Sustainable development in the European Union - 2013 monitoring report of the EU sustainable development strategy

In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio+20") renewed the global political commitment to taking a holistic approach to tackling modern world challenges. According to the provisions made at Rio, environmental protection should be integrated into economic growth strategies. Both should also be linked to decent living and working conditions and equitable access to resources. This is what we call sustainable development.

One of the most important outcomes of Rio+20 is the new aim of creating a framework for global goals and indicators - Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - which build on the current Millennium Development Goals. The world is currently debating the concrete agenda for the future SDGs. The European Union already has long-standing experience of this type of exercise, with the creation of its Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) and the respective set of indicators.

The EU SDS brings together the many strands of economic, social and environmental policy under one overarching objective - to continually improve the quality of life and well-being for present and future generations. The Eurostat monitoring report, based on the EU set of sustainable development indicators and published every two years, provides an objective, statistical picture of progress towards the goals and objectives of the EU SDS.

This 2013 edition more clearly than ever shows the disruptions caused by the economic crisis on employment, poverty, resource and energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and other important aspects related to sustainable development.