Overview

• About 81% of protected habitats are in poor or very poor condition, 60–70% of soils are degraded, and 62% of waters fail good ecological status, with Europe warming roughly twice as fast as the global average.
• Average annual economic losses from extreme weather in 2020–2023 were about 2.5 times higher than in 2010–2019, and Slovenia’s 2023 floods caused damage equal to roughly 16% of GDP.
• The report identifies industrial agriculture as the largest pressure on surface and groundwater, with land take from new roads and settlements and fossil-fuel-dependent transport further eroding ecosystems.
• Progress is noted: EU greenhouse gases are down about 37% since 1990, the share of renewables in power has doubled since 2005, and fine-particulate-related deaths fell about 45% from 2005 to 2022.
• The EEA urges swift delivery of already agreed policies and stronger adaptation, highlights potential to save up to ~40% of water use through governance, technology and reuse, and bases its findings on data from 38 countries in its five-year review.