The 'Environment for Europe' process now brings together 56 countries across three continents to jointly address environmental challenges. In support of this process, the European Environment Agency has prepared a series of assessments of the environment for the pan European region to provide policy relevant, up to date and reliable information on the interactions between the environment and society.

This is the fourth report in the series. Where possible the report evaluates progress, primarily against the objectives of the Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community and the Environment Strategy for Countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

The report has been prepared in close partnership with a range of international organisations, governmental institutions and non governmental organisations across the region.

Europe's environment in an age of transition

Is the pan-European region meeting its environmental challenges?

The UNECE 'Environment for Europe' process today brings together 56 countries across three continents (the UNECE region covers 53 countries in the pan‑European region, see Table 1.1, plus Canada, Israel and the United States of America) to address jointly environmental challenges. To support this process, environment ministers in their Kiev Declaration of 2003 called on the European Environment Agency to prepare a fourth assessment report (see Box 1.1). The report covers the entire pan-European region, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to beyond the central Asian plains in the east, from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south. To meet the ministerial request, the report sets out to provide policy-relevant, up‑to-date and reliable information on the interactions between environment and society for the pan-European region and to highlight progress made towards meeting the region's environmental challenges over the past four years.

The pan-European region harbours a rich cultural and environmental diversity. It is home to a multitude of natural and semi-natural habitats and ecosystems — ranging from wetlands to deserts, from coastal lowlands to alpine mountains and from dense forests to treeless steppes. With diversity comes both complexity and dynamics, therefore it is no surprise that the pan-European region has had its share of changes and transitions. The region has developed through centuries of history marked by evolution and revolution, with change and diversity seeming to be among the few constants the region may rely on.

Over the last twenty years, the social, political and economic maps of the pan-European region have been redrawn and a range of transition processes have unfolded and are still unfolding. The socio‑economic climate today is significantly different from ten to twenty years ago. Again, security issues and concerns about food and health are high on the agenda, and to this is added a popular disquiet about globalisation. At the same time, environmental concerns such as climate change, loss of biological diversity and global environmental degradation, are regularly seen in news stories adding to people's increasing sense of insecurity. Indeed, the resources of both the pan-European region and the planet are recognised as being under increasing stress due to human-induced pressures, including those brought about by economic growth, industrial development and modern consumption patterns. ...

Download Europe's environment: The fourth assessment

PDF format, 113MB, 452Pages.

ISBN 978-92-9167-932-4
© EEA, Copenhagen, 2007

European Environment Agency
Kongens Nytorv 6
1050 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Tel.: +45 33 36 71 00
Fax: +45 33 36 71 99
Web: eea.europa.eu

Visit Europe's environment: The fourth assessment Download Page

Foreword:

More than 16 years have passed since the first meeting of Europe's environment ministers at Dobris Castle in June 1991. Since then Europe has changed enormously, as has its environment. In this, the fouth assessment report, we underline the changes that have occurred in the environment and socio-economic context to help explain many of the environmental trends that have been observed.

We identify successes and improvements but also register old legacies that need further effort such as, in particular, air pollution, water issues and contaminated sites. New threats, which challenge piecemeal solutions and call for integrated strategic measures at European and global levels, are described such as persistent chemicals in the environment, biodiversity loss, sustainable production and consumption and climate change.

And a new overview is given of the state of European marine areas and inland seas. The current assessment makes a number of things clear — first, the type of challenges that we face, and second, the barriers to progress.

We can recognise three types of challenge distinguished by the manner and difficulty of their control and management. First, there are those issues such as air and water pollution where, by and large, we know how to solve them and what implementation action is required. However, while progress has been made, problems of this type still persist largely due to the difficulties with working out in practice and at local level how to implement the known solutions. Second, there are the more complex challenges, such as biodiversity loss and river basin management. Here progress is also being made, but because of the strong cross‑border, inter‑regional and international cooperation required to deal with them, and the need for a diversity of inter-linked actions, the progress is often not fast enough to keep pace with changes.

Thirdly, there are the issues such as climate change and current patterns of production and consumption which are particularly complex to deal with, and progress is slow, since they necessitate changes now without immediate and obvious benefits. However, action is needed since these issues have the potential to seriously limit future options for meeting needs sustainably thereby posing significant threats to our health, environment and livelihoods and those of future generations. These issues require long-term, integrated cross-sectoral measures to be taken that need to be underpinned by strategic international agreements which encourage diverse, robust and innovative technologies and adaptive management practices.

Ministers have designated the Belgrade conference to be a 'conference of delivery'. So how can more progress be made to solve the 'simple' challenges or quicker and more effective action be taken to deal with the more complex issues of the second or third types. And what is the place of pan-European cooperation to deal with these issues?

We need to strengthen the will to act. We need a good understanding of the problems, of their nature and distribution across societies and generations, and of the costs and impacts of action and inaction. This requires analysis, assessment, communication and explanation to help those who need to act. This report is part of that process.

We need to strengthen the capacity to act. On its own, understanding is not sufficient for action to be taken. We need to enable actions by public administrations, businesses and individual consumers and households. A diversity of actions appropriate to local circumstances needs to be encouraged. An enabling legal framework can help unleash the necessary investment and innovation to do this, but greater attention also needs to be given to implementation — that is, understanding better how to do things. To facilitate this and build up the capacity to act, information is needed on good practice, ecoinnovation and new environmentally friendly technologies, as well as an overarching commitment to capacity building, especially to training and education.

Four pan-European environment assessments have been published since the Environment for Europe process began. But we still need an information and knowledge system to support action to protect the environment across the region. The EECCA core set of indicators is a good step, but a lot still needs to be done. Future assessment activity needs to be accompanied by a commitment to build a shared environmental information system for all the countries and regions of Europe.

The 32 member countries of the EEA are already starting to build such a system. Similar steps are also being taken by the countries around the Mediterranean. Across Europe there are also examples of cooperation around common environmental and ecological areas, such as inland seas, transboundary river basins or mountains.

To complete the picture, and to make existing cooperative arrangements more effective, we need
to join up such activities so that knowledge can be shared, learning increased and experiences
and good practice exchanged. This is not only a European challenge but a global one that requires
the involvement and participation of civil society.

A number of other developments are currently converging which help us to understand, with new clarity, the meaning and benefits of the 'Environment for Europe' process: demographic and economic transformations across Europe, the enlargement of the EU, increased cooperation between the EU and its neighbours and between neighbours of neighbours, the rising challenge of climate change, energy security, water and the increased awareness of the importance of ecosystem services and sustainable consumption and production patterns. If not tackled correctly and in time, these environmental issues combined will not only seriously damage our health, but may also undermine the very security on which our societies are built. Emerging economic and social instabilities combined with environmental issues are likely to lead to asymmetric threats to security which cannot be resolved within the traditional domains of security policy. Tackling these requires partnerships to deal explicitly with the environmental concerns and the necessary associated transformations. We need to focus on sustainability which promotes cooperation and partnerships.

In the years since the start of the Environment for Europe process we have learnt much about the meaning, benefits and significance of pan-European and global cooperation on the environment, and have begun to act accordingly. The evidence and insights which this fourth assessment offer will, I hope, help to strengthen the resolve for continued environmental cooperation and partnerships in the future.

Finally, let me thank all the individuals, organisations and countries who have collaborated with us on this project, sharing their data and ideas, and providing their valuable expertise and insights. The fruit of this pan-European cooperation, is the Belgrade report, for which we are very grateful.

Jacqueline McGlade
Executive Director

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment