The European Commission’s vision for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) should set an ambitious benchmark for the EU’s actions to eradicate poverty and inequality, support people and planet centred development, and strengthen the resilience of societies from global and local challenges, including climate change.
In order to realise the objectives of the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030 and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, it is essential that the EU and its Member States go above and beyond existing efforts to pursue the clean energy transition in speedy and equitable manner towards 100% renewable and fully efficient societies. The EU should also enhance international support to tackle the impacts of climate change, and provide robust short- and long-term planning, monitoring and accounting mechanisms to stay on track to reaching established objectives, with a view to scaling up its efforts.
Climate change and its impacts are among the biggest risks to economic stability and the EU’s own development objectives. Structural reforms are urgently needed to better mainstream climate action and the clean energy transition in a cost-effective and whole economy scale.
The European Commission published its vision for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, both domestically – “A sustainable European future” – and internationally – “A new European consensus on development” on 22 November 2016.
This short analysis looks at the European Commission’s proposal to implement measures within the EU and its neighbouring countries and weighs the proposals in the Commission paper against international objectives and civil society demands on climate change and energy.
Read the recommendations in full here: CAN Europe’s recommendations on EU SDG implementation
