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Executive Summary

Ending the COVID-19 pandemic everywhere is a prerequisite for restoring and accelerating SDG progress in Europe and globally. The pandemic halted progress towards achieving the SDG goals in Europe and elsewhere in 2021, reducing life expectancy and increasing poverty and unemployment rates in many countries.

Part 1: Peformance of European Countries against the SDGs

There are gaps in SDG performance across European regions and countries. Overall, Northern European countries perform best, with an average SDG Index score of 81% in 2020. By contrast, candidate countries perform more poorly, with an average score in 2020 of just above 55%.

Part 2: The European Green Deal, EU Recovery and the SDGs

Achieving the SDGs requires success in realizing six major transformations: quality education; access to good quality and affordable health care; renewable energy and a circular economy; sustainable land and marine management; sustainable urban infrastructure; and universal access to digital services.

Part 3: Transforming food and land systems in the EU to achieve the SDGs

Food systems are responsible for about a third of global GHG emissions and generate other climate and biodiversity impacts. Current diets are a major driver of rising healthcare costs. The EU performs poorly on SDG 2 due to unsustainable diets, high and rising obesity rates, and unsustainable agriculture and farming.