The European Commission remains committed to the 2030 Agenda. Under the leadership of President von der Leyen, the Commission has presented an ambitious policy programme to deliver on sustainability in the EU and beyond.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an intrinsic part of the President’s political guidelines and lie at the heart of the policymaking on internal and external action across all sectors.
Full implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda is crucial to strengthen resilience and prepare the world for future shocks as we embark on the twin green and digital transitions.
The Commission’s holistic approach for sustainability and the SDGs
The Commission has focused on delivering concrete actions that will bring tangible progress in the areas of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The President’s political guidelines and the Commission’s annual work programmes constitute this Commission’s strategy to implement the SDGs.
The President’s political programme integrates the SDGs into all Commission proposals, policies and strategies. All of the 17 SDGs feature in one or more of the six headline ambitions announced in President von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines as depicted in the figure below:
The Commission’s ‘Whole-of-Government approach’ to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals
The new Commission’s comprehensive or “whole of government” approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprises several strands as depicted in the figure:
Initiatives adopted by the Commission in the first year
The Sustainable Development Goals are an intrinsic part of the political programme of President von der Leyen. Different transformative policies have been presented in the last year such as:
- Communication on a European Green Deal: a new growth strategy to transform the EU into a fair, inclusive and prosperous society, with a modern, knowledge-driven, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050, and which protects, conserves and enhances the EU's natural capital, and protects the health and well-being of citizens from environment-related risks.
- Communication on the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2020 initiating the European Semester surveillance cycle and the first step in integrating the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Communication on the Green Deal Investment Plan: the EU strategy to boost sustainable public-private financing over the next decade.
- Proposal establishing Just Transition Fund.
- Communication on a Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions.
- Communication on Shaping Europe’s Digital Future.
- Proposal to put into law the objective to make the EU climate neutral by 2050.
- Coordination of a common European response to the COVID-19 outbreak to tackle the health crisis and cushion the impact of this economic hit and ERAvsCORONA.
- Communication on a Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025.
- Communication on a New Industrial Strategy for Europe.
- A new Circular Economy Action Plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe.
- Communication on an EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
- Communication on a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system.
- Joint Communication and the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024.
- Communication on European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness and social fairness and resilience.
- Package for fair and simple taxation including Communication on an Action Plan for fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery and Communication on Tax Good Governance in the EU and beyond.
- Communication on Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition: Investing in a climate-neutral future for the benefit of our people.
- The New Pact on Migration and Asylum and accompanying legislative proposals and recommendations.
- Communication on Achieving the European Education Area by 2025.
- Communication on a new European Research Area.
- Proposal establishing an 8th Environment Action Programme.
- Communication on a Renovation Wave.
- Communication on a Chemicals Strategy for sustainability.
- Proposal for a Directive on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.