Recent publications by EEAC member bodies

EEAC member councils are tasked to advise their governments and parliaments on issues related to the environment and sustainable development. On this page you will find the most recent publications by each EEAC member body that are available in English.

Denmark, Status Outlook 2023

In its annual status report, the Danish Council on Climate Change (DCCC) takes stock of Danish climate policy, assessing whether current policy efforts demonstrate that Denmark will meet its national climate targets and its EU obligations, e.g. the obligations under the newly agreed burden sharing agreement and the Regulation on land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). Finally, the report includes recommendations for policies and measures that the government should prioritise in the coming year.
Denmark, Status Outlook 2023
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Belgium, FRDO-CFDD: Opinion on biodiversity policy

The Federal Council for Sustainable Development in Belgium (FRDO-CFDD) together with Brussels Region Environment Council (RLBHG) published an own initiative opinion on biodiversity policy. The opinion was prepared by the "Biodiversity and Forests" and "International Relations" working groups and was approved by the FRDO-CFDD General Assembly by written procedure.
Belgium, FRDO-CFDD: Opinion on biodiversity policy
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Denmark, DCCC: Climate-friendly food and consumer behaviour

Current Danish food consumption is an obstacle to Denmark’s ambition of taking the lead in climate change mitigation, as the Danes have one of the largest climate footprints from food consumption per capita, The Danish Climate Change Council aruges. The average Dane eats more than double the amount of animal-based food compared to the global average, and also eats more meat and dairy products than the European average. This means that the climate impact of Danish food consumption exceeds the sustainable level seen from a global perspective. The aim of this analysis is to identify the barriers to an increased climate-friendly diet in Denmark and to identify potential instruments to reduce these barriers. The Danish Council on Climate Change (DCCC) proposes various measures that can accelerate the transition to more climate-friendly food consumption in Denmark. In addition, the purpose of the analysis is to estimate the climate effect if all Danes changed to a climate-friendly diet. The analysis focuses on reducing Danish consumption-based emissions, which is another way of accounting for Denmark’s climate impact instead of measuring territorial emissions. Binding international obligations and national targets, such as the Danish 70 per cent reduction target in 2030, are based on Denmark’s territorial emissions.
Denmark, DCCC: Climate-friendly food and consumer behaviour
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Catalonia, CADS: A coastline on the edge

The Advisory Council on Sustainable Development of Catalonia (CADS) presented the report “The Coastline on the Edge. Recommendations for an integrated management of the Catalan coast”. The report proposes tools that shape a framework of integrated policies for the transformation towards sustainability, making it compatible with the blue economy. The report proposes 10 recommendations that include several possible actions. They focus on a wide range of topics including the creation of a Coastal Conservatory with a similar scope as the French “Conservatoire du littoral”; the regulation of tourism in overexploited areas; promoting fiscal greening with the review of the ultimate destination of the tourism tax for conservation purposes or studying the creation of a tax for secondary residences; the restoration of hydromorphological dynamics on rivers to ensure sediment inputs in coastal areas; and the re-dimensioning and reformulation of certain critical infrastructures for climate adaptation. The publication’s lead authors include Dr Puri Canals-Ventín and Dr Carles Ibáñez-Martí, members of CADS. The report is the final result of a strategic thinking process that included a series of public debates considering the quadruple helix. Throughout the process, CADS gathered expert and scientific site-specific knowledge on coastal management in Catalonia and surrounding environments.
Catalonia, CADS: A coastline on the edge
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Finland, EPSD: A positive future for Finland

According to a recent publication by the Expert Panel for Sustainable Development in Finland, titled A positive Future for Finland: Science shows that Finland needs a new kind of positive image of a sustainable future, we need a commonly created vision of the future – futures consciousness, of what an ecologically sustainable and fair welfare society looks like and how we can achieve it. The publication came out against the backdrop of overuse of natural resources, growing inequality, and the climate crisis. These developments will inevitably lead to societal change, the Expert Panel for Sustainable Development in Finland stated. It is clear, that our lifestyles must change – and do so fast. The way in which the transformation will happen, is however dependent on us, the Panel argued.
Finland, EPSD: A positive future for Finland
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Germany, SRU: A justified ceiling to Germany’s CO₂ emissions: Questions and answers on its CO₂ budget

In its recent report, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) raised the question whether German climate policy is on the right path? A CO2 budget approach allows a transparent comparison between national and international climate targets, the Council stated. The SRU has recently updated its work on a national CO2 budget for Germany. It shows that rapid emission reductions are crucial. The report in Q&A format has now been published in English.
Germany, SRU: A justified ceiling to Germany’s CO₂ emissions: Questions and answers on its CO₂ budget
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Germany, RNE: National SDG Advisory Bodies calling to action

SDG advisory bodies from more than 20 countries gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the context of the Global Forum Network Meeting 2022. The Global Forum is a network of multi-stakeholder bodies that accelerates SDG delivery through sharing experiences and jointly visioning forward across national perspectives. The EEAC Network is an active member of the Forum and was represented by the Co-Chair of the EEAC Working Group on Sustainable Development, Gábor Bartus and the Network Coordinator, Michiel de Vries. During this Network Meeting a joint call to action was discussed. Following the meeting the German Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) drafted a meeting report, and finalized the call to action. In the call to action representatives of advisory bodies that are part of the Global Forum, called for all governments and national stakeholder groups to support the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’s proposals in “Our Common Agenda”. They also called on all respective national governments and other stakeholders to take bold action, by taking concrete steps at both national and local level and bridging them with international tools and mechanisms.
Germany, RNE: National SDG Advisory Bodies calling to action
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Germany, WBGU: Planetary Health, what we need to talk about?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how vulnerable we are and how closely connected we are with Nature. Health cannot be taken for granted. Do we take the prerequisites for healthy living seriously enough? Or are we, as a civilization, systematically jeopardizing our health? The WBGU is currently working on the interconnections between health and global environmental change and would like to put forward three assertions and ten sets of questions for discussion. The assertions made and questions posed are intended to stimulate debate on further steps towards a healthier and more sustainable world. The assertions and questions can be found in the WBGU Fact Sheet.
Germany, WBGU: Planetary Health, what we need to talk about?
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Hungary, NFFT: Guidelines to a sustainable future

The purpose of this publication is to introduce the objectives and messages of Hungary's National Framework Strategy on Sustainable Development in a clear and concise manner, without the complexity of technical texts, in an easily understandable but not oversimplified way. While the concept of “sustainable development” often seems vague, compliance with the criteria of sustainability is our most elementary interest because the proper promotion of sustainability today is the basis of prosperity in the future. We are presenting our objectives, tasks, results and remaining challenges until 2024 below based on the experiences collected through monitoring and analysis in the 6 years since the adoption of the Framework Strategy.
Hungary, NFFT: Guidelines to a sustainable future
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Ireland, CCAC: Annual Review 2022

The Irish Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has called for swift and decisive action to support people and communities this winter by addressing Ireland’s dependence on harmful fossil fuels, which it says is a root cause of high energy costs, supply instability and high levels of carbon dioxide emissions. The Council, who published their Annual Review for 2022 this autumn, have said that the transition to more affordable, clean and secure energy must be urgently progressed and focus on measures that can be immediately deployed to assist those most in need in the coming months and in the years ahead.
Ireland, CCAC: Annual Review 2022
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Ireland, NESC: Placebased approaches to just transition in Ireland

Delivering effective regional development in a context of decarbonising the economy is not just challenging economically but raises the issue of social justice and equity. Ensuring a ‘just transition’ that appropriately addresses the needs and harnesses the potential of particular communities is therefore critical. In this context, the Irish National Economic and Social Council (NESC) published a research paper in which NESC explores placebased approaches to just transition in Ireland and the potential for adopting co-creation methodologies to identifying and implementing pathways to change. It draws on three case studies to understand perspectives on, and pathways towards, more climate-resilient and equitable futures in three areas outside the major metropolitan areas.
Ireland, NESC: Placebased approaches to just transition in Ireland
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The Netherlands, Rli: Splitting the atom, splitting opinion?

Over the coming years, the Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) is anticipating a political and public debate in the Netherlands on the organisation of the future energy system and the possible role of nuclear energy within it. Decisions in this area will need to be taken diligently and be future-proof to avoid putting the 2050 climate targets at risk, the Rli argued. The advisory report does not address the question of whether new nuclear power stations should or should not be built, but instead focuses on how best to conduct the public debate on this topic
The Netherlands, Rli: Splitting the atom, splitting opinion?
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