European leaders renew sustainable development commitments

EU heads of states and government strengthened the review of the EU’s sustainable development strategy demanding more focus for sustainable production and consumption. But the relationship between this strategy and the EU’s Lisbon agenda remains vague.

The EU’s sustainable development strategy (SDS) was originally adopted at the European Council in Gothenburg in 2001 and complemented with an external dimension by the European Council in Barcelona. However, a mid-term review showed that several unsustainable trends remain especially in the areas of climate change, public health, poverty and exclusion, demographic pressure and ageing, management of natural resources and transport.

EurActiv