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See all EU institutions and bodiesThe European Environment Agency (EEA) has been tasked by the European Commission to annually take stock of the progress towards the 8th Environment Action Programme (8th EAP) objectives on the basis of a set of 28 headline indicators. The indicators were selected by the European Commission after consultation with stakeholders, the Member States and the EEA, and they represent key aspects of the 8th EAP.
The 8th Environment Action Programme is the Union’s legally agreed overarching framework for action on EU environment policy until 2030.
The programme reiterates the EU’s long-term vision to 2050 of living well, within planetary boundaries and sets out priority objectives for 2030 and the conditions needed to achieve these. It builds on the European Green Deal and aims to speed up the green transition and to protect, restore and improve the state of the environment.
The EEA will assess progress towards 8th EAP objectives in annual reports published every December. The first report will be available in December 2023. Please see the ongoing work on the 8th EAP headline indicators below.
8th EAP headline indicators:
Climate change mitigation
- Total greenhouse gas emission trends and projections in Europe
- Greenhouse gas emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry in Europe
Climate change adaptation
A regenerative circular economy
Zero pollution and a toxic free environment
- Premature deaths due to exposure to fine particulate matter in Europe
- Nutrients in freshwater in Europe
Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Nationally designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe
- Marine protected areas in Europe’s seas
- Abundance and distribution of selected species in Europe
- Forest connectivity
Environmental and climate pressures related to EU production and consumption
- Primary and final energy consumption in Europe
- Share of energy consumption from renewable sources in Europe
- Circular material use rate in Europe
- Use of collective transport modes for passenger transport and non-road transport modes for freight transport in Europe
- Agricultural area under organic farming in Europe
Enabling conditions
- Share of environmental taxes in total tax revenues
- Fossil fuel subsidies
- Environmental protection expenditure
- Green bonds
- Eco-innovation index
Living well, within planetary boundaries
- Net land take in cities and commuting zones in Europe
- Water scarcity conditions in Europe (Water exploitation index plus)
- Europe’s consumption footprint
- Employment in the environmental goods and services sector
- Gross added value of environmental goods and services sector
- Income-related environmental inequalities associated with air pollution in Europe