Press Release: Commission issues first sustainable development report

The EU and its Member States are shifting policies towards long-term sustainability. There is increasing convergence between the EU's longer-term Sustainable Development Strategy and the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. But to obtain the necessary results on the ground, action to turn around persistent unsustainable trends must be significantly stepped up. Those are the main conclusions of the Commission's first Progress Report on the EU's renewed Sustainable Development Strategy, adopted in June 2006. It is a long-term strategy which complements the medium-term approach under the renewed Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs. The Report confirms that Europe must implement its climate change policies and markedly increase the use of alternative energy; take bolder steps towards environmentally friendly transport; increase efforts to halt biodiversity loss; and continue to lead in the fight against poverty both in Europe and the world.