Executive Vice-President Ribera

Today we have the chance to learn a bit more about the state of the environment in Europe, the improvements and the challenges to preserve some of the very key basis of our health, our economy, our security and our welfare.

We, Europeans, are lucky. Since 1994 we count on the European Environment Agency and its very great network of professionals to follow, assess and report on a large number of key indicators that allow us to make sound decisions.

The first Executive-Director of the European Environment Agency, my very appreciated friend Domingo Jiménez Beltrán, used to say: ‘It is difficult to protect what you dont know. Its easy to give up if you dont understand the consequences. How to communicate complicated data in a simpler manner or how important is not to make mistakes when deciding upon policies that may have a great impact on people?

The creation of the European Environment Agency was not the first relevant step towards a more resilient and greener Europe. The origin of the green agenda, back in the 80s, allowed us to connect green policies with the Single Market and inspired some of the most successful policies we feel proud of, such as the habitats regulation or the prevention of pollution in industrial sites. Green meant health and quality of life. And it is still the case.  

Since then, the data improvement, the respect to knowledge and the public awareness and respect to knowledge have become key enablers for improvement of our European project, both in geopolitical and competitiveness terms. And the role of the European Environment Agency and its reports is one of the most relevant tools we can count on. Therefore, allow me to make an explicit recognition to all those that have made this possible along the years. The four Executive Directors: Domingo, Jacqueline, Hans and Leena together with their teams and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET) members have been and still are one of our biggest assets.

These are times when competitiveness and innovation resound as music to our ears. Times when denial of science and facts and aggressive rejection to environmental rules appear with no shame. These are times to learn and understand, to fight for values and prosperity, to find out and defend loud and clear why our ecosystems and climate matter. These are the days to be together as the three of us stand this morning in this room.

Todays report by the European Environment Agency captures the complexity of the challenges and delivers a simple but stark message: if Europe, its economy and way of life are to survive and thrive, we must act with vision, determination and unity, before it is too late. The climate and biodiversity crises feed off each other. The exacerbation of one worsens the other, in a vicious, destructive cycle. But this means that the solutions are also linked.

Ecosystems have an essential role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in adapting to climate change through nature-based solutions. Conserving and restoring our natural habitats can protect us against droughts, floods, wildfires and soil degradation. It helps us to mitigate climate change as well as to adapt to it. Nature protection and restoration are essential to ensure the long-term viability of our food systems and water resources.

The report is very clear – each of these steps is essential to securing the future of our communities, our economies and the generations to come. And Europes environment 2025 shows many of the answers that need. It provides a comprehensive picture of the environment, climate and sustainability in Europe, based on data from across 38 countries. It highlights important progress in climate change mitigation and recognises the EU as a world leader in this area.

Europe has cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduced fossil fuel use and doubled the share of renewables since 2005.  Air quality has improved, while recycling and resource efficiency have risen steadily over the past 10-15 years. This progress, together with advances in innovation, green jobs and sustainable finance, show that the transition towards sustainability is under way.

It provides cause for hope. However, significant challenges remain. We must radically increase our efforts in climate resilience and adaptation, and in the application of nature-based solutions. Europes environment 2025 shows how the EU is well prepared in some areas, with important legislation in place, but calls for transformative action in others. This report makes an essential contribution at an important moment.

It is a blueprint for action, a guide to increasing our security and resilience, and a plan for a healthier, more sustainable future.

Thanks a lot.

 

Commissioner Roswall

Todays report highlights the need for urgent, collective action to address some major challenges.

At the same time, it also confirms that strong policies deliver real impact – and that staying the course is essential. In our successes, we have the blueprint for action.

On climate, Europe is seeing clear and positive results. Greenhouse gas emissions are down by almost 40% since 1990. Renewable energy has grown by more than 100%. Business investments in clean energy are following the same trend. These gains are not accidental – they are the outcome of consistent EU climate policies. And they reinforce the importance of following through on our commitments to climate neutrality.

We are also seeing improvements in public health. Thanks to strong EU air quality legislation, air pollution is going down across much of the continent. It has resulted in nearly 50% less premature deaths. This shows that good environmental policy can directly improve lives – cleaner air means better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. We need to continue on this path.

At the same time, chemical pollution remains a real concern. That is why we are supporting the transition of the chemical industry towards clean, sustainable and innovative solutions – including phasing out the most harmful chemicals. Many of the companies across Europe that I speak to want to take the lead on this. In the next days the Commission will adopt the restriction of PFAS in firefighting foams which is a big source of contamination.

As you know, citizens are increasingly exposed to PFAS in their blood. I myself am no exception. I just received the results on the PFAS blood test I took before summer. It shows that I am not free of PFAS and that some of the PFAS in my blood are toxic for reproductive health. This strengthens my resolve to take our work forward.

We know that 7 out of 10 businesses in Europe are highly dependent on at least one ecosystem. More than half of our global GDP depends on nature. So we need to stop and reverse biodiversity decline. The degradation of ecosystems is putting our resilience at risk. Implementation of the EU Nature Restoration law will help tackling this.

We also see from the report that a staggering 30% of Europes territory and 34% of the population are affected by water stress. With climate change, healthy rivers, wetlands and groundwater systems are more critical than ever – not just for nature, but for our food systems, our industries, and our future. Our European Water Resilience Strategy sets out a clear path for action, and we need to keep up momentum.

The good news is that business is increasingly aware. Europes innovators are developing new solutions every day.  Today Europe is already a world leader in green innovation. European companies deliver about 40% of water patents and almost 30% of clean tech patents worldwide. But there are bottlenecks on our Single Market.

The circular economy is lagging behind. So we need to speed up and scale up. Our competitiveness, strategic independence and resilience depend on it. We have planned the Circular Economy Act for next year, but we are looking into whether we can accelerate certain parts and work is already ongoing – notably for plastics and chemical recycling. 

Also the circular bioeconomy holds real potential – for innovation, competitiveness and sustainable growth, and we will leverage it with our upcoming bioeconomy strategy. There is so much potential in all the businesses I see in this sector. We have a real opportunity to create European lead markets

With the 35% target for climate and environmental spending, the proposed new MFF will provide strong public support, and we are crowding in private investors through our work on nature credits, for example. But we also need to do the transition in the simplest way possible, with less administrative burden for companies, while keeping our environmental goals. The transition must work for everybody. We have a full agenda to deliver on.

Thank you.