How we are implementing the European Green Deal

In January 2025. The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) published a report on how the European Green Deal is being implemented. It provides a comprehensive assessment of progress toward achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Assessment of the implementation of the objectives of the European Green Deal

The analysis includes 154 measurable targets drawn from 44 policy documents from 2019-2024 and addressing key sectors and areas such as transportation, agriculture and food, climate, energy, closed-loop economy, ecosystems and biodiversity, water, soil, air pollution. Scientific data helped identify the main barriers and constraints to implementation and possible solutions that could accelerate progress toward sustainability.

The results indicate that significant improvements have already been achieved to date, but nevertheless progress toward the goals in many areas needs to be accelerated. As the report’s authors point out, scientific evidence can provide an assessment of the current status and the expected evolution of the goals of the EEZ.

The report entitled Delivering the EU Green Deal. Progress towards targets can be downloaded from the website of the Publications Office of the European Union.

General context

Published in 2019. The European Green Deal (EZ³) sets out Europe’s strategy in light of which, by 2050, climate neutrality is expected to be achieved. The EC’s communication on it also indicates an interim target for 2030, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 50 percent, and potentially 55 percent, from 1990 levels. Subsequently, in February 2024, the European Commission (EC) indicated an additional interim target of a 90 percent reduction by 2040.

The EC’s EEZ communication points out that the causes of climate change and biodiversity loss are global and transboundary. And the ambitious environmental goals the European Union will not be able to achieve on its own.

The transition to sustainable development requires not only global cooperation and systemic solutions, but also close cooperation between science, society and policymakers. Meanwhile, solutions in the pipeline must be evaluated from a broad perspective, integrating environmental, social and economic aspects. This means stimulating innovation, competitiveness, resilience and job creation, while respecting the environment.

A publication on the implementation of the objectives proposed by the European Green Deal

The published paper on the implementation of the European Green Deal is an analysis prepared by the Joint Research Center (JRC), the European Commission’s scientific service. Its goal is to provide evidence-based scientific support for European policy-making.

The publication addresses the following issues:

• climate ambitions;
• Clean, affordable and safe energy;
• closed-loop economy;
• sustainable and smart mobility;
• Greening the Common Agricultural Policy from field to table;
• Conservation and protection of biodiversity;
• toward the ambition of zero pollution for a toxin-free environment.

It identifies priority areas where efforts should be intensified to achieve short-term implementation goals and contribute to the long-term ambition of the European Green Deal, i.e. a fair, equitable and climate-neutral Europe by 2050.

The report presents the current status in achieving the goals, monitors progress in achieving them, and identifies potential gaps.

What the implementation of the objectives of the European Green Deal looks like

The report’s authors indicate that as of mid-2024. 32 of the 154 adopted goals were on track, 64 were identified as needing to be accelerated, 15 were not progressing or regressing, and no data is currently available for 43. Such results, in the opinion of the report’s authors, mean that intensified efforts are needed on the way to achieving the set goals. Moreover, existing policies are expected to produce more visible results in the coming years.

As the authors point out, the number of identified targets per thematic area depends on various factors, such as the types of policy documents and the nature of the topics, among others. A progress assessment, on the other hand, gives an overview of the current status, does not assess the impact in terms of environmental, social, economic and policy timelines, but identifies areas that may require additional effort on the way to achieving the stated goals and climate neutrality.

The approach adopted in the report is not based on complex scenario modeling, but nevertheless, as its authors point out, it establishes an important baseline against which to compare progress in implementing activities and moving toward a set goal.

Conclusions of the studies on the implementation of the European Green Deal

As the report points out, policies based on sound scientific evidence and citizen engagement can make a significant contribution to the environmental, social and economic goals of the European Green Deal.

Since most of the policies contributing to the realization of the EEZ goals have been adopted recently, results are expected in the coming years. Nevertheless, effective implementation of the Fit for 55 package is expected to contribute to the 2030 climate ambition.

According to the authors, climate change mitigation efforts must be stepped up, as current reductions in LULUCF sectors are insufficient. Accelerating action is particularly important in agriculture and carbon removal strategies. Methane reduction efforts also need to be intensified.

The food system points to the need to reverse trends in dietary patterns, food availability, consumption footprint, energy consumption and waste generation. It is also necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable agricultural practices and reduce food waste.

As the authors point out, the transition to clean energy must also be accelerated, with a particular focus on increasing the share of renewable energy sources. This will require significant investment in infrastructure, increased production of renewable hydrogen and strengthening of energy grids.

According to the authors, current trends in energy consumption and energy efficiency, as well as in the use of closed-loop materials, need to be reversed. Efforts to recycle and prepare waste for reuse need to be accelerated.

Advanced biofuels, biogas and renewable fuels, according to the report’s authors, will be key to decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors such as aviation and maritime transport. Faster reductions in_CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles are needed. Challenges remain noise pollution, water quality, waste generation and emerging issues such as microplastics.