HOW FAR IS EUROPE FROM ACHIEVING THE SDGs?

The leadership in the EU needs to make the Goals a reality, at home and globally.

The EU has the power to pass transformative laws and command the resources needed to drive the transition towards social justice and environmental sustainability.

This civil society spotlight report, prepared by the civil society organisations that are members of the consortium of the REAL DEAL project and members of SDG Watch Europe, explains why the EU’s SDG reporting creates an illusion of sustainability and flags up serious gaps and challenges in the implementation of the SDGs.

In addition, it and makes concrete policy proposals for bringing them to life with real stories and suggests key recommendation the EU can, with a bit of political will, easily use to create the transformation we need.

The objective of the spotlight report is to:

  • Analyse the gaps that remain towards achieving the SDGs and the United Nations 2030 Agenda
  • Identify Europe’s shortcomings and disconnections from other relevant processes and exchange views on how to address these issues and strengthen the SDG Implementation.

The collaboration among civil society organizations involved in the report demonstrate their commitment to evidence-based information and transparency in Europe. These principles are essential for guiding policy and fostering the democratic and participatory culture that we as civil society organisations value and wish to see reflected in Europe’s future policymaking.

Key recommendations for policy-makers

  1. Overarching Strategy: Introduce an EU Strategy for SDGs
  2. Wellbeing Economy: Replace GDP with indicators on wellbeing
  3. Live within our means: Reduce the European material footprint
  4. Social Justice: Truly leave no one behind by prioritising redistribution
  5. Stay on track: Improve EU monitoring on the structural and systematic gaps
  6. Lead by example: Ensure Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development

You can find out more about them by downloading the executive summary of the report (click here to download)

Find out more about the REAL DEAL project here

sdg_spotlight_report