Indicators

Most of the emission allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) are auctioned. Revenues from these auctions are primarily distributed to countries covered by the ETS and dedicated European Union level funds. As carbon prices have increased significantly since 2017, so too have the revenues that EU Member States collect from the ETS auctions, from EUR 5 billion in 2017 to EUR 33 billion in 2023. This increasing trend is expected to continue.

The 8th Environment Action Programme calls for fossil fuel subsidies to be phased out without delay. Subsidies were stable from 2015-2021, yet more than doubled in 2022 due to high energy prices post-COVID and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, subsequently falling to EUR 111 billion in 2023. While a significant part of fossil fuel subsidies are due to be phased out by 2030, these are largely crisis measures. The EU is likely not on track to make notable progress by 2030, as most Member States lack concrete plans to phase out the significant fossil fuel subsidies that remain.

Despite legislation addressing nutrient pollution, the average nitrate concentration in European Union groundwaters did not change significantly from 2000 to 2022. The number of groundwater monitoring stations with nitrate concentrations greater than 50mg/l also remains unchanged. Results from a high ambition model scenario show that potential nutrient load reductions are substantial, but still below the 2030 target. Currently, it remains unlikely that the trend is sufficient to achieve EU obligations or the 50% nutrient loss reduction target.

Eco-innovation, which is crucial for achieving the European Green Deal objective of transitioning to a carbon-neutral and sustainable economy, has increased in the European Union. The European Commission’s eco-innovation index increased by 27.5% from 2014 to 2024, mainly driven by improvements in resource efficiency. This steady increase in recent years is expected to continue, as the European Green Deal has set ambitious environment- and climate-related objectives. Its associated initiatives are very likely to create favourable conditions for more eco-innovation.

Arctic sea ice is rapidly declining. On average, the Arctic has lost an area of 73,000km 2 of sea ice per year in summer and 31,000km 2 per year in winter since 1979. The Arctic sea ice area for summer 2020 was the second lowest ever and sea ice is becoming younger and thinner. An almost ice-free Arctic sea in summer is projected to be a rare event for 1.5°C of global warming but will be the norm for 2.5°C warming. Since about 1800, the maximum sea ice extent in the Baltic Sea shows a decreasing trend, and reached its lowest value ever in the winter of 2019/20. This decreasing trend is projected to continue.

Global mean sea level (GMSL) has risen about 21cm since 1900, at an accelerating rate. GMSL reached its highest value ever in 2023. GMSL will likely rise by 0.28-0.55m under a very low emissions scenario (SSP1-1.9) and 0.63-1.02m under a very high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5) by 2100, relative to the 1995-2014 average. GMSL simulations that include the possibility of fast disintegration of the polar ice sheets project a rise of up to 5m by 2150. Most coastal regions in Europe have experienced an increase in sea level relative to land, except for the northern Baltic Sea coast.

The European Union has made progress in designating new marine protected areas, both as part of the Natura 2000 network and through complementary national designations. As a result, marine protected area coverage more than doubled, to 12.3%, between 2012 and 2022. However, efforts will need to increase significantly to achieve the EU Biodiversity strategy target of protecting at least 30% of EU seas by 2030, while also ensuring that all protected areas are effectively managed. At present it appears unlikely that the target will be met.

In European rivers, oxygen consuming substances decreased over the period 1992 to 2022. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) fell to half of the 1992 level, but has been fluctuating at around 2.7mgO 2 /l since 2010. Ammonium concentrations fell to 20% of the 1992 level. After 2014, the level has stabilised around 110µgNH 4 -N/l. The decrease in BOD and ammonium concentrations is a consequence of the improvement in wastewater treatment. The economic crisis in central and eastern European countries during the 1990s also contibuted to decreasing pollution from manufacturing industries.

Nutrient conditions in European surface waters have improved in recent decades. Average concentrations of nitrate and phosphate in rivers and total phosphorus in lakes have decreased. In recent years changes in surface water concentrations have levelled off, except for river phosphate which has gradually increased since 2013. There has been little change in groundwater nitrate concentration. Decrease in nutrient concentrations is likely related to improvements in wastewater treatment, the reduction of phosphorus in detergents and measures reducing agricultural inputs.

Following two decades of fluctuation, European Union emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) peaked in 2014. They have since fallen by about 33%. This can be largely attributed to the EU-wide hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down set out in the F-gas Regulation, which aims to reduce F-gas emissions and mitigate global warming. HFCs account for the majority of F-gas emissions. The EU is currently on track to meet targets and phase-down HFC use by 2030. It is also on track to meet its international obligation to reduce HFC consumption under the Montreal Protocol, in effect since 2019.

Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. Established in 1992 to safeguard Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats, its area has steadily increased. In 2022, there were 27,193 Natura 2000 sites, covering 18.6% of the European Union land area and 9% of its marine territory. Effective management of these sites is key to achieving Natura 2000’s conservation aims. Member States still need to make significant efforts to establish and effectively implement conservation measures and management plans.

The Water Framework Directive promotes sustainable water use based on a long-term protection of available water resources. Total freshwater abstraction decreased by 19% in the EU-27 between 2000 and 2022. Surface water abstraction declined by 25%, while groundwater abstraction increased by 6%, highlighting the growing pressure on groundwater resources. This shift raised groundwater’s share of total freshwater abstraction from 20% in 2000 to 26% in 2022. Abstraction for agriculture, industry, and public supply has risen since 2010, highlighting the need to enhance water use efficiency across these sectors.

Water scarcity affected 34% of the European Union territory during at least one season in 2022. Despite water abstraction declining by 19% in the EU between 2000 and 2022, there has been no overall reduction in the area affected by water scarcity conditions. In fact, the situation has intensified since 2010. This, compounded with the fact that climate change is expected to further increase the frequency, intensity and impacts of drought events, makes it somewhat unlikely that water scarcity will reduce by 2030. Additional effort is required to ensure sustainable water use.

Persistent overfishing threatens Europe’s marine ecosystems, food security and biodiversity. While the EU's integrated approach to managing fisheries has recovered some stocks, the overall situation remains critical. Only 28% of assessed stocks are sustainably fished and in good biological condition, with clear regional disparities. These conditions are met by 41% of stocks in the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Seas, compared to 9% in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The EU's aim to restore healthy fish populations and ensure sustainable use have not been achieved, highlighting the need for urgent action.

Human activities and climate change place increasing pressure on the marine environment, leading to shifts in marine primary productivity, food-web dynamics and species’ geographical distributions. The proportion of warm-favouring species in the Greater North and Celtics Seas has risen to 64%, surpassing cold-favouring species since the late-1980s and is positively correlated with recent sea surface temperature increases . Ocean warming, acidification and eutrophication are expected to drive changes further, impacting biodiversity, ecosystems and fishing opportunities.

Imperviousness negatively affects biodiversity, carbon storage and sequestration, soil hydrological properties, ecosystem services and nature conservation. In 2018, the sealed area in the European Union Member States was 110,702km 2 (2.7%). The increase in this area was 3,606km 2 (3.4%) between 2006 and 2018. The largest sealing increase of 1,156km 2 during 2009-2012 fell to half during 2012-2015, yet picked up again from 2015 to 2018 (796 km 2 ). Although most sealing happened in settlements, sealing in cropland was also substantial with 1,383km 2 agricultural area sealed from 2006 till 2018.

The European Commission zero pollution action plan sets a target to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 2005. Between 2005 and 2022, the number of premature deaths in the EU attributable to PM 2.5 fell by 45%. If this trend continues, the target will be achieved and likely exceeded. The European Commission has separately projected that this target will be surpassed if EU policies on air, climate and energy are adequately implemented. Despite ongoing improvement, 239,000 premature deaths attributable to PM 2.5 occured in the EU during 2022.

Promoting sustainable transport modes like public transport can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pressures such as air pollution and noise. The European Union's Sustainable and Smart Mobility strategy underlines the importance of public passenger transport in greater transport sustainability. The share of buses and trains in total passenger transport has changed very little since 2005, albeit with fluctuation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Achieving a modal shift towards public transport will require decisive action and a move in long-standing trends.

At the EU level, only 15% of habitat assessments have a good conservation status, with 81% having poor or bad conservation status. Grasslands, dunes, and bog, mire and fen habitats show strong deteriorating trends, while forests have the most improving trends. The EU did not meet the 2020 target of improving the conservation status of EU protected species and habitats. At the EU Member State level, the majority of assessments indicate a low number of habitats with a good conservation status. Intensive agriculture, urban sprawl and pollution are the top reported pressures to habitats.

Extreme sea levels have increased at many locations along European coastlines, due to increases in mean local sea levels. These ongoing increases will amplify the frequency of 1-in-100 years historical extreme events, by exposing most locations to critical conditions already with a sea level rise value above 10cm. In the absence of better coastal protection, the projected sea level rise would increase the frequency of extreme high coastal water levels by a factor of 10 in most European coastlines prior to 2050, with differences depending on the location and the future climate scenario.