EEA Flags Environmental Crisis in Europe

(MENAFN) While Europe has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality over the past ten years, the overall health of the continent's environment remains "not good," the European Environment Agency (EEA) said Monday in its flagship Europe’s environment 2025 report.

The five-year assessment warns that the accelerating effects of climate change and ongoing environmental degradation are putting Europe’s prosperity, stability, and well-being at serious risk. The EEA emphasized that much of the region’s economic activity relies heavily on natural resources, and achieving climate neutrality hinges on more sustainable land and water management.

According to the report, Europe has made “good progress” in phasing out fossil fuels, doubling the share of renewables since 2005, and enhancing recycling and resource efficiency. However, the agency flagged that biodiversity continues to deteriorate across land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Unsustainable consumption and production patterns—particularly in the food sector—remain core contributors to environmental decline, it said.

A particularly urgent concern highlighted is widespread water stress, currently affecting about one-third of both the European population and land area. The EEA called for immediate action to protect watersheds and groundwater systems in order to build resilience against future water shortages.

Europe, the report noted, is now warming faster than any other continent, with mounting risks to human health, economic systems, and critical infrastructure.

The agency stressed that urgent policy action is needed to meet the continent’s environmental targets. “We cannot afford to lower our climate, environment and sustainability ambitions,” said Executive Director Leena Yla-Mononen. “What we do today will shape our future.”

This 2025 edition marks the EEA’s seventh state-of-the-environment report since 1995, compiled using data from the European Environment Information and Observation Network, encompassing its member states and partner countries.

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