Description

On 9th June 2006, the European Council approved the new EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS)1. The main challenge of the current EU SDS is to gradually change the current unsustainable consumption and production patterns and the non-integrated approach to policy-making. The overall aim of the renewed EU SDS is to identify and develop actions to enable the EU to achieve continuous improvement of quality of life both for current and for future generations, through the creation of sustainable communities able to manage and use resources efficiently and to tap the ecological and social innovation potential of the economy, ensuring prosperity, environmental protection and social cohesion.

The themes are:
1. Climate change and clean energy;
2. Sustainable transport;
3. Sustainable consumption and production;
4. Conversation and management of natural resources;
5. Public health;
6. Social inclusion, demography, migration;
7. Global poverty and sustainable challenges.

The cross cutting policies are:
1. Education and training;
2. Research and development;
3. Financing and Economic Instruments;
4. Communication, mobilizing actors and multiplying success.

A report of ECORYS Nederland BV