The Environmental Protection Agencies from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands have joined forces to contribute their extensive expertise in environmental and climate science and policy. As practitioners with on-the-ground experience in implementing laws, these agencies are offering their support to the incoming European Parliament and European Commission. Their paper, "Building an Alliance – For a Sustainable, Resilient, and Just Future in Europe," highlights key areas requiring immediate action to enhance Europe’s economic, social, and environmental resilience. The agencies propose a direct dialogue to discuss their 36 recommendations, which are designed to help Europe address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – existential threats that are often disconnected from central political concerns such as security, defense, and competitiveness.
As environmental risks are increasingly recognized by global organisations such as the World Economic Forum and NATO as critical to our security and prosperity, these agencies emphasise the need for integrated policy approaches. They call for European policymakers to align environmental and climate priorities with the broader security agenda, while ensuring fairness and justice in implementation. With the European Green Deal (EGD) expiring at the end of 2024, the agencies seek to continue the ambitious modernisation process initiated by the EGD. They are ready to collaborate with policymakers, businesses, and civil society to drive forward this transformative agenda, ensuring that environmental sustainability remains at the core of Europe’s future competitiveness and resilience.
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