parts of society was essential to successfully shift our societies and 
economies towards sustainable patterns of living, production, and consumption. The importance 
of  including  local  actors,  regional  actors,  and  civil  society  in  SDG  dialogue  (and  in  the 
implementation  and  monitoring  of  SDGs)  was  a  frequent  theme  in  the  stakeholder  responses. 
Some stressed that the importance of involving civil society in the implementation of the SDGs 
also applied to local civil society and to communities outside of the EU, especially communities 
from  partner  countries.  Many  stakeholders  highlighted  the  importance  of  regional  and  local 
governments in the implementation of the SDGs, and the importance of involving regional and 
local  governments  in  a  strengthened  dialogue  and  providing  support  to  them  to  engage  in 
implementing the 2030 Agenda. These stakeholders said that this should help to make the SDGs 
more visible to the wider EU public.  

The  consultation  also  offered  examples  of  private-sector  actors  that  have  successfully 
incorporated  the  2030  Agenda  and  sustainability  concerns  into  their  business  models.  At  the 
same time, some  respondents  argued that additional  measures  were  required in  order to  ensure 
measures to achieve the SDGs are taken right across the European private sector.  

Many of these initiatives have been considered in the drafting of the report, and a selection has 
been included in different documents where relevant. By way of example, in each SDG chapter 
in  the  main  annex,  a  section  on  multi-level  governance  includes  an  illustrative  selection  of 
initiatives by regional and local authorities to support the implementation of the SDGs.  

Finally, the feedback from the call for  evidence and the collective views of stakeholders in the 
EESC  contribution  included  some  practical  suggestions  on  EU  sectoral  policy  achievements, 
challenges  and  opportunities  in  relation  to  each  SDG.  These  practical  suggestions  have  been 
considered by the Commission in the respective SDG chapters of the main annex. 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  Annex: Summary of collective views from civil society on achievements 

and challenges in SDG implementation at EU level 

EESC Contribution to the EU-level Voluntary Review (VR) of the 
implementation of the 2030 Agenda 

Introduction 

With  less  than  eight  years  remaining  until  2030  for  the  implementation  of  the  UN  Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs), the world is moving in the wrong direction. The multiple and interlinked global 
crises we are facing – the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine 
and elsewhere – are putting the very viability of achieving the SDGs by 2030 at great risk. Yet, in a context 
of multiple crises, the UN Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remain the  only 
comprehensive  and  universal  vision  for  socio-economic  prosperity  and  environmental  sustainability 
adopted  by  all  UN  member  states8.  Failure  to  implement  the  SDG  principles  of  social  inclusion,  clean 
energy, responsible consumption and production, and universal access to public services will lead to even 
more  crises  and  geopolitical  rivalries.  An  urgent  rescue  effort  is  needed  for  a  rapid  change  of  course, 
grounded in a comprehensive response to these interlinked global crises and a renewed commitment to 
multilateralism and international cooperation. 

Without  the  EU's  leadership,  it  will  be  difficult  to  achieve  global  transformations.  The  EESC  therefore 
welcomes  the  Commission's  commitment  and  decision  to  undertake  the  first  ever  EU-level  Voluntary 
Review (VR) of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to be presented at the High-Level Political Forum 

8  Lafortune,  G.,  Fuller,  G.,  Bermont-Diaz,  L.,  Kloke-Lesch,  A.,  Koundouri,  P.,  Riccaboni,  A.  (2022).  Achieving  the  SDGs:  Europe’s 
Compass  in  a  Multipolar  World.  Europe  Sustainable  Development  Report  2022.  SDSN  and  SDSN  Europe.  France:  Paris  - 
https://sdgindex.org/EU 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
in 2023, and hopes that this will become a regular exercise. Now more than ever, the EU needs to invest in 
SDG credibility and should lead international efforts to implement the SDG Stimulus.  

The  EU's  progress  on  the SDGs  has  stalled.  Based  on  trend  data  available  since  2015,  the  EU  is  still  on 
track for achieving around two-thirds of the targets, yet a third of the targets show insufficient progress or 
are  heading  in  the  wrong  direction,  especially  those  related  to  responsible  consumption,  climate  and 
biodiversity (SDG2; 12-15), generating large negative spill overs on the rest of the world9. Over the past 
two years, the pandemic and other crises have led to reversals in progress on social and health indicators 
including  poverty,  life  expectancy  and  unemployment  in  many  European  countries.  Continued  high 
inflation and the energy crisis risk affecting disproportionally the most vulnerable population groups with 
severe social impact in the coming months and years. 

In  this  context,  the  EU  VR  should  be  an  honest  and  inclusive  stocktaking  with  respect  to  SDG 
implementation, taking into account its relationship with and its impact on the rest of the world. The EU 
VR  should  provide  a  clear  assessment  of  how  much  remains  to  be  done  in  Europe  to  meet  our 
sustainability commitments under the Agenda 2030. The important role of the Voluntary Reviews is not 
only reviewing but also accelerating the SDGs implementation by identifying and revealing the gaps and 
challenges in achieving them, as well as committing to future action, and providing targets to ensure an 
adequate roadmap to 2030. 

Civil  society's  involvement  in  the  preparation  of  the  VR  is  essential,  as  the  transformation  to 
sustainability will only be successful if it is based on broad support and active participation by all parts of 
society. Leaving no one behind also entails re-empowering as many people as possible to actively take part 
in the transition process. 

The  Commission  has  requested  the  EESC to  provide  the  views  of  civil  society  through  an  "SDG  by  SDG" 
analysis,  assessing  the  achievements  and  challenges  of  the  EU  policies  to  attain  each  of  the  goals.  To 
prepare  its  contribution,  the  EESC  has  compiled  the  key  messages  from  a  large  number  of  its  adopted 
opinions  across  policy  areas,  consulted  the  former  members  of  the  Multi-Stakeholder  Platform  on  the 
SDGs and collected views on the EU’s internal and external implementation of the SDGs through an online 
consultation of civil society organisations.  

The following main overarching messages have emerged from the consultation: 

1. 

Need for a comprehensive strategy on the SDGs 

The EU needs a comprehensive strategy on the SDGs, with the aim to improve coherence and synergies 
across policy areas and across tools (e.g. Better Regulation, European Semester, etc.). The European Green 
Deal and several relevant EU strategies exist and contribute to the implementation of the SDGs, but only in 
a partial way. Linkages between these strategies must be reinforced to break away from a siloed approach 
and towards working more collaboratively across sectors, with a clear focus on the social dimension and 
the  "leaving  no  one  behind"  principle.  The  strategy  should  be  accompanied  by  a  clear  implementation 

9 

2022 SDSN report 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
plan, including targets, timelines and roadmaps for environmental and social issues (particularly those not 
captured in the European Green Deal). The implementation plan should outline how the 2030 Agenda as a 
whole  will  be  translated  into  practice,  with  an  adequate  focus  on  the  external  dimension  of  SDG 
implementation, how the issues will be linked and concretely monitored and how the EC will avoid any 
negative impacts on partner countries caused by domestic EU policies. 

2. 

Need to go beyond an "SDG by SDG" approach  

Achieving the sustainability transformation means carefully taking into account the interactions between 
goals and targets. The present state of imbalance across the three dimensions of sustainable development 
arises  from  not  having  fully  appreciated  the  interlinkages  across  SDGs  or  having  unduly  prioritised  the 
short-term.  It  is  these  same  interlinkages  that  will  lead  to  the  desired  transformative  change  when 
properly  taken 
into  account.  Several  groups  have  proposed  broadly  consistent  sets  of  "Six 
Transformations"10 that could provide a more operational and holistic framework for the implementation 
and  assessment  of  the  SDGs.  The  six  entry  points  for  transformations  are:  human  well-being  and 
capabilities  (education,  skills,  decent  work,  innovation,  digitalisation),  sustainable  and  just  economies, 
sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition, energy decarbonisation with universal access (sustainable 
energy), urban and peri-urban development (sustainable communities, mobility and housing), and global 
environmental commons (including spill overs).  

3. 

Need for structured and meaningful engagement of civil society 

The Agenda 2030 promotes an important paradigmatic shift towards a more participatory model of multi-
stakeholder  governance  for  sustainable  development.  The  Multi-Stakeholder  Platform  set  up  by  the 
Commission in 2017 (and in which the EESC took an active part) was never renewed. As repeatedly and 
recently  called  for  also  by  the  European  Parliament,  a  platform  or  a  forum  on  the  SDGs  should  be  re-
launched  to  foster  a  structured  engagement  with  civil  society,  youth  organisations,  businesses,  trade 
unions  and  scientists  in  SDG-related  policy  development  and  monitoring.  This  process  should  examine 
best  practices  from  other  relevant  multi-stakeholder  forums  (such  as  the  European  Circular  Economy 
Stakeholder Platform) and incorporate this learning into the  way in which an SDG platform is organised 
going forward. The structure should be multi-stakeholder and multi-level, also representing the views of 
local communities, as successful implementation of the SDGs ultimately relies on the local level. 

The  EESC  stands  ready  to  contribute  further  to  the  EU  VR  and  overall  efforts  to  accelerate  the 
implementation of the SDGs as the compass and vision of the future we want. 

10 
appointed by the Secretary-General (2019). 

These  include  The  World  in  2050  (TWI2050,  2018),  Sachs  et  al.  (2019),  and  the  UN  independent  group  of  scientists, 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Acknowledgements 

The EESC acknowledges the contributions of the following organisations in the workshop and on-line 
consultation to provide the views of civil society into the EU voluntary review on the implementation of 
the SDGS.  

(in alphabetical order) 

  ATD Fourth World – All Together in Dignity  
  CCRE-CEMR – Council of European Municipalities and Regions 
  PLATFORMA  
  COFACE – Compagnie Française d'Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur 
  CONCORD Europe  
  COPA-COGECA – Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations-General Confederation of 

Agricultural Cooperatives 

  CSEE-ETUCE – European Trade Union Committee for Education 
  EEAC Network – European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network 
  EEB – European Environmental Bureau 
  ESDN – European Sustainable Development Network 
  ETUC – European Trade Union Confederation 
  EUA – European university Association 
  EUROCITIES 
  EAEA – European Association for the Education of Adults 
  EYF – European Youth Forum 
  Fingo  
  Humanity & Inclusion 
 
 
  Nyt Europa 
  PROFOH – Professionals For Humanity  
  SDG Watch Europe 
  SDSN Europe – Sustainable Development Solutions Network Europe 
  AlterContacts 
  WAPCEH – West African Postgraduate College of Environmental Health 
  WWF Europe Policy Office 

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat 
Lifelong Learning Platform 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SDG 1: No Poverty: Access to basic human needs of health, 
education, sanitation  

Main achievements: 

Compared  to  previous  crises,  the  European  Commission  responded  quickly  to  the  situation  caused  by 
COVID-19, proposing an unprecedented range of actions to cushion distress and mitigate the social and 
labour impacts. Two support packages– the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII and CRII+), 
instruments  such  as  SURE  and  REACT-EU,  the  new  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  (MFF),  the  Next 
Generation  EU  (NGEU)  and  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  (RFF)  helped  to  support  peoples' 
livelihoods  in  the  Member  States.  The  activation  of  the  general  escape  clause  of  the  Stability  and 
Growth Pact has been an important measure in protecting the citizens, guaranteeing access to human 
needs and mitigating the very negative socio-economic consequences of the pandemic. 

The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan is a very relevant instrument that sets ambitious social 
targets  for  every  person  living  in  the  EU  and  for  alleviating  poverty.  The  outcome  of  the  Porto  Social 
Summit,  in  particular,  is  that  the  revised  Social  Scoreboard  is  a  crucial  decision  to  help  to  monitor 
progress  towards  its  implementation.  The  legislative  and  non-legislative  deliverables  of  the  European 
Pillar of Social Rights are very relevant, such as the Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages, the Work-
life  Balance  Directive,  the  Posting  of  Workers  Directive  and  the  Transparent  and  Predictable  Working 
Conditions  Directive,  and  it  is  critical  to  speed  up  adoption  of  the  pending  ones  and  ensure  they  are 
implemented adequately. The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee, 
the  EU  Disability  Rights  Strategy  and  the  Communication  on  Decent  Work  Worldwide  are  pertinent 
initiatives to mention. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

  Despite the measures adopted, the pandemic hit those who were already at higher social risk before 
the  crisis  disproportionally  hard,  amplifying  pre-existing  inequalities  and  leading  to  an  increase  in 
relative  poverty  rates.  There  is  a  need  to  address  disparities  in  social  welfare  and  protection 
systems,  promote  targeted  actions  for  the  most  vulnerable  groups  and  a  European  strategy  for 
eradicating  poverty,  integrating  the  homeless,  and  upward  social  convergence  to  halve  the 
proportion of children and adults at risk of poverty and social exclusion, which is currently 20%.  
  Boost  investment  in social infrastructure in crucial areas such as access to and quality of services, 
health  systems  and  social  and  long-term  care,  education  and  life-long  learning  and  affordable 
housing  to  address  the  asymmetric  impact  of  the  crisis  and  divergences  on  the  green  and  digital 
transitions between population groups, sectors and regions. 

  Adopt an intersectional approach (gender, disability, age, migratory status, race) to poverty and the 
policy  responses.  Address  the  hidden  dimensions  of  poverty  such  as  insufficient  and  insecure 
income or material and social deprivation.  

  Reform the fiscal framework so that it puts social goals, including gender justice, at the heart of the 
EU's  economic  governance,  and  reform  the  European  Semester  to  create  an  annual  sustainability 
cycle that fully integrates the European Green Deal and the SDGs. 

15 

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

Main achievements: 

The  release  of  the  European  Green  Deal  Farm  to  Fork  Strategy  is  a  welcome  step  forward  as  it 
represents  a  crucial  opportunity  to  move  towards  achieving  SDG  2.  The  development  of  a 
comprehensive food policy in the EU is indeed essential. It should aim at providing healthy diets from 
sustainable  food  systems,  linking  agriculture  to  nutrition  and  ecosystem  services  and  ensuring  supply 
chains that protect public health for the whole of European society. Food businesses across the supply 
chain (including European farmers and fishers, cooperatives, agri-food companies, retailers, wholesalers 
and  other  types  of  companies)  are  already  working  to  make  progress  on  sustainability  and  to  offer 
consumers healthy and sustainable products in line with the European Green Deal. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

  Promote  healthy  and  sustainable  diets  (namely  to  address  the  prevalence  of  obesity);  invest  in 
education on sustainable diets from an early age to help young people appreciate the value of food; 
introduce  transparent  food  labelling  practices  to  empower  the  consumer  to  opt  for  the  more 
sustainable choice.  

  Foster  a  fair  food  supply  chain  with  fair  prices  (reflecting  the  true  cost  of  production  for  the 

environment and society); ban unfair trading practices. 

  Support  farmers  in  making  the  transition  to  resilient,  diverse,  agroecological,  organic  agriculture. 
Challenges remain regarding closing the yield gap, gross nitrogen balance on agricultural land as well 
as ammonia emissions from agriculture. 

  Align food business practices with the SDGs; support business operators with adequate tools and a 

"grammar for sustainability". 

  Strengthen  the  external  dimension  of  the  F2F  Strategy;  ensure  true  reciprocity  of  standards  in 
preferential trade agreements; address the spill-over effects of exports of EU-banned pesticides. 
  Tackle food speculation and address the financialisation of the food sector. The current commodity 
market is not delivering for sustainable development, climate  ambition and just  transition. On the 
contrary, it undermines the efforts to solve hunger and foster fair revenues and prices. 

  Address the financialisation of the food sector as massive money-making off the backs of people, eg 
by  introducing  windfall  taxation  on  excess  profits  before  dividends  of  corporations  and  a  food 
speculation tax to curb high frequency trading and breaking oligopolies at all levels of the chain and 
financial interests.  
Improve  governance  of  food  systems  to  overcome  governance  fragmentation,  and  ensure 
structured  involvement  and  participation  of  civil  society;  set  up  a  multi-stakeholder,  multi-level 
European Food Policy Council.   

 

  Uphold the ambition and commitments of the Farm to Fork Strategy for a transition to sustainable 
and healthy food systems and reject attempts to undermine this agenda based on misleading food 
security arguments. 

16 

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

Main achievements: 

Some  targets of SDG 3 have  been achieved for indicators including life expectancy at birth, gap in life 
expectancy at birth among regions, population with good or very good perceived health, etc. Moreover, 
the  EU  launched  several  initiatives  in  response  to  the  COVID-19  crisis  to  support  partner  countries  in 
addressing both the short-term and long-term effects of the pandemic. The role of research, science and 
innovation  and the  quick  mobilisation  of  vaccines  during  covid  was  certainly a  major  achievement  for 
the EU. The setting up of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) is a welcome step 
forward, as is the reinforced role of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for 
Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The Europe's Beating Cancer Plan is also a milestone to ensure 
the  availability  of  high-quality,  accessible  healthcare  infrastructure  and  effective  support  systems  for 
patients'  physical  and  mental  well-being.  The  adoption  of  the  new  EU  Global  Health  Strategy  is  very 
timely and will help provide guidelines for the coming years in a complex environment and reaffirm the 
EU's leading role in global health. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on health and care systems all over the EU. Health systems 
were not ready to face the pandemic and have not been reinforced or reformed after the covid crisis. 
Overall, the progress on SDG 3 is too slow and there are still challenges to reducing inequalities within 
the EU in health and access to healthcare. Action is required to: 

  Address  the  intellectual  property  rights  for  vaccines  and  other  treatments  by  introducing  a 
temporary TRIPS waiver to be able to ensure that access to the vaccination remains a public good 
and that developing countries also have access to them. 

  Address issues with privatisation in health systems (including health data space) and lack of access 

to affordable healthcare. 

  Promote  decent  working  conditions  for  the  care  and  health  workforce,  including  informal  carers; 
update  the  Action  Plan  for  the  Health  and  Care  Workforce  in  the  European  Union  to  guarantee 
integrated health workforce planning and forecasting. 

  Address health inequalities, which have become even more evident with the pandemic. While the 
"eave  no  one  behind"  principle  should  guide  action,  the  pandemic  has  shown  that  unbalanced 
power dynamics and economic interests prevail over global solidarity. 

  Give  a  larger  role  to  the  European  Parliament,  regional  authorities  and  CSOs  in  the  Health 
Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA), and strengthen the participation of civil society and 
social  partners  in  the  European  Medicines  Agency  (EMA)  and  the  European  Centre  for  Disease 
Prevention and Control (ECDC). 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
SDG 4: Quality education 

Main achievements: 

The European Education Area (EEA) contributes to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social 
Rights  to  ensure  the  right  of  equal  access  to  quality  and  inclusive  general  and  vocational  education. 
There  has  been  improvement  towards  key  targets  such  as  early  childhood  education  and  care, 
educational  attainment  levels,  early  leavers  from  education  and  training  and  tertiary  education 
attainment. The Erasmus+ programme for 2021-2027 is a further good step to equip European citizens 
with  the  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  needed  to  better  respond  to  the  new  challenges.  It  is 
positive that education has been mentioned in recent  EU documents such as its  Youth Action Plan on 
External Action, its Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024, its third Disability Strategy 
for  2021-2030,  and  the  Global  Gateway.  The  EU  has  consistently  been  among  the  largest  OECD  DAC 
donors  to  education.  Finally,  quality  transformative  education  is  key  to  achieving  the  whole  Agenda 
2030  (Target  4.7).  Therefore,  the  Council  Recommendation  on  learning  for  the  green  transition  and 
sustainable development and DG EAC's work in this area is of utmost importance. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

Long-term  distance  learning,  in  place  during  the  COVID-19  crisis,  has  had  a  negative  impact  on  the 
mental and physical well-being of students and teachers, as well as on pupils' learning outcomes. Action 
is required to: 

  Foster research, particularly from the perspective of educational disadvantage and for primary 
and early  secondary schools, to include  a blended learning concept  in education (i.e. blending 
school site and distance learning). 

  Make the European Education Area (EEA) inclusive towards all. Governments need to take steps 
to achieve real inclusivity in formal and non-formal learning and promote informal learning. 
Improve the linkage for EU funding and provide guidance and visibility on how they can be used 
in education. Currently there is insufficient public funding from the Member States. 

 

  More attention should be paid to sub-target 4.7 which has been insufficiently mainstreamed in 
EU and Member States' policy. Provide a holistic plan for education for sustainable development 
and how to coordinate or enforce the internal and external policies. 

  Promote  continuous  upskilling  and  reskilling  in  view  of  the  green  transition  and  digitalisation. 
Support all adults, irrespective of their qualifications and socio-economic background, to access 
quality and inclusive lifelong learning. 

  Close  the  gaps  in  access  to  early  childhood  education  and  care  for  children  from  socio-
economically disadvantaged backgrounds, in particular minority groups, migrants, children with 
disabilities and children living in rural areas and disadvantaged regions in Europe. 

18 

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

Main achievements: 

Over  the  last  few  years,  there  have  been  EU  policy  developments  aiming  to  reduce  the  imbalance 
between women and men in providing care and the pay gap. The work-life balance directive introduced 
flexible  working  time  arrangements  and  non-transferable  rights  to  paid  paternity  and  parental  leave. 
The  2020–2025 EU  Gender  Equality  Strategy  acknowledges  that thriving  at work  while  managing  care 
responsibilities at home is a challenge, especially for women. The European Care Strategy, accompanied 
by  the  two  recommendations  on  early  childhood  education  and  care  and  access  to  affordable,  high-
quality  long-term  care,  aims  at  ensuring  quality,  affordable  and  accessible  care  services  across  the 
European Union and improving the situation for both care receivers and the people caring for them. The 
directive on gender balance on corporate boards also needs to be mentioned.   

The ERRF acknowledges that investment in a robust care infrastructure is essential for gender equality 
and  women's  economic  empowerment.  The  EU's  new  Action  Plan  on  Gender  Equality  and  Women's 
Empowerment  in  External  Action  2021–2025  (GAP  III)  is  an  essential  policy  framework  for  promoting 
gender equality as a priority of all external policies and actions. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

  Nurture  a lifelong gender equality culture  and integrate the  gender perspective  in all decisions, in 

 

each phase of the policy-making process, by all the actors involved. 
Include violence against women in the list of EU crimes, ensure comparable data  on gender-based 
violence in all of the 27 EU Member States, cover all forms of violence affecting women and girls in 
the  directive  on  combating  violence  against  women  and  domestic  violence,  and  promote  the 
ratification of the ILO's Violence and Harassment (No 190) and the Istanbul Conventions. 

  Eliminate gender stereotypes and promote gender balance in traditionally "female" or "male" fields, 

such as in STEM and ICT studies. 

  Make progress towards an equal share of caring responsibilities to address the gender care gap and 
strengthen the  role of the social partners  and collective bargaining to progress on the gender pay 
gap, for example, on the proposal for a directive on binding pay transparency measures. 

  Promote  sexual  and  reproductive  health  services  and  ensure  that  awareness  campaigns  against 

female genital mutilation avoid stigmatising women in the concerned communities. 

  Enhance  policy  coherence  and  make  effective  gender  mainstreaming  in  all  areas  of  EU  external 
action.  Regrettably,  many  EU  policies  such  as  trade  and  migration  policies  still  have  negative 
external impacts on women and girls in third countries, undermining the EU's commitments in terms 
of gender equality abroad, as aimed at in the GAP III. 

  Address gender gaps in the European Green Deal framework, prioritising a care economy. 

19 

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

Main achievements: 

Some  targets  of  SDG  6  have  been  achieved  in  terms  of  population  connected  to  at  least  secondary 
wastewater  treatment,  freshwater  abstraction,  the  share  of  population  using  safely  managed  water 
services as well as population using safely managed sanitation services. The Commission's Zero Pollution 
Action Plan is a step forward to address the various types of pollution in a holistic way and to comply 
with the commitments of the Paris Agreement and SDGs. As pollution has no borders, and cooperation 
between different civil society actors is needed to tackle water pollution, the Zero Pollution Stakeholder 
Platform is welcomed. In addition, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 aims to strengthen the protection 
and restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Following the successful Right2Water European 
Citizens' Initiative, the revised Drinking Water Directive will improve or maintain access to safe drinking 
water for all, with a focus on vulnerable and marginalised groups. From a social perspective, principle 20 
of the European Pillar of Social Rights reaffirms that everyone has the right to access essential services 
of  good  quality,  including  water  and  sanitation  and  that  access  to  such  services  shall  be  available  for 
those in need. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

Protecting Europe's shared water and sanitation management, resources and ecosystems from pollution 
and fostering structural changes to make water and sanitation a fundamental right for EU citizens will 
need coordinated action at EU level. Action is required to: 

  Foster increased investments  in the management of aquatic environments and sanitation facilities 
to ensure access to, and sustainable use of, clean water and adequate sanitation for all. Despite the 
progress  being  made,  challenges  remain  in  terms  of  the  share  of  the  population  having  neither  a 
bath, nor a shower, nor indoor flushing toilet in their household. 

  Address the need for citizens' ownership of water sources vs the privatisation of water supply. 
  Tackle environmental  damages  of  a  transboundary  nature  caused  by  the war  in  Ukraine  including 
water  contamination,  as  this  exposes  the  vulnerability  of  sanitation  and  sustainable  water 
infrastructure and threatens access to drinkable water. 

  Enhance the regulatory framework to ensure the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental 
right. While the right to a healthy environment including clean water and sanitation is present in EU 
secondary law, this is not codified in EU Treaties. 

  Promote  behavioural  change  to  discourage  overconsumption  and  the  use  of  disproportionate 
amounts  of  water  and  foster  more  responsible  use.  This  should  also  apply  to  industrial  and 
agricultural usage of water. 

20 

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

Main achievements: 

The European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package have successfully raised the ambition on the energy 
transition.  Renewables  are  not  only  part  of  the  future  energy  mix,  they  are  indispensable  to  a  clean 
transition towards climate neutrality. The renewable energy policy is expected to deliver in three areas: 
climate change mitigation, energy security and economic development. It is important that the roll-out 
of  renewable  energy 
in  energy  efficiency,  key  to  achieving  full 
decarbonisation.  The  REPowerEU  Plan  for  more  affordable,  secure  and  sustainable  energy  is  a 
substantial step forward. The EU action plan for digitalising the energy system and other efforts to boost 
the implementation of an integrated and smart energy grid in the EU is a step in the right direction. The 
important role of prosumers was highlighted especially in recent legislative initiatives such as the Fit for 
55 package, the REPowerEU Plan and the Solar Rooftop Initiative. The EU responded with a number of 
initiatives to support EU countries' efforts to tackle the energy crisis and energy poverty. 

is  paired  with  an 

increase 

Challenging areas where further actions are needed: 

Overall, the  progress on SDG 7 is still too slow  and challenges  remain in all indicators e.g., population 
unable to keep home adequately warm, energy consumption and carbon intensity of energy production. 
Facing  the  new  geopolitical  and  energy  market  realities,  the  need  to  fast-track  our  clean  energy 
transition is becoming even more urgent. Action is required to: 

 

Improve  the  quality  and  accessibility  of  information,  freedom  and  diversity  of  participation, 
accountability, and inclusion in decision‑making to ensure that the energy transition is socially 
acceptable. 

  Diversify  energy  suppliers,  a  quick  rollout  of  renewables,  and  increase  in  energy  efficiency  to 
guarantee  the  EU's  strategic  energy  autonomy.  Short-term  energy  market  interventions  and 
long-term improvements to the electricity market design are needed to face the unprecedented 
surge  in  energy  prices. Permit-granting  procedures should  be  improved  and  sped-up  for  a  full 
implementation of our renewable energy system. 

  Encourage  and  support  people  to  become  energy  prosumers  and  to  build  up  energy 
communities,  including  energy  cooperatives,  and  increase  interconnectivity  between  Member 
States and deployment of energy storage solutions. 

  Accelerate renovations to increase energy efficiency in homes and other buildings across the EU, 

 

which account for 40% of total energy consumption. 
Improve measures designed to tackle energy poverty and inequalities, and promote a gender-
sensitive and intersectional approach. 

21 

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

Main achievements  
The European Green Deal is the most ambitious economic strategy ever adopted to transform the EU 
into a resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 
2050.  
The  European  Green  Deal  and  the  digital  transition  have  been  maintained  as  the  lifeline  out  of  the 
pandemic, which is very relevant. The wide-ranging instruments which aimed to soften the blow of the 
COVID-19 crisis and support  the recovery have been very appropriate  (see SDG 1 comments), as have 
opening to reforms of the European Semester Group and advancing on a multidimensional approach in 
the  Sustainable Growth  Survey.  In  recent  years,  the proposals  for  completing  the  European  Economic 
and Monetary Union (EMU)  following the financial crisis of the 2000s  are  also important. The Beyond 
GDP  initiative  of  the  European  Commission  needs  to  be  highlighted  to  advance  towards  a  more 
comprehensive approach to progress and measuring prosperity and well-being.  

The  legislative  and  non-legislative  deliverables  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  are  essential  to 
achieve decent work, as are Council Recommendations such as the one on access to social protection for 
workers and the self-employed or ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality. Instruments such 
as the Youth Guarantee and the  Upskilling Pathways address  specific difficulties  in the labour market. 
The  Just  Transition  Fund  is  an  important  instrument  that  recognises  and  tackles  the  challenges  of 
productive employment in the regions in the transition towards climate neutrality by 2050. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 
  Undertake more ambitious steps in the context of the European Monetary Union to achieve a more 
integrated, more democratic and socially better-developed EU and continue the revision of the EU 
economic  governance  framework,  ensuring,  for  instance,  the  democratic  involvement  of  the 
parliaments, the social partners and organised civil society in the European Semester.  

  Develop the Social dimension of the European Green Deal to guarantee social fairness and ensure 
broad social support  to achieve the  decarbonisation of the  economy (for example, setting specific 
targets  for  all  of  the  20  principles  of  the  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights)  and  support  the  social 
partners in significantly increasing the collective bargaining coverage.  

  Provide granular mapping and analysis of the impact of the transition on employment and skills and 

increase the funds available in the Just Transition Fund to match the challenges at stake. 

  Adopt  measures to ensure social protection and improve  working conditions of vulnerable groups 
such as seasonal workers, EU and non-EU citizens working in agriculture, services and construction, 
and the challenges facing groups such as platform workers.  

  Develop a specific, inclusive and forward-looking policy addressed at youth to tackle current labour 

market unbalances. 

  Address  the  EU's  negative  spill-overs  related  to  labour  rights  in  other  countries  and  on  supply 
chains, develop requirements for an integrative green and digital transition that avoids clashes and 
develop an economic approach that goes beyond GDP growth to achieve a climate-neutral economy 
in 2050. 

22 

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

Main achievements: 

The Commission's call for the co-creation of transition pathways for the green and digital future and its 
commitment  to  retaining  and  growing  Europe's  industrial  and  manufacturing  base  is  a  welcome  step 
forward. Industrial alliances are proving a successful method for developing large-scale and cross-border 
industrial  projects  in  strategic  fields.  Important  Projects  of  Common  European  Interest  (IPCEIs),  are 
crucial for the recovery and the promotion of European standards and key technologies, in particular in 
areas  where  the  market  alone  cannot  deliver  or  is  being  distorted.  From  a  sectoral  perspective,  the 
Commission's communication on Critical Raw Materials, the Chips Act for the EU and the EU Recovery 
Plan, which was analysed in depth from the point of view of resource and energy-intensive industries, 
are  welcomed.  Reducing  the  EU's  strategic  dependencies  in  critical  technologies  and  value  chains  for 
security and defence is essential and particularly timely due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine.  

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

The COVID-19 crisis and the invasion of Ukraine have put Europe's economy and industrial value chains, 
SMEs and citizens under stress. Overall, the progress on SDG 9 is too slow and challenges remain, mainly 
regarding the digital divide within the EU. There are still challenges in terms of population with at least 
basic digital skills and the score is stagnating for this indicator. Action is required to: 

  Align the  measures envisaged to achieve the  twin transition with the objective of social wellbeing 

 

and sustainable growth. 
Increase  R&D&I  spending  and  other  related  funding  instruments  such  as  the  Interregional 
Innovation Investment Instrument, putting it at least on a par with other regions in the world, and 
transform R&D investments with proactive tools rather than reactive ones. 

  Dedicate more resources than envisaged to achieve its ambitious goals in semiconductors. 
  Develop  relations  with  resource-rich  countries,  especially  in  Africa  and  South  America,  using  all 

 

instruments (including trade agreements and strategic partnerships). 
Insert just transition into the EU recovery facility and the related National Recovery and Resilience 
Plans (NRRP) addressing the EU's resource- and energy-intensive industries. 

  Address social innovation as complementary to technological or engineering innovation. 
  Also talk about social innovation and not only technological or engineering innovation. 
  Make the EU's industry sector less dependent on raw materials from other regions of the world. 
  Generate transformative changes towards circular, decarbonised and zero pollution industry. 
  Push  forward  the  reform  of  the  EU  international  trade  policy  to  fully  align  it  with  the  EGD's 

objectives. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries  

Main achievements:  

The  European  Pillar  of  Social  Rights  Action  Plan  sets  ambitious  social  targets  for  equal  opportunities, 
access  to  the  labour  market,  fair  working  conditions  and  inclusion  while  stressing  the  importance  of 
promoting  collective  bargaining  and  social  dialogue  at  all  levels.  The  consensus  on  implementing  the 
Action Plan at the Porto Social Summit is very important (see SDG 1 & 8 comments).  

Embedding  the  goal of  economic,  social  and  territorial  cohesion  in  the  six  pillars  of  the  Recovery  and 
Resilience Facility and including the  social impact  in the  assessment criteria for the National Recovery 
and  Resilience  Plans  (NRRPs)  are  relevant  measures.  The  seventh  and  eighth  Reports  on  Economic, 
Social and Territorial Cohesion provide essential updates on the efforts undertaken and the associated 
problems.  Recognising  the  principle  of  quality  of  work,  as  a  prerequisite  for  sustainable  social 
development, in recovering from the pandemic crisis should also be emphasised.  

The  EU  produced  a  broad  range  of  policies,  strategies  and  action  plans  relevant  to  fighting  against 
inequalities and applying a rights-based approach to development cooperation. Several tools have also 
been developed, including the EU's marker on income inequality and explicit commitments to tackling 
inequalities in its international partnerships. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

  Advance the understanding of the multiple dimensions and drivers of the various forms of inequality 
(e.g. urban-rural, LGTBI, gender,  age, migration status)  and  integrate the  inequalities  dimension in 
all the EU policy frameworks. 

  Set specific objectives and targets for all of the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights 

and include measures to address income inequality and promote quality employment. 

  Address tax haven and financial secrecy practices which have a detrimental effect on finances and 

incomes within the EU and in partner countries. 

  Ensure appropriate policy action to avoid new economic, social and territorial disparities appearing 
as a result of the green and digital transitions and reduce inequality both in terms of opportunities 
and in terms of outcomes within and among countries. 

  Advance  an  interinstitutional  approach  to  inequalities  and  ensure  policy  coherence,  including  the 
development of appropriate indicators, and ensure the involvement of the social partners and civil 
society organisations in shaping cohesion policy and monitoring its effects (such as addressing the 
unequal access to clean energy). 

  Take  a  more  ambitious  approach  to  supporting  active  labour  market  policies  while  protecting 

workers' fundamental rights and ensuring a sustainable business environment. 

  Address  inequalities  systematically  in  official  development  assistance  policies,  develop  practical 
tools  on  how  to  reduce  poverty  and  inequity  and  intersectional  data  and  analysis  for  programme 
design and evaluation, and promote actions on decentralised cooperation.  

  Drastic action is needed to reduce inequalities via strengthening universal basic services and taxes, 

as a food speculation tax.   

24 

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

Main achievements: 

The  new  EU  framework  for  urban  mobility  is  a  welcome  step  to  strike  the  right  balance  between 
environmental  protection  and  inclusiveness  of  urban  mobility.  Access  to  affordable,  quality  public 
transport  is  essential  to  address  transport  poverty  as  a  sustainable  alternative  to  individual  modes  of 
transport. The Commission proposal for a recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive takes 
up the key challenges to provide tools to tackle energy poverty and remedy structural long-term under-
investment  in  the  building  area,  boosting  renovation  especially of  the  worst-performing  buildings  and 
setting us on a path of decarbonised heating and cooling. The launching and support of the Covenant of 
Mayors  for  Climate  and  Energy  –  which  is  the  flagship  initiative  bringing  together  and  supporting 
thousands  of  municipalities  of  all  sizes  in  Europe,  taking  local  action  on  climate  and  energy  and 
therefore contributing to Europe's achievement of the SDGs with particular contribution to SDG 7, SDG 
11 and SDG 13 – is very relevant to mention. The Voluntary Local Reviews handbook (VLRs) by the Joint 
Research Centre (JRC), the strong involvement of the local level in Horizon 2020 and the integrated local 
approaches supported by the New European Bauhaus are laudable initiatives. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

Even  though  the  EU  is  on  track  to  achieve  SDG  11,  many  disparities  persist  across  countries,  and 
challenges  remain  in  several  dimensions  of  sustainable  urbanisation,  including  access  to  green  urban 
areas, exposure  to air pollution, as well as the rate of housing cost overburden, which might increase 
due to the multiple energy and inflation crises. Action is required to: 

  Reduce carbon emissions without leading to reduced mobility and transport exclusion. 
  Strengthen EU action to make urban transport more inclusive. 
  Create  sustainable  urban  mobility  plans  (SUMPs)  and  sustainable  urban  logistics  plans  (SULPs)  as 

well as spatial planning that extends beyond urban boundaries. 

  Engage  citizens 

in 

implementing  change, 

i.e.  changing  daily  behaviours  and  patterns  of 

consumption, mobility, dietary etc. 

  Recognise  the  role  of  local  and  regional  governments  (LRGs)  as  policy  makers  and  promote  the 

localisation of the SDGs and learning between peers at EU and international level. 

  Gain acceptance in societies for legislation to accelerate the transition. 
 

Implement  concrete  measures  to  improve  the  energy  efficiency  of  buildings  to  ensure  decent, 
affordable and healthy housing for all. 

  Help  promote  long-term  investments  in  local  and  social  infrastructure  through  the  new  European 

Bauhaus. 

  Establish regular dialogue with civil society actors, not only at the very end. 
  Promote the gender perspective and representation for local decisions. 
 
Invest in affordable energy-efficient housing for people on low incomes. 
  Ensure affordable access to housing and foster repurposing of unused housing stock. 

25 

 
 
 
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production 

Main achievements: 

The  European  Commission's  new  Circular  Economy  Action  Plan  and  other  initiatives  such  as  the 
proposed directive to empower  consumers to act in support of the green transition are positive steps 
forward  to  contribute  to  a  circular,  clean  and  green  EU  economy  and  enable  consumers  to  take 
informed  purchasing  decisions  and  therefore  contribute  to  more  sustainable  consumption.  The 
European  Circular  Economy  Stakeholder  Platform,  a  joint  initiative  by  the  Commission  and  the  EESC, 
fosters  stakeholders'  active  participation  and  exchange  of  information  and  good  practices  on  circular 
economy  in  the  EU.  The  Commission  proposed  legislation  on  Corporate  Sustainability  Due  Diligence, 
which would impose supply chain oversight obligations on companies operating in the EU. This can be a 
very  meaningful  step  if  the  outcome  of  the  ongoing  legislative  process  addresses  the  gaps  in  the 
proposal. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

Overall,  the  EU  is  experiencing  significant  challenges  in  achieving  SDG  12  because  of  unsustainable 
supply  chains  and  the  progress  is  stagnating  both  from  the  production  and  consumption  sides.  The 
COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of supply chains. Rebuilding the economy after the crisis 
will be an opportunity to rethink our society and develop a new model of prosperity. Action is required 
to: 

  Foster  a  comprehensive  EU  strategy  on  sustainable  consumption.  The  most  sustainable  choice 
should be the easiest choice for citizens. This requires a systemic change in the way we produce and 
consume. In particular, the responsibility of producers to address unsustainable consumption needs 
to be better acknowledged. 

 
 

  Prevent  SDG  12  becoming  a  source  of  stigmatisation  of  the  low-income  families  for  whom  it  is 
difficult to afford green consumption and behaviours. Increasing the sustainability of consumption 
should not come at the expense of other societal objectives. 
Introduce product norms and bans fostering sustainability and prohibit unfair trading practices. 
Improve the competition rules for collective initiatives that promote sustainability in supply chains, 
promote fair and green public procurement, with minimum mandatory criteria. 
Introduce tax shifts from labour to resource use. 
Improve  transparency  and  information  by  introducing  mandatory  labelling  rules  on  origin, 
sustainability, durability and the social dimension, promote education on sustainable consumption 
and address advertisement and marketing. 
Introduce an EU target for reducing material footprint. 

 
  Promote the role of cities and municipalities based on an inclusive and participatory approach. 
  Tackle  planned  obsolescence,  make  products  repairable,  ensure  that  responsibility  for  end  of  life 

 
 

falls with the producer and promote the polluter pays principle. 

26 

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

Main achievements:  
The  EU  is  committed  to  becoming  the  first  climate-neutral  continent  by  2050.  The 
European  Green  Deal  and  the  Fit  for  55  package  set  a  clear  pathway  for  decarbonising  the  energy 
system  and  the  economy,  intending  to  cut  GHG  emissions  by  55%  by  2030  and  achieve  net-zero 
emissions by 2050.  

The REPowerEU Plan constitutes an essential step in the right direction to advance decarbonisation and 
make the EU independent from the Russian gas and oil supply. The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate 
Change addresses the urgent and long-lasting need for adaptation. 

Establishing  a  Social  Climate  Fund  demonstrates  the  Commission's  willingness  to  combat  energy  and 
mobility poverty. The Just Transition Fund is a vital instrument to tackle the challenges of the regions in 
transition. 

The  Commission's  EUR  100  million  contribution  to  the  Adaptation  Fund  is  very  relevant.  The  EU's 
agreement  on  the  Loss  and  Damage  Fund  at  COP27  showed  its  leadership  and  commitment  to  the 
UNFCCC process. 
Challenging areas where further action is required: 
 

Strengthen the European Green Deal and ensure that exceptional derogations to agreed targets as a 
result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are granted only for a limited time. 

  Ensure  climate  policies  address  the  social  impacts  of  the  transition,  provide  adequate  funding  to 
responsibly  face  the  socio-economic  effects  of  carbon  pricing  and  establish  proper  links  with  the 
National Recovery and Resilience plans. 

  Update  the  nationally  determined  contribution  to  be  consistent  with  the  1.5°C  temperature  limit 

following the Glasgow Climate Pact. 

  Pursue an immediate halt to fossil fuel subsidies, promote a radical shift to supporting the transition 
to  renewables,  ensure  that  the  emergency  measures  of  the  REPowerEU  Plan  do  not  lead  to  new 
dependencies, and support the pivotal role that local communities, self-sufficient energy consumers, 
cooperatives and organisations on the ground can play in the transition to renewable energies. 
  Align  the  EU taxonomy  with  a  holistic  approach,  including  environmental  and social sustainability, 
and boost effective sectoral action to achieve climate neutrality (sustainable food systems, circular 
economy, sustainable mobility, etc.). 
Increase  the  total  climate  finance  contributions  by  developed  countries,  with  equal  emphasis  on 
financing mitigation and adaptation and incorporating the GHG emissions associated with imported 
products to the EU's GHG inventory. 
Intensify  EU  diplomacy  efforts  on  promoting  the  adoption  of  European  Green  Deal-like  policy 
frameworks by the international community. 

 

 

  Ensure that the involvement of organised civil society and strong youth engagement in the decision-
making  processes,  implementation,  monitoring  and  follow-up  will  best  take  on  board  the 
intergenerational dimension of these shifts. 

27 

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

Main achievements 

In May 2021 the Commission presented the New approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU to 
fully  embed  the  blue  economy  into  the  European  Green  Deal  and  the  Recovery  Plan  for  Europe  and 
support the transition to a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy. 

Building on the 2016 International Ocean Governance Agenda, the EU wants to conclude an ambitious 
UN High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) as soon as possible and a legally binding 
Global Plastic  Agreement by 2024,  as well  as  to  achieve  a  Global  Biodiversity Framework  with  30% of 
marine areas protected by 2030. Some targets of SDG 14 have been achieved in terms of bathing sites 
with excellent water quality.  

Challenging areas where further action is required: 

Overall, the EU is experiencing major challenges in achieving SDG 14, and while progress is stagnating on 
average,  negative  spill-overs  generated  by  the  EU  on  biodiversity  in  other  countries  are  intensifying. 
There  are  major  challenges  in  terms  of  fish  caught  from  overexploited  or  collapsed  stocks  and  fish 
caught by bottom trawling or dredging. There are also significant challenges in terms of fish caught that 
are  then  discarded.  Challenges  remain  for marine  biodiversity threats  embodied  in  imports  as well  as 
protection of marine sites that are important for biodiversity. Action is required to: 

  Develop careful spatial planning, including integrative  management  and assessment of cumulative 

impacts to address the problem of ever-growing competition for marine space and resources. 

  Address overfishing, eutrophication and ocean warming, which are among the worst threats to the 

planet's largest ecosystem. 

  Tackle  acidification,  as  25%  of  CO2  emissions  are  absorbed  by  the  oceans,  which  is  increasingly 

endangering marine life. 

  Halt the over 17 million metric tonnes of plastic litter that get into the oceans every year. 
  Urgently support the 48% of EU fishers that work in small-scale fisheries. 
  Develop  a  specific  and  targeted  approach  to  address  the  different  priorities  in  different  countries 

regarding marine protection. 

  Enhance the collection of data on all fish populations so that the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for 
each species can be set according to the best scientific advice and develop a long-term strategy. 
  Push for the adoption of an ambitious Global Ocean Treaty to protect marine biodiversity in areas 

beyond national jurisdiction. 

  Facilitate  the  decarbonisation  of  shipping  by  agreeing  on  a  carbon  intensity  fuel  standard  (EUFuel 
Maritime)  and  scaling  renewable  fuel  infrastructure  in  ports  through  the  Alternative  Fuels 
Infrastructure Regulation. 

28 

 
 
 
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 

Main achievements 

The Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is a path towards the global biodiversity framework proposed by the 
Convention on Biological Diversity. This strategy has brought greater awareness of the problem at the 
EU  level,  including  through  the  various  proposals  of  the  European  Commission  related  to  biodiversity 
that followed, such as the CEAP, the CSS, the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030, the regulation towards 
minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU 
market, the communication Restoring sustainable carbon cycles, the Action Plan on organic production, 
the Zero Pollution Action Plan for air, water and soil, the European Soil Strategy for 2030 and the two 
recent pioneering proposals to restore Europe's nature by 2050 and halve pesticide use by 2030. The EU 
also contributed significantly to the achievement of the Loss and Damage Fund at the CBD COP15. Some 
targets of SDG 15 have been achieved in terms of nitrate levels in groundwater and there have also been 
achievements in the development and the implementation of nature-based solutions. 

Challenging areas where further action is required: 
Overall, the progress on SDG 15 is too slow and major challenges related to biodiversity threats by the 
EU along international supply chains remain. There are major challenges in terms of the Red List Index of 
species survival as well as terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity threats embodied in imports. There are 
also significant challenges in terms of protection of terrestrial and freshwater sites that are important 
for biodiversity. Despite some progress, challenges remain for water quality in rivers.  Action is required 
to: 
 

Increase the efforts to protect remaining natural resources and the size of protected areas, restore 
habitats and combat species decline. 

  Keep  competition  in  land  use  under  control  to  avoid  significantly  affecting  farming  and  food 

systems, biodiversity and other ecosystem functions and services. 

  Ensure that the cost of protecting biodiversity is not just placed on farmers and forest owners, and 
promote  approaches  where  it  can  be  a  useful  source  of  income  for  them,  for example  on  carbon 
storage in soils or economic compensation for non-commercial forest ecosystem services. 
  Promote the incorporation of climate and biodiversity aspects into the national strategic plans.  
  Develop  a  European  legal  framework,  for  example  a  European  Soil  Directive  to  address  soil 

degradation, support restoration and fix the road map towards good soil health. 

  Ensure policy coherence  between the CAP and the biodiversity strategy and address  the  spill-over 

effects of the EU's consumption and production. 

  Assess and further support the possibilities of job creation related to protection and restoration and 

ensure skilling programs and labour opportunities for the most vulnerable workers. 

  Ensure  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  contribute  in  a  fair  and  proportionate  manner  to  the 

overarching objective on restoration measures by 2030. 

29 

 
 
 
 
SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions 

Main achievements 

Some targets of SDG 16 have been achieved in terms of death rate due to homicide, access to justice, 
constraints  on  government  power,  Corruption  Perceptions  Index,  unsentenced  detainees  and  Press 
Freedom Index. The launch of the EU Global Gateway initiative was welcomed, as the investments and 
cooperation  projects  of  EU  and  non-state  actors  in  the  EU  need  to  be  better  known  and  promoted 
around the world. The new European Consensus on Development is a step forward in understanding the 
interdependence between security, peace and sustainable development. 

Regarding  the  Eastern  Partnership,  the  effective  implementation  of  association  agreements  and 
therefore the progress in strengthening the rule of law, the implementation of judicial reforms and the 
fight against corruption are welcomed.   

Challenging areas where further actions are needed: 

The  unilateral  aggression of Russia  against  Ukraine  is  a major  threat  for the  Sustainable Development 
Goals and puts at risk the survival and wellbeing of societies in the region. This is the worst refugee crisis 
in Europe since the Second World War and its ramifications are global. The impacts of the war should 
not come at the detriment of climate action and sustainability, as provided for in the UN Agenda 2030 
on  sustainable  development  which  is,  first  and  foremost,  an  agenda  of  peace,  security  and  poverty 
reduction. 

Progress on SDG 16 is stagnating and action is required to: 

  Strengthen the application of rule of law. 
  Develop  better  rules  in  the  field  of  migration  and  asylum  and  prevent  any  instrumentalisation  of 

migrants. 

  Develop  a  new  global  peace-building  strategy  with  three  strands:  conflict  prevention,  civil  society 

and coherence; Information, Communication, Education (ICE); European path of peace. 

  Structure  civic  and  social  dialogues  in  various  fields  which  move  from  one-off  consultations  to 
genuine, empowering and inclusive participatory processes including representation of groups in the 
most marginalised and underprivileged communities. 
Involve  organised  civil  society  in  the  EU  external  relations  mechanism  for  the  democratic 
implementation of Agenda 2030. 
involve  youth 

in  decision-making  processes  and  adequate  budget  for 

institutional 

  Better 

 

development. 

  Ensure accountability and tracing of European arms sales. 

30 

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

Main achievements: 

The  European  Green  Deal  plays  a  central  role  in  strengthening  EU  and  global  partnership  for  the 
implementation of the SDGs.  

Internally,  the  EU  adopted  the  Climate Pact  and  the Rural  Pact,  shifting  towards  a  more  participatory 
model  of  engaging  with  civil  society,  stakeholders  and  local  communities.  The  Recovery  Plan, 
NextGenerationEU  and  the  long-term  EU  budget  2021-2027  have  been  designed  to  finance  the 
implementation  of  the  Green  Deal  in  a  holistic  and  inclusive  way.  Externally,  the  Green  Deal  and  in 
particular the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies can play a central role in future trade deals if they 
become  the  new  global  standards  on  sustainability.  In  this  context,  the  WTO  should  better  take  into 
account the SDGs and the fight against climate change. 

Challenging areas where further actions are needed: 

Overall, the progress on SDG 17 is too slow and significant  challenges remain regarding the EU's spill-
overs related to economic and financial flows. The EU VR should conduct a critical assessment of policy 
coherence for sustainable development, using the methodology developed by UNEP to report on SDG 
Indicator  17.14.1.  "number  of  countries  with  mechanisms  in  place  to  enhance  policy  coherence  of 
sustainable development". Action is required to: 

  Promote the  active  participation  of all  parts of  society  and  social  partners  –  enterprises, workers, 
researchers,  consumers,  communities  and  citizens  and  their  organisations  –  in  the  green  and  just 
transition to ensure that no one is left behind; in particular, foster more structured engagement of 
young people. 

  Ensure meaningful  integration of  the  SDGs  in  the  Better Regulation  toolbox.  Although  the revised 
Better  Regulation  package  contains  a  new  tool  on  SDG  integration  (Tool  #19),  and  integrates  the 
SDGs in impact assessments and evaluation, it still relies on retrofitting SDG contributions to policy 
proposal, leading to SDG cherry-picking. 

  Guarantee that the implementation of trade deals will contribute to sustainable development in the 
EU and in partner countries; adequately implement the recent Communication from the European 
Commission entitled The power of trade partnerships: together for green and just economic growth , 
including  on  reinforcing  the  role  of  civil  society  and  the  social  partners  (e.g.  via  the  Domestic 
Advisory  Groups);  continue  promoting  more  ambitious  and  enforceable  trade  and  sustainable 
development  chapters  in  international  trade  agreements  with  strong  civil  society  monitoring;  and 
have a leading position on transformative WTO. 

  Promote policy coherence through an overarching strategy and a governance structure to enhance 

the implementation of Agenda 2030 (see introduction). 

  Foster more structured engagement of civil society, e.g. via a forum or a platform; ensure a more 
inclusive approach to partnerships including representation of the most deprived communities. 

31 

 
 
 
References: 

List of EESC opinions by SDG   

SDG 1 

  ECO/401 – Lessons learned for avoiding the severity of austerity policies in the EU 
  SOC/730 – The role of family members caring for people with disabilities and older persons: the 

explosion of the phenomenon during the pandemic 

  TEN/744 – The importance of public transport for Europe's Green Recovery 
  SOC/581 – Access to social protection 
  TEN/707 – Universal access to housing that is decent, sustainable and affordable over the long 

term 

  SOC/679 – Action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights 
  SOC/612 – Education about the European Union 
  Resolution – EESC proposals for post-COVID-19 crisis reconstruction and recovery: "The EU must 

be guided by the principle of being considered a community of common destiny" 

  SOC/651 – Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)/COVID-19 Crisis 
  ECO/589 – Additional considerations on the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey 2022 
  ECO/569 – Annual Sustainable Growth Survey 2022 
 
INT/903 – No Green Deal without a Social Deal 
  NAT/864 – Social dialogue within the green transition 

SDG 2 

  NAT/711 – Comprehensive EU food policy  
  NAT/755 – Healthy and sustainable diets  
  NAT/734 – Improving the food supply chain/UTPs  
  NAT/787 – "From farm to fork": a sustainable food strategy 
  NAT/818 – Action Plan for the development of EU organic production 
  NAT/821 – Aligning food business operations and practices with the SDGs 
  NAT/841 – Food security and sustainable food systems 
  NAT/873 –  Food price crisis  –  the role of speculation and concrete  proposals for action in the 

aftermath of the Ukraine war 

SDG3 

  SOC/720 – Health Workforce and Care Strategy for the future of Europe 
  SOC/735 – COVID-19 – Sustaining EU Preparedness and Response: Looking ahead 
  SOC/730 – The role of family members caring for people with disabilities and older persons 
  SOC/729 – Ensuring strong European solidarity for rare disease patients 
  SOC/716 – European Union Drugs Agency  
  SOC/702 – European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) 
  SOC/677 – Europe's beating cancer plan  
  SOC/665 – Building a European Health Union  
  SOC/656 – EU4Health Programme 

32 

 
 
 
 
  SOC/592  –  Proposal  for  a  Council  Recommendation  on  strengthened  cooperation  against 

vaccine preventable diseases 

SDG 4 

  SOC/701 – Blended learning 
  SOC/684 – Adult learning 
  SOC/612 – Education about the European Union 
  SOC/602 – Erasmus 
  NAT/860 – Empowering youth to achieve sustainable development through education 
  SOC/588 – Education package 

SDG 5 

  SOC/723 – Gender lens investing as a way to improve gender equality in the European Union 
  SOC/731 – Gender equality 
  SOC/726 – Combating violence against women  
  SOC/678 – Binding pay transparency measures 
  SOC/662 – Teleworking and gender equality 
  SOC/633 – Gender Equality Strategy  
  SOC/610 – Gender equality issues  
  SOC/587 – Digital gender gap  
  SOC/586 – Gender equality in European labour markets  
  SOC/529 – The challenges of work-life balance faced by working parents and caregivers 
  SOC/502 – Women in science 
  SOC/475 – Gender balance on company boards 
  SOC/446 – Female entrepreneurs 

SDG 6 

  NAT/830 – Zero Pollution Action Plan for air, water and soil 
  NAT/824 – Environmental protection as a prerequisite for respect for fundamental rights  
  NAT/744 – Implementation of EU environmental legislation in the areas of air quality, water and 

waste  

  NAT/786 – 2030 biodiversity strategy  
  NAT/644 – Water and sanitation are a human right 
  NAT/817 – New approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU 
  TEN/693 – For a better implementation of the Social Pillar, promoting essential services  
  NAT/770 – Blue bio-economy 
  NAT/773 – Quality of water for human consumption  

SDG 7 

  TEN/748 – Review of the Renewable Energy Directive 
  TEN/749 – Review of the Energy Efficiency Directive 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  TEN/760 – What conditions are needed for the energy and low-carbon transition to be socially 

acceptable? 

  TEN/778  –  REPowerEU:  Joint  European  Action  for  more  affordable,  secure  and  sustainable 

energy 

  TEN/780 – Security of supply and affordable energy prices 
  TEN/782 – REPowerEU Plan 
  TEN/783 – Accelerating renewables rollout  
  TEN/784 – Energy markets  

SDG 8 

  ECO/394 – Steps towards Completing Economic and Monetary Union 
  ECO/438 – Deepening EMU by 2025 
  ECO/493 – A new vision for completing the Economic and Monetary Union 
  ECO/568 – Euro area economic policy 2022 
  ECO/569 – Annual Sustainable Growth Survey 2022 
  ECO/492 – Towards a more resilient and sustainable European economy 
  ECO/513 – Enhancing sustainable economic growth across the EU 
  ECO/553 – Reshaping the EU fiscal framework for a sustainable recovery and a just transition 
  ECO/551  –  Beyond GDP measures for a successful recovery and a  sustainable and resilient EU 

economy 

  NAT/765 – The sustainable economy we need 
  SOC/568  –  A  socially  sustainable  concept  for  raising  living  standards,  boosting  growth  and 

employment, as citizens' security in the digital era  

  SOC/644 – Social dialogue as an important pillar of economic sustainability and the resilience of 

economies taking into account the influence of lively public debate in the Member States 

  SOC/646 – Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States 
  SOC/685 – Key components of sustainable quality work during and after recovery  
  SOC/699 – Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States 
  SOC/727 – Decent work worldwide 
  SOC/737 – Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States 
  REX/532 – Sustainable supply chains and decent work in international trade 

SDG 9 

 

 
 

INT/964 – How will given industrial ecosystems contribute to the strategic autonomy of the EU 
and the wellbeing of Europeans?  
INT/935 – Updating the new industrial strategy  
INT/913  –  Industrial  transition  towards  a  green  and  digital  European  economy:  regulatory 
requirements and the role of social partners and civil society 
INT/897 – Industrial strategy 

 
  CCMI/167 – The sectoral industrial perspective of reconciling climate and energy policies  
  CCMI/176  –  Digital  Mining  in  Europe:  New  solutions  for  the  sustainable  production  of  raw 

materials  

  CCMI/177 – Critical Raw Materials Resilience 

34 

 
 
 
 
  CCMI/181  –  The  EU  mobility  strategy  and  EU  industrial  value  chains:  automotive  eco-systems 

approach  

  CCMI/183 – Resource- and Energy-Intensive Industries and the EU Recovery Plan 
  CCMI/185 – Updating the new industrial strategy – Impacts on the health industrial ecosystem 

(supplementary opinion to INT/935) 

  CCMI/186 – Making packaging a safe, affordable and eco-friendly industry 
  CCMI/188 – Textile strategy 
  CCMI/189 – Roadmap on security and defence technologies 
  CCMI/194 – Digital Innovation Hub as facilitator for the green and digital transition of industrial 

SMEs: an overview of the main experiences 

  CCMI/195  –  A  Chips  Act  for  the  EU:  Implications  of  the  European  Chips  Act  for  defence  and 

aerospace manufacturing 

SDG 10 

  ECO/550  –  The  role  of  cohesion  policy  in  combatting  inequalities  in  the  new  programming 
period after the COVID-19 crisis. Complementarities and possible overlaps with the RRF and the 
national recovery plans  

  ECO/579 – 8th Cohesion Report 
  ECO/568 – Additional considerations on the Euro area economic policy 2022 
  ECO/410 – Wealth inequality in Europe: the profit-labour split between Member States 
  SOC/685 – Key components of sustainable quality work during and after recovery 
  SOC/699 – Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States 
  SOC/679 – Action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights 
  SOC/564 – Impact of the social dimension and the European Pillar of Social Rights on the Future 

of the European Union 

SDG 11 

  TEN/766 – New EU urban mobility framework 
  TEN/728 – Evaluation – 2011 White Paper on Transport 
  TEN/729 – Strategy for sustainable and smart mobility 
  TEN/763 – Revision of the energy performance of buildings directive 
  TEN/757 – New European Bauhaus 
  TEN/723 – A Renovation Wave for Europe 
  TEN/666 – Sustainable mobility for Europe  
  TEN/707 – Universal access to housing that is decent, sustainable and affordable over the long 

term 

  TEN/661  –  Role  of  transport  in  realising  the  sustainable  development  goals,  and  consequent 

implications for EU policy-making  

  TEN/568 – Smart cities as a driver of new European industrial policy 

SDG 12  

  NAT/789 – Towards a comprehensive strategy on sustainable consumption  
 

INT/895 – New Circular Economy Action Plan  

35 

 
 
 
 
 
INT/968 – Empowering the consumer for the green transition 
INT/948 – Advertising for modern, responsible consumption 
INT/922 – A new consumer agenda 
INT/882 – The role of consumers in the Circular Economy  

 
 
 
 
  NAT/684  –  Building  a  coalition  of  civil  society  and  subnational  authorities  to  deliver 

commitments of the Paris Agreement  

  NAT/712 – Climate Justice   
  NAT/718 – Boosting climate actions by non-state actors: An EU framework for encouraging more 

and better actions  

  NAT/765 – The sustainable economy we need 
  NAT/788  –  Towards  structured  youth  engagement  on  climate  and  sustainability  in  the  EU 

decision-making process 

  Resolution for the UNFCCC COP27 
  Resolution  –  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee's  contribution  to  the  2022  European 

Commission's work programme 

  Resolution – EESC Resolution on the war in Ukraine and its economic, social and environmental 

impact 

  NAT/784 – European Climate Law 
  NAT/785 – European Climate Pact  
  NAT/815 – New EU strategy on adaptation to climate change 
  NAT/803 – Stepping up Europe's Climate Ambition  
  NAT/843 – 'Fit for 55': delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality 
  Many more opinions related to the Fit for 55 package and the circular economy 

SDG 14 

  NAT/817 – New approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU  
  NAT/801 – An updated action plan for a sustainable, resilient and competitive blue economy in 

the European Union Atlantic area 

  NAT/770 – Blue bioeconomy 
  REX/493 – Blue economy in the Western Mediterranean 

SDG 15 

  NAT/786 – 2030 biodiversity strategy 
  NAT/843 – 'Fit for 55': delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality 
  NAT/831 – New EU Forest strategy for 2030 
  NAT/832 – Minimising the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products 

placed on the EU market 

  NAT/830 – Zero Pollution Action Plan for air, water and soil 
  NAT 838 – New EU Soil Strategy 
  NAT/846 – Restoring sustainable carbon cycles 
  NAT/818 – Action Plan for the development of EU organic production 
  NAT/713 – Land use for sustainable food production and ecosystem services  
  Resolution on the war in Ukraine 
  NAT/824 – Environmental protection as a prerequisite for respect for fundamental rights 

36 

 
 
 
 
SDG 16 

  REX/526 – Sustainable development in the Mediterranean region 
  REX/553  –  Youth  Policy  in  the  Western  Balkans,  as  part  of  the  Innovation  Agenda  for  the 

Western Balkans 

  REX/554 – Instrumentalisation of migrants 
  REX/534  –  A  strong  transatlantic  partnership  based  on  the  common  values  of  democracy  and 

the rule of law, key in tackling global challenges and preserving international order 
  REX/504 – The White Dove Way – Proposal for an EU-led Global Peace-building strategy 
  REX/520 – 10 years of Eastern Partnership: reflecting on achievements and shaping the future 

policy of the EaP 

  REX/461  –  The  2030  Agenda  –  A  European  Union  committed  to  support  sustainable 

development goals globally  

  REX/528 – Contribution of civil society to the Green Agenda and sustainable development of the 

Western Balkans as part of the EU accession process 

  REX/547 – The Global Gateway 
  ECO/569 – Annual Sustainable Growth Survey 2022 

SDG 17 

  NAT/891 – Compatibility of EU trade policy with the European Green Deal  
  NAT/839 – EU Long-term vision for rural areas 
  NAT/785 – European Climate Pact  
  NAT/778 – Financing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy and the Challenges in Financing 

Climate Change Adaptation  

  NAT/788  –  Towards  structured  youth  engagement  on  climate  and  sustainability  in  the  EU 

decision-making process 

  SC/53 – Leaving no one behind when implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda  
  REX/535 – Next Generation Trade and Sustainable Development – Reviewing the 15-point action 

plan  

  REX/536 – A new framework for free trade agreements, economic partnership and investment 
agreements that guarantees the real involvement of CSOs and the social partners and ensures 
public awareness 

  REX/509 – Reforming the WTO to adapt to developments in world trade 
  REX/484 – Proposal for a new European Consensus on Development: "Our World, our Dignity, 

our Future" 

  REX/561 – The power of trade partnerships: together for green and just economic growth 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Relevant documents from civil society organisations 

  https://mppn.org/the-hidden-dimensions-of-poverty/ 
  Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment infographic_web-241121 14-01 ES.pdf - 

Google Drive 

  Convention C190 - Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) (ilo.org) 
  Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy - Energy Cities (energy-cities.eu) 
  #EUvsVirus pan-European hackathon: can you hack it (europa.eu) 
  Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée (tzcld.fr) 
  https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/ban-povertyism-same-way-racism-and-

sexism-un-expert 

  Scoreboard for the EU's actions to tackle inequalities - CONCORD (concordeurope.org) 
  https://www.ccre.org/activites/view/44 
  https://www.feantsa.org/en 
  https://circular-cities-and-regions.eu/ 
  2021 Europe Sustainable Development Report - SDSN Europe 
  The 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030 - Eurocities  
  Home | Intelligent Cities Challenge 
  https://www.atd-fourthworld.org/atd-fourth-world-at-cop27/   
  www.atd-quartmonde.fr/reussir-la-participation-de-toutes-et-tous-petit-guide-pratique-pour-

agir/ 

  https://sustainablecities.eu/local-green-deals/about-lgds/ 
  https://www.atd-fourthworld.org/international-advocacy/post-2015-development-goals/ 
  https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/mother-earth 
  https://www.altercontacts.org/mother-earth 
  ASviS Report - Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile 

38