Our climate is changing. Home to three quarters of European citizens, cities will need to adapt to a changing climate. Many innovative solutions are already being put to use. Find out what climate change means for cities in Europe and what cities can do.

Read more

The Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) was established to improve the collection, exchange and use of environmental data and information across Europe. SEIS aims to create an integrated web-enabled, EU-wide environmental information system, by simplifying and modernizing existing information systems and processes.

Read more

Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

Read more

Air quality in Europe is slowly improving. However, between 2000 and 2014, a significant proportion of the urban population in the EU-28 was exposed to concentrations of certain air pollutants above the EU limit or target values. The numbers of people exposed were even higher in relation to the more stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values set for the protection of human health.    For fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), 8 - 17 % of the urban population were exposed to concentrations in excess of the EU target value, while 85 - 97 % were exposed to concentrations above the WHO guideline value (for 2006-2014 only). For particulate matter (PM 10 ), the respective exposure estimates were 16 - 42% for the EU limit value and 50 - 92 % for the WHO guideline value. For ozone (O 3 ), estimates was 8 - 55 % for the EU target value and 94 - 99 % for the WHO guideline value. For nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), estimates were 7 - 31 % in both cases (EU limit value and WHO guideline). For benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), estimates were 17 - 24 % for the EU target value and 81 - 91 % for the estimated reference level (for 2008-2014 only).

Read more

The gradient of the accumulated ozone exposure values for forests, over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f), is similar to that of the AOT40c (crops). AOT40f increases from northern Europe to reach the highest values in the countries around the Mediterranean.

Read more

Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops, over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c), increase from northern Europe to the southern Mediterranean countries.

Read more

In the EU-28, critical loads for acidification were exceeded in 7 % of the ecosystem area in 2010, down from 43 % in 1980 (and decreased to 7 % of the ecosystem area  across all EEA member countries). There are still some areas where the interim objective for reducing acidification, as defined in the EU's National Emission Ceilings Directive, has not been met.  The EU-28 ecosystem area in which the critical loads for eutrophication were exceeded peaked at 84 % in 1990 and decreased to 63 % in 2010 (55 % in the EEA member countries). The area in exceedance is projected to further decrease to 54 % in 2020 for the EU-28 (48 % in the EEA member countries), assuming current legislation is implemented. The magnitude of the exceedances is also projected to decline considerably in most areas, except for a few 'hot spot' areas in western France and the border areas between the Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as in northern Italy. Looking forward, only 4 % of the EU-28 ecosystem area (3 % in EEA member countries) is projected to exceed acidification critical loads in 2020 if current legislation is fully implemented. The eutrophication reduction target set in the updated EU air pollution strategy proposed by the European Commission in late 2013, will be met by 2030 if it is assumed that all maximum technically feasible reduction measures are implemented, but it will not be met by current legislation. For ozone, most of Europe's vegetation and agricultural crops are exposed to ozone levels that exceed the long term objective specified in the EU's Air Quality Directive. A significant fraction is also exposed to levels above the target value threshold defined in the directive. During the past five years, the fractions of agricultural crops above the target value were the lowest since 1996. In 2013, the fraction decreased to around the 21 %, compared with a relative peak of 27 % in 2012 . The effect-related concentrations show large year-to-year variations. Over the period 1996-2013, exposure increased until 2006, after which it decreased. During the past five years, around two-thirds of the forest area was exposed to ozone concentrations above the critical level set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( UNECE) for the protection of forests. 

Read more

Data on greenhouse gas emissions and removals, sent by countries to UNFCCC and the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism (EU Member States). This data set reflects the GHG inventory data for 2016 as reported under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change.

Read more

EU progress in meeting emission ceilings (for compliance and for environmental objectives) of the four main air pollutants regulated in the 2001 National Emission Ceilings Directive

Read more

Bathing water monitoring by country. Please note: for the scales 1:5.000.001 and less detailed, data are aggregated by country. In such case, stacked bars show percentage of bathing water quality for coastal and inland waters together. Number of bathing waters within certain category is seen in pop up window which can be turned on with a click on one of the countries. For the scale range 1:5 000.000 to 1:700,001, individual bathing water sites (points) are visible instead of classified stacked charts and are coloured according to the classification of bathing water quality. Symbol size depends on the map scale (in more detailed map scales symbols are bigger). For the scales 1:700,000 and more detailed, symbol of bather in a square appears instead of points. Symbol size depends on the map scale.

Read more

This interactive map allows you to explore the changes over time on water abstraction by source and water use by sector at sub-basin or river basin scale. The water exploitation index has been calculated as quaterly average per river basin district, for the years 2002-2012, as defined in ECRINS. The ECRINS delineation of river basin districts differs from those defined by Member States under the Water Framework Directive, particularly for transboundary river basin districts.

Read more

The graph combines information on countries' perceptions on the effectiveness of their vertical coordination mechanism together with information on the stage of their adaptation policy process. Bubbles indicate the number of countries in a given stage of adaptation policy process with a similar perception of the effectiveness of their vertical coordination mechanism

Read more

Data about the EU emission trading system (ETS). The EU ETS data viewer provides aggregated data on emissions and allowances, by country, sector and year. The data mainly comes from the EU Transaction Log (EUTL). Additional information on auctioning and scope corrections is included.

Read more

European countries are improving their methods to prevent household trash and other municipal waste from ending up in landfill sites. Recycling rates, in particular, have increased considerably across Europe over the past decade, due in part to European environmental policies, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment published today.

Read more

This briefing is a synthesis of the outcomes of a country-by-country analysis that addressed 32 EEA countries: EU-28 Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey (ETC/WMGE, 2016), complemented with some information from the Western Balkan countries.

Read more

The 2016 edition of the annual EEA report, Trends and projections in Europe, provides an updated assessment of the progress of the EU and European countries towards their climate mitigation and energy targets.

Read more

Preliminary estimates show that emissions across the European Union in 2015 were 22 % lower than 1990 levels, despite a slight increase compared to 2014, according to new reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA) published today. The reports confirm that the EU is well on course to meet its greenhouse gas emission target set for 2020.

Read more

Air quality in Europe is slowly improving. However, between 2000 and 2014, a significant proportion of the urban population in the EU-28 was exposed to concentrations of certain air pollutants above the EU limit or target values. The numbers of people exposed were even higher in relation to the more stringent World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline values set for the protection of human health.    For fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), 8 - 17 % of the urban population were exposed to concentrations in excess of the EU target value, while 85 - 97 % were exposed to concentrations above the WHO guideline value (for 2006-2014 only). For particulate matter (PM 10 ), the respective exposure estimates were 16 - 42% for the EU limit value and 50 - 92 % for the WHO guideline value. For ozone (O 3 ), estimates was 8 - 55 % for the EU target value and 94 - 99 % for the WHO guideline value. For nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), estimates were 7 - 31 % in both cases (EU limit value and WHO guideline). For benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), estimates were 17 - 24 % for the EU target value and 81 - 91 % for the estimated reference level (for 2008-2014 only).

Read more

In the EU-28, critical loads for acidification were exceeded in 7 % of the ecosystem area in 2010, down from 43 % in 1980 (and decreased to 7 % of the ecosystem area  across all EEA member countries). There are still some areas where the interim objective for reducing acidification, as defined in the EU's National Emission Ceilings Directive, has not been met.  The EU-28 ecosystem area in which the critical loads for eutrophication were exceeded peaked at 84 % in 1990 and decreased to 63 % in 2010 (55 % in the EEA member countries). The area in exceedance is projected to further decrease to 54 % in 2020 for the EU-28 (48 % in the EEA member countries), assuming current legislation is implemented. The magnitude of the exceedances is also projected to decline considerably in most areas, except for a few 'hot spot' areas in western France and the border areas between the Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as in northern Italy. Looking forward, only 4 % of the EU-28 ecosystem area (3 % in EEA member countries) is projected to exceed acidification critical loads in 2020 if current legislation is fully implemented. The eutrophication reduction target set in the updated EU air pollution strategy proposed by the European Commission in late 2013, will be met by 2030 if it is assumed that all maximum technically feasible reduction measures are implemented, but it will not be met by current legislation. For ozone, most of Europe's vegetation and agricultural crops are exposed to ozone levels that exceed the long term objective specified in the EU's Air Quality Directive. A significant fraction is also exposed to levels above the target value threshold defined in the directive. During the past five years, the fractions of agricultural crops above the target value were the lowest since 1996. In 2013, the fraction decreased to around the 21 %, compared with a relative peak of 27 % in 2012 . The effect-related concentrations show large year-to-year variations. Over the period 1996-2013, exposure increased until 2006, after which it decreased. During the past five years, around two-thirds of the forest area was exposed to ozone concentrations above the critical level set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( UNECE) for the protection of forests. 

Read more

Accumulated ozone exposure values for crops, over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40c), increase from northern Europe to the southern Mediterranean countries.

Read more

The gradient of the accumulated ozone exposure values for forests, over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (AOT40f), is similar to that of the AOT40c (crops). AOT40f increases from northern Europe to reach the highest values in the countries around the Mediterranean.

Read more

Data on greenhouse gas emissions and removals, sent by countries to UNFCCC and the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism (EU Member States). This data set reflects the GHG inventory data for 2016 as reported under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change.

Read more

Modern society depends on the movement of goods and people, but our current transport systems have negative impacts on human health and the environment. We spoke to Magdalena Jóźwicka, project manager of an upcoming report on electric vehicles, about the environmental advantages and challenges of using electricity as an alternative to conventional fuels for vehicles.

Read more

Last December in Paris, the world set itself an ambitious target: limiting the global average temperature rise well below 2 degrees, while aiming to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. At the G20 summit earlier this month, China and the United States announced their formal commitment to join the Paris agreement. This is a major step forward for the international effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. Nevertheless, the current reduction commitments made so far by signatory countries are not sufficient to meet this ambitious target.

Read more

Our climate is changing. Home to three quarters of European citizens, cities will need to adapt to a changing climate. Many innovative solutions are already being put to use. Find out what climate change means for cities in Europe and what cities can do.

Read more

EU progress in meeting emission ceilings (for compliance and for environmental objectives) of the four main air pollutants regulated in the 2001 National Emission Ceilings Directive

Read more

The Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) was established to improve the collection, exchange and use of environmental data and information across Europe. SEIS aims to create an integrated web-enabled, EU-wide environmental information system, by simplifying and modernizing existing information systems and processes.

Read more

Bathing water monitoring by country. Please note: for the scales 1:5.000.001 and less detailed, data are aggregated by country. In such case, stacked bars show percentage of bathing water quality for coastal and inland waters together. Number of bathing waters within certain category is seen in pop up window which can be turned on with a click on one of the countries. For the scale range 1:5 000.000 to 1:700,001, individual bathing water sites (points) are visible instead of classified stacked charts and are coloured according to the classification of bathing water quality. Symbol size depends on the map scale (in more detailed map scales symbols are bigger). For the scales 1:700,000 and more detailed, symbol of bather in a square appears instead of points. Symbol size depends on the map scale.

Read more

This interactive map allows you to explore the changes over time on water abstraction by source and water use by sector at sub-basin or river basin scale. The water exploitation index has been calculated as quaterly average per river basin district, for the years 2002-2012, as defined in ECRINS. The ECRINS delineation of river basin districts differs from those defined by Member States under the Water Framework Directive, particularly for transboundary river basin districts.

Read more

The graph combines information on countries' perceptions on the effectiveness of their vertical coordination mechanism together with information on the stage of their adaptation policy process. Bubbles indicate the number of countries in a given stage of adaptation policy process with a similar perception of the effectiveness of their vertical coordination mechanism

Read more