In 1997, sustainable development was already established as an overarching objective in the Treaty of Amsterdam. Economic growth, social cohesion and environmental protection go hand in hand and support each other.
In preparation for the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the European Union adopted its first sustainable development strategy in 2001. The EU then renewed it in 2006, but it subsequently lost political importance to other European strategies.
From 2016 onwards, the Commission began to develop a policy for implementing the 2030 Agenda by publishing a Communication on the subject at the end of the year. In specific terms, the Communication details a dual-track approach:
- Mainstreaming the SDGs in the European policy framework and Commission priorities
- Long-term reflection for the period following 2020
Along with its Communication, the Commission also presented a new European Consensus on Development. This shared vision for Development Cooperation aims to align the European development policy with the 2030 Agenda.
Under the leadership of President von der Leyen, the European Commission has presented an ambitious programme aimed at achieving the SDGs in the EU and beyond through a comprehensive approach. The President's political programme integrates the SDGs into all Commission proposals, policies and strategies. This approach was formalised in a Staff Working Document entitled “Delivering on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – A comprehensive approach”, published in November 2020 and still in force today.
The comprehensive or pan-governmental approach adopted by the new Commission to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) includes several components, as shown in the illustration below.
Alongside the European Green Deal, which is the driving force behind the new approach, a whole series of initiatives also incorporate the SDGs. These can be viewed on the European Commission's website. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/sustainable-developmen…
In order to report on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the European Union presented its first voluntary report at the High-Level Political Forum in July 2023. In addition, Eurostat publishes a report every year presenting the evolution of around 100 indicators for monitoring the SDGs.
You can find more information on the European Commission's website: https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-monitoring_en