Europe Sustainable Development Report 2022

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), in collaboration with SDSN Europe, released the 4th edition of the Europe Sustainable Development Report on 05 December 2022. The Sustainable Development Report (formerly SDG Index & Dashboards) assesses where each country stands in terms of achieving the SDGs. The report includes the SDG Index and Dashboards, which show the progress of the EU, its member states and partner countries.

The report shows that seven years after the SDGs were adopted by the international community, and amid several crises, the EU's progress on the SDGs has stalled. In particular, regression is noticeable in the goals related to responsible consumption, climate and biodiversity (SDG 2; 12-15). The frontrunner in achieving the SDGs this year is Finland, but even the countries at the top of the SDG Index face significant challenges in achieving several SDGs. Germany also finds itself in the top ten again this year, in 6th place (and 11th in the Leave-No-One Behind Index) - Germany's role is highlighted in several places in the report.

Through unsustainable consumption and trade, the EU creates large negative spillover effects on the rest of the world. EU consumption is associated with 1.2 million people in forced labor and more than 4,000 fatal work accidents per year. 40% of the greenhouse gases needed to meet EU consumption of goods and services are emitted abroad. Within the EU, in turn, the implementation of the European Green Deal is being driven rapidly by a massive expansion of renewable energy.

By July 2023, the EU will submit to the United Nations for the first time a Union-wide voluntary review of the SDGs.

You can find the complete report here, a visualization of the data is available here.