European Green Deal: Commission welcomes political agreement on the 8th Environment Action Programme

The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the Council on the 8^thEnvironment Action Programme (EAP). The 8th EAP anchors the Member States’ and Parliament’s commitment to environmental and climate action until 2030, guided by a long-term vision to 2050 of wellbeing for all, while staying within the planetary boundaries. The agreed 8^th EAP builds on the European Green Deal. Welcoming the agreement, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius said: “The 8^th Environment Action Programme is the EU’s joint programme for implementing the European Green Deal on the ground until 2030. It enshrines in a legal framework EU environment and climate objectives, as well as a mechanism to monitor progress “beyond GDP”. This further strengthens our collective capacity to tackle the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution in order to create a truly sustainable future for the generations to come”. The agreed 8^th EAP has six priority objectives related to climate neutrality, climate adaptation, circular economy, zero pollution, protecting and restoring biodiversity, and reducing environmental and climate pressures related to production and consumption. In addition, the programme sets out an enabling framework and a monitoring framework to measure progress towards the required systemic change. More information is in the news item.