The indicator ‘Gross value added of the environmental goods and services sector’ monitors the gross value added of the economic activities of the EU’s environmental (or green) economy. The indicator builds on Eurostat statistics on employment and growth in the EU’s environmental economy, as they are defined in the European environmental goods and services sector accounts. ‘The environmental economy encompasses activities and products that serve either of two purposes: “environmental protection” — that is, preventing, reducing and eliminating pollution or any other degradation of the environment, or “resource management” — that is, preserving natural resources and safeguarding them against depletion’.
For further information, see Eurostat (2016).
This indicator is directly based on data published by Eurostat, and the underpinning methodology can be found in Eurostat (2023). EU-level data are based on Eurostat estimates. A detailed discussion of statistics on the environmental goods and services sector can be found in Eurostat (2016).
The data were deflated to 2010 prices by using the GDP deflator.
This indicator is a headline indicator for monitoring progress towards meeting targets of the 8th EAP. It contributes mainly to monitoring progress in relation to aspects of Article 2.1, which requires that, ‘by 2050 at the latest, people live well, within the planetary boundaries in a well-being economy where nothing is wasted, growth is regenerative, climate neutrality in the Union has been achieved and inequalities have been significantly reduced. A healthy environment underpins the well-being of all people and is an environment in which biodiversity is conserved, ecosystems thrive, and nature is protected and restored, leading to increased resilience to climate change, weather- and climate-related disasters and other environmental risks. The Union sets the pace for ensuring the prosperity of present and future generations globally, guided by intergenerational responsibility’ . The European Commission communication on the 8th EAP monitoring framework specifies that this indicator should monitor the ‘increase ofthe shares of the green economy... in the whole economy’ .