Editorial

"Ursula von der Leyen, president-elect of the European Commission, set her team’s political priorities for the next five years. A European Green Deal, outlining more ambitious actions on climate and biodiversity crises, is at the heart of her agenda. European policies have long tackled environmental degradation and climate change with some success and some failures. Supported by growing calls for action by the public, this new policy term — with the new European Commission and Parliament — provides a unique opportunity to scale up and speed up a green and just transition for Europe."

Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director

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"Climate change has already negatively affected the agriculture sector in Europe and this will continue in the future. Changes in temperature and precipitation as well as weather and climate extremes are already influencing crop yields and livestock productivity in Europe. This can lead to abandonment of climate-disadvantaged farmlands in parts of southern Europe.

Moreover, a cascade of impacts from climate change outside Europe may affect the price, quantity and quality of products, and consequently trade patterns, which in turn may affect agricultural income in Europe."

Interview with Blaz Kurnik on climate change impacts on the agriculture sector based on the EEA's recent report.  

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The European Union has achieved its goals to phase out ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol. A new European Environment Agency report shows that in 2018 the EU again destroyed or exported more ozone-depleting substances than it produced or imported. Read more

There is growing recognition that achieving prosperity within environmental limits requires fundamental changes in core systems of production and consumption. A new European Environment Agency report identifies ten focus areas for enabling sustainability transitions. Read more

Crop and livestock production is projected to decrease and may even have to be abandoned in parts of Europe’s southern and Mediterranean regions due to the increased negative impacts of climate change, according to a new EEA report. Adapting to climate change must be made a top priority for the European Union’s agriculture sector if it is to improve resilience to extreme events like droughts, heatwaves and floods. Read more

European Union Member States have made only mixed progress in reducing emissions of the most harmful air pollutants, according to updated data published by the European Environment Agency. The data is from the annual EU emission inventory report sent to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Read more

While emissions of most air pollutants remain on a downward trend across the European Union, emissions of ammonia from the agricultural sector continue to rise, posing a challenge for EU Member States in meeting EU air pollution limits, according to updated data released by the EEA. Read more

Emissions of key air pollutants from large combustion plants have significantly decreased in the European Union over past years. The EU Large Combustion Plant Directive regulating this sector was the main reason behind these major emission cuts from 2004 to 2015. Read more

According to provisional data published by the EEA, the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new passenger cars registered in the EU in 2018 increased for the second consecutive year, reaching 120.4 grammes of CO2 per kilometre. For the first time, the average CO2 emissions from new vans also increased. Read more

The EEA marked its 25th anniversary on 19 June with a special meeting involving senior officials and experts from the EEA’s 39 member and cooperating countries, the European Commission, and the European Parliament. Read more

All parts of Europe’s energy system, from availability of energy sources to energy consumption, are potentially vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, according to a European Environment Agency report. Read more

As a society, we face major challenges. We need enlightened policies and governance, and an engaged citizenry if we are to achieve, long term sustainability. Key human systems underpinning our society: energy, transport, food, farming and housing need to be rethought. Reliable and trusted data are ever more essential.

This briefing is based on a range of EEA and Eionet work, and is intended to provide European policy makers and the public with a selection of key insights on the challenges for environmental sustainability. Read more

This Finnish Presidency event consists of three parallel conferences on: Sustainable transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient circular economy - creating the knowledge base; Sustainable and Smart Manufacturing; and Sustainable innovation. The EEA will presenting its work on circular economy. Read more

The second Clean Air Forum, bring together decision-makers, stakeholders and experts, will focus on three themes: air quality and energy; air quality and agriculture; and clean air funding mechanisms. The EEA will take part to present its work on air quality. Read more

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The EEA's sixth 'Europe's environment - state and outlook' report will be published. Additional information on related events and streaming opportunities will be shared on our website. Read more

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