Overview
Europeans enjoy high environmental standards. However, even robust EU environmental legislation is not sufficient to address transboundary and global environmental degradation, nor to sufficiently reduce the impact of the EU's economic activity on natural resources worldwide. The environmental ambition of the European Green Deal will not be achieved by Europe acting alone.
Confronting the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution requires commitment and effective cooperation at the international level. These crises reinforce each other, further damaging the environment and our health. Therefore, all need to be resolved if we want a viable future.
The EU plays an active role in multilateral environmental agreements and other environmental negotiations and processes. Its constructive position has on several occasions proved crucial to ensuring progress. The EU has also contributed to the development of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The EU is working internally and globally to promote sustainable development, shifting towards low carbon and resource-efficient economies. Transforming social and economic systems means improving our relationship with nature – understanding its value and putting that value at the heart of decision making.
The EU plays an active role in many multilateral agreements.
The EU cooperates closely with the United Nations on the environment.
The EU’s work on the environment in the G7, G20 and OECD.
Working with candidate and potential candidate countries, neighbourhood countries and other strategic partners
Agreements and partnerships
Cooperating with strategic partners to tackle transboundary air pollution
Protecting and restoring biodiversity worldwide through the Kunming-Montreal Agreement agreed at COP15
International agreements on trade in hazardous chemicals, transporting hazardous waste, and on persistent organic pollutants
Leading the way to a resource-efficient and circular economy at the global level.
Addressing deforestation and tackle illegal logging through various agreements
Paving the way for a global agreement on plastics, to support the global shift towards a circular economy
Working with partners worldwide to combat land and soil degradation and desertification
Putting water higher on the global agenda and accelerating action for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030
Protecting endangered species from illegal trade
