report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) highlighted an alarming lack of action by the European Commission on sustainable development. The review found that the European Commission does not report on or monitor how the EU budget and policies contribute to sustainable development and achieving the SDGs — despite the EU’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The building blocks for meaningful sustainability reporting at EU level are largely not yet in place, say the auditors, and they warn that this is partly due to the absence of an overarching long-term strategy on sustainable development up to 2030.

The EU adopted the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 and has committed to mainstream the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals in all of its policies and work. 

WWF welcomes the ECA findings and recommendations.

Sustainability reporting is a first and crucial step for the EU to meet its commitments to the SDGs. It is the basis for mainstreaming sustainable development into all EU policies, and assigning clear responsibility for delivery within the EU structures

Ester Asin, Director of WWF European Policy Office, and a member of the European Commission’s EU Multi-Stakeholder Platform on SDG Implementation

The SDGs must be put at the very heart of the EU Strategic Agenda and the next EU budget, and guide all of the EU’s actions in the coming legislative term 

Source: WWF