Report shows lagging Sustainable Development Goals progress in the EU

A new report on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Europe has found that “persistent challenges” are leading to slow progress and even reversal in some areas. 

The analysis, published today by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), highlights five major SDG challenges the EU faces – namely in terms of inequality, environmental and biodiversity goals, unsustainable consumption and supply chains, wide variations in the pace of progress across member states, stagnation on peace and partnerships.

Overall, progress towards the SDGs was two times slower between 2020 and 2023 than from 2016 to 2019 – which the organisation blames on growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts.

“Peace and global cooperation are the fundamental conditions to achieve sustainable development, in Europe and globally. In a multipolar world, characterised by rising geopolitical tensions across superpowers, the EU and its member states should leverage all diplomatic channels and build coalitions with countries and alliances that aim to promote peace and sustainable development,” SDSN argues.

Focus on sustainable food choices

The sixth edition of the report – which looks at SDG advancement across all 27 EU member states as well as nine EU candidate countries, four European Free Trade Agreement countries, and the United Kingdom – dives particularly into sustainable food and land system challenges.

It suggests that demand-side measures, especially dietary shifts, must be prioritised by policymakers for sustainable agri-food systems and improved health outcomes in the EU.

Read also: Food-related SDGs top list of off-track global goals

“We only have five years ahead of us to implement the Agenda 2030, and sustainable food systems are a crucial driver for the implementation of the SDGs. To accelerate action, we need more ambitious mechanisms to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers, small-scale food producers, and other stakeholders. We must also tackle unfair distribution in the supply chain and ensure a just transition," said Peter Schmidt, President of the Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Section within the European Economic and Social Committee, which contributed to the report. "Meaningful and structured engagement with civil society, including youth, in policy-making for sustainable food systems will ensure that no one is left behind.”

EU needs to ‘reaffirm commitment to SDGs’

SDSN believes that the EU’s new leadership should recommit to the Sustainable Development Goals, and makes a number of recommendations to accelerate progress in the next five years.

For example, the bloc needs to collectively scale up investments in clean energy and digital technologies, strengthen pro-social measures to address the consequences of inflation and rising geopolitical tensions, and promote a just transition towards a healthier and more sustainable diet.

Guillaume Lafortune, Vice President of the SDSN and lead author of the report, added: “People, and especially young people, want sustainable development. With the size of the global economy and the technologies available, the world has the potential to fully achieve sustainable development! It is the historic responsibility, but also the strategic interest of the new EU leadership, to uphold the universal principles of the UN Charter and implement the SDGs, notably by forging new partnerships in a truly multipolar world.”