Brussels, 29/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - WWF believes it is time for the EU to state what it intends to do to implement the UN sustainable development goals adopted in New York last autumn. It therefore launched a call on 29 February for the EU to unveil its plans swiftly for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - which is a priority for the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 11462).
“It is crucial for Europe's credibility and leadership that it announces its plans for implementation of the Agenda ahead of the High-Level Political Forum in July 2016, where all governments will report progress”, said Genviève Pons, director of WWF's European Policy Office, in a press release.
Just a few days away from the Environment Council on 4 March, WWF believes the European environment ministers have their first opportunity to show they appreciate the importance of the 2030 Agenda and the impact it should have on EU policy.
Reaching the sustainable development goals in Europe will require EU countries to achieve full employment, end all forms of discrimination, increase the share of renewable energy and resource efficiency across sectors, conserve and restore ecosystems, retrofit industries and infrastructures to make them sustainable, and halve food waste.
On the external level, the EU will need to address its ecological footprint and the impact of its policies (for example, in trade, security or agriculture) to support sustainable development in third countries, WWF states. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)