Environmental issues in the European Union include the environmental issues identified by theEuropean Union as well as its constituent states. The European Union has several federal bodies which create policy and practice across the constituent states.
A report from the European Environment Agency shows thatroad transport remains Europe's single largestair polluter.[1]
National Emission Ceilings (NEC) for certain atmospheric pollutants are regulated by NECD Directive 2001/81/EC (NECD).[2] As part of the preparatory work associated with the revision of the NECD, theEuropean Commission is assisted by the NECPI working group (National Emission Ceilings – Policy Instruments).[3]
Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (the new Air Quality Directive) has entered into force on 11 June 2008.[4]
Individual citizens can force their local councils to tackle air pollution, following an important ruling in July 2009 from theEuropean Court of Justice (ECJ). The EU's court was asked to judge the case of a resident of Munich,Dieter Janecek, who said that under the 1996 EU Air Quality Directive (Council Directive 96/62/EC of 27 September 1996 onambient air quality assessment and management[5]) theMunich authorities were obliged to take action to stop pollution exceeding specified targets. Janecek then took his case to the ECJ, whose judges said European citizens are entitled to demand air quality action plans from local authorities in situations where there is a risk that EU limits will be overshot.[1]
Since the late 1970s, theEuropean Union's (EU)policy has been to develop and drive appropriate measures to improveair quality throughout the EU. The control of emissions from mobile sources, improving fuel quality and promoting and integrating environmental protection requirements into the transport and energy sector are part of these aims.
The main advising agency of the EU is theEuropean Environment Agency (EEA). It came into force in 1993, after the decision to locate the EEA inCopenhagen. Work started in earnest in 1994. The EEA's mandate is to help the community and member countries make informed decisions about improving the environment and integrating environmental considerations into economic policies and to coordinate the European environment information and observation network (Eionet). Eionet is a partnership network across member states involving approximately 1000 experts and more than 350 national institutions. The network supports the collection and organization of data and the development and dissemination of information concerning Europe's environment.
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Effects on European countries include warmer weather and increasing frequency and intensity ofextreme weather such asheat waves, bringinghealth risks and effects on ecosystems. European countries are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, although theEuropean Union and governments of several countries have outlined plans to implementclimate change mitigation and anenergy transition in the 21st century, theEuropean Green Deal being one of these.
Public opinion in Europe shows concern about climate change; in theEuropean Investment Bank's Climate Survey of 2020, 90% of Europeans believe their children will experience the effects of climate change in their daily lives.[10]Climate change activism andbusinesses shifting their practices has taken place in Europe.
Protected areas of the European Union are areas which need and/or receive special protection because of their environmental, cultural or historical value to themember states of the European Union.
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"Over the past decades the European Union has put in place a broad range of environmental legislation. As a result, air, water andsoil pollution has significantly been reduced. Chemicals legislation has been modernised and the use of many toxic or hazardous substances has been restricted. Today, EU citizens enjoy some of the best water quality in the world" (European Commission, EAP 2020[14])
10–20% 20–30% | 30–40% 40–50% | 50–60% >60% |
Renewable energy progress in theEuropean Union (EU) is driven by theEuropean Commission's 2023 revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, which raised the EU's binding renewable energy target for 2030 to at least 42.5%, up from the previous target of 32%.[15] Effective since November 20, 2023, across all EU countries, this directive includes reducinggreenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The Energy 2020 strategy exceeded its goals, with the EU achieving a 22.1% share ofrenewable energy in 2020, surpassing the 20% target.[15]
The largest renewable energy category for Europe in 2023 was solid, liquid, and gaseous biomass, which comprised half of all renewable energy consumption that year.[16] In particular, wood is the leading source of renewable energy in Europe, far ahead of solar and wind.[17] In 2023, renewables provided 26.2% of total EU energy consumption in heating and cooling, marking an 11.7% increase since 2004.[18] In electricity, renewables accounted for 45.3% of gross energy consumption, led by wind (38.5%) and hydro-power (28.2%), followed by solar (20.5%), solid biofuels (6.2%) and other renewable sources (6.6%).[19] In transport, the share of renewable energy used reached 10.8%.[20]Renewable electricity generation reached 50% of total EU electricity in the first half of 2024.[21]
In 2023, Sweden led among EU countries with 66.4% of its gross final energy consumption derived from renewable sources, followed by Finland (50.8%), Denmark (44.9%), and Latvia (43.2%). Conversely, Luxembourg reported the lowest renewable energy proportion with only 11.6%, followed by Belgium (14.7%), Malta (15.1%), and Ireland (15.3%).[22]
Therenewable energy directive enacted in 2009 lays out a framework for individual member states to share the overall EU-wide 20% renewable energy target for 2020.[23] Promoting the use of renewable energy sources is important both to the reduction of the EU'senergy dependence and in meeting targets to combatglobal warming.The directive sets targets for each individual member state taking into account the different starting points and potentials.[23] Targets for renewable energy use by 2020 among different member states varied from 10% to 49%.[23] 26 EU member states met their national 2020 targets. The sole exception was France, which had aimed for 23% but only reached 19.1%. As of 2023, Ireland had also dropped below its 2020 target.[22]
TheEuropean Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by theEuropean Commission with the overarching aim of making theEuropean Union (EU)climate neutral in 2050.[25][26] The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits, and also introduce new legislation on thecircular economy (CE),building renovation,biodiversity, farming andinnovation.[26]
The president of the European Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the European Green Deal would be Europe's "man on the moon moment".[26] On 13 December 2019, theEuropean Council decided to press ahead with the plan, with an opt-out forPoland.[27] On 15 January 2020, theEuropean Parliament voted to support the deal as well, with requests for higher ambition.[28] A year later, the European Climate Law was passed, which legislated thatgreenhouse gas emissions should be 55% lower in 2030 compared to 1990. TheFit for 55 package is a large set of proposed legislation detailing how the European Union plans to reach this target.[29] ETS2 is the newEU Emissions Trading System that will enter into force in 2027 and, for the first time in history, will set a price for CO2 emissions from fuels used in the building and road transport sectors.[30]
TheEuropean Commission's climate change strategy, launched in 2020, is focused on a promise to make Europe anet-zero emitter ofgreenhouse gases by 2050 and to demonstrate that economies will develop without increasing resource usage. However, the Green Deal has measures to ensure that nations that are already reliant onfossil fuels are not left behind in the transition to renewable energy.[31][32][33] The green transition is a top priority for Europe. The EU member states want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, and become climate neutral by 2050.[34][35][36][37]
Von der Leyen appointedFrans Timmermans as Executive Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal in 2019. He was succeeded byMaroš Šefčovič in 2023,[38] andTeresa Ribera in 2024.
TheNature Restoration Law is a regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1991) of theEuropean Union to protect the EU environments and restore its nature to a good ecological state throughrenaturation. The law is a core element of theEuropean Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy and makes the targets set therein for the "restoration of nature" binding.[39] EU member states will have to develop their national restoration plans by 2026.[40] They will have to restore at least 30% of habitats in poor condition by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050.[41][42][43]
The regulation is a response to Europe's declining natural environments, with more than 80% of habitats in poor condition.[39] Its goals include protecting the functioning ofecosystem services,climate change mitigation, resilience and autonomy by preventing natural disasters and reducing risks tofood security,[39] and restoring damagedecosystems.[40]
The regulation was proposed by theEuropean Commission on 22 June 2022.[44] The law was adopted in theCouncil of the European Union on 17 June 2024[49] and was published in theEU'sOfficial Journal on 29 July 2024, thus coming into force on 18 August 2024 (20th day after publication).[50]
Apesticide, also called Plant Protection Product (PPP), which is a term used in regulatory documents, consists of several different components. Theactive ingredient in a pesticide is called “active substance” and these active substances either consist of chemicals or micro-organisms. The aims of these active substances are to specifically take action against organisms that are harmful to plants (Art. 2(2), Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009[51]). In other words, active substances are the active components againstpests andplant diseases.
In the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009,[51] a pesticide is defined based on how it is used. Thus, pesticides have to fulfill certain criteria in order to be called pesticides. Among others, the criteria include that they either protect plants against harmful organisms - by killing or in other ways preventing the organism from performing harm, that they enhance the natural ability of plants to defend themselves against these harmful organisms, or that they kill off competing plants such as weeds.
Within the European Union a 2-tiered approach is used for the approval and authorisation of pesticides. Firstly, before an actual pesticide can be developed and put on the European market, the active substance of the pesticide needs to be approved for the European Union. Only after approval of an active substance, a procedure of approval of the Plant Protection Product (PPP) can begin in the individual Member States. In case of approval, there is a monitoring programme to make sure the pesticide residues in food are below the limits set by theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The use of PPPs (i.e. pesticides) in theEuropean Union (EU) is regulated by the Regulation No 1107/2009[51] on Plant Protection Products in cooperation with other EU Regulations and Directives (e.g. the regulation on maximum residue levels in food (MRL); Regulation (EC) No 396/2005,[52] and the Directive on sustainable use of pesticides; Directive 2009/128/EC).[53]These regulatory documents are set to ensure safe use of pesticides in the EU regarding human health andenvironmental sustainability. The responsible authorities within the EU working with pesticide regulation are theEuropean Commission,European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),European Chemical Agency (ECHA); working in cooperation with the EU Member States. Additionally, important stakeholders are the chemical producing companies, which develop PPPs and active substances that are to be evaluated by the regulatory authorities mentioned above.
Conservative Agriculture Spokesman Anthea McIntyre MEP and colleague Daniel Dalton MEP[54] were appointed to the European Parliament's special committee on pesticides on 16 March 2018. Sitting for nine months, the committee will examine the scientific evaluation ofglyphosate, the world's most commonly used weed killer which was relicensed for five years by the EU in December after months of uncertainty. They will also consider wider issues around the authorisation of pesticides.
In 2016, following theEU Regulation 1143/2014[55] onInvasive Alien Species (IAS), theEuropean Commission published a first list of 37 IAS of Union concern.[56] The list was first updated in 2017[57] and comprised 49 species. Since the second update in 2019,[58] 66 species are listed as IAS of EU concern. Since the third update in 2022,[59] 88 species are listed as IAS of EU concern, although the final inclusion of three of these species has been deferred to 2024, and one to 2027.[citation needed] Finally, in 2025 further 26 species were added, so the list now contains 114 species.[60]
The species on the list are subject to restrictions on keeping, importing, selling, breeding and growing. Member States of theEuropean Union must take measures to stop their spread, implement monitoring and preferably eradicate these species. Even countries in which they are already widespread are expected to manage the species to avoid further spread.[61]
TheEuropean Environment Agency (EEA) is theagency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment in climate policy, biodiversity conservation and other environmental goals set by the country.
TheEuropean Climate Change Programme (ECCP) was launched in June 2000 by theEuropean Union'sEuropean Commission, with the purpose ofavoiding dangerous climate change.
The goal of the ECCP is to identify, develop and implement all the necessary elements of an EU strategy to implement theKyoto Protocol. All EU countries'ratifications of the Kyoto Protocol were deposited simultaneously on 31 May 2002. The ECCP involved all the relevant stakeholders working together, including representatives from Commission's different departments, the member states, industry and environmental groups.[62]
TheEuropean Union Emissions Trading System for greenhouse gases (EU ETS) is perhaps the most significant contribution of the ECCP, and the EU ETS is the largestgreenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world.
In 1996 the EU adopted a target of a maximum 2 °C rise in global mean temperature, compared to pre-industrial levels. Since then, European Leaders have reaffirmed this goal several times.[63][64][65] Due to only minor efforts in globalClimate change mitigation it is highly likely that the world will not be able to reach this particular target. The EU might then be forced to accept a less ambitious target or to change itsclimate policy paradigm.[66]
Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) is aDirectorate-General of theEuropean Commission, responsible for theEnvironmental policy of the European Union. Initially known as DG XI, in 2010 "relevant [climate change] activities in DG Environment" were moved from DG ENV to the newDG Climate Action (DG CLIMA).[67] It retains competence for zero pollution, circular economy, and biodiversity. It is currently led by Director-General Eric Mamer. The DG ENV supports the work of the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy,Jessika Roswall.
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