This unique book expertly analyses European political entrepreneurship in relation to the European Union’s approach towards the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development strategy. It explores the role of European political entrepreneurs in shaping, influencing and realising the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Chapters examine EU actors in the context of numerous development goals to assess how political entrepreneurship challenges traditional EU institutions and promotes visionary activity.

This volume describes the thinking on sustainable development and a variety of initiatives across Europe, illustrating regional efforts to foster sustainable communities and ecological and social innovation. It contains various contributions which showcase examples of thinking, economic and social structures and in consumption and production patterns needed, to implement the SDGs. This book is part of the "100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals initiative".

"This Eurostat publication, entitled "Sustainable development in the European Union - A statistical glance from the viewpoint of the UN Sustainable Development Goals", provides an overview of the current situation of the EU and its Member States on sustainable development in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication follows a strictly descriptive approach, presenting a purely statistical picture based on facts and figures. It provides rather a snapshot of the starting position of the EU and its Member States and is not intended as a regular SDG monitoring exercise at EU level. The analysis in this publication is based on a limited number of indicators, which are relevant to the EU perspective and capture the broader objective and ambition of each SDG. Each goal is analysed through two to four indicators. In total, 51 indicators are presented in the report, mainly obtained from the European Statistical System and disseminated by Eurostat. The analysis of Member States' performance and international comparisons focus on the most recent year for each indicator. EU-28 trends over time are also presented, covering the period from 2000 or 2002 up to the most recent year for which data are available (2014 or 2015)."--Back cover.

Contains insights on current issues in research on sustainable development, featuring the SDG Index and Dashboards.

The European Union has been one of the most vocal advocates of 'sustainable development', particularly in its dealings with developing countries. Even prior to the formulation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the EU has insisted upon the need for sustainable approaches to poverty reduction and economic growth in the Global South. When examining EU relations with African countries as part of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group, however, it becomes clear that the translation of Europe's sustainability discourse into practice is highly problematic. Notably, there are concerns that the EU's free market approach to development - embodied in its EPA trade deals - is incompatible with genuine, pro-poor forms of sustainable growth. Moreover, the EU is often seen as a hegemonic actor whose trade and aid interventions in Africa often do more to perpetuate poverty than to ameliorate it. This book casts a critical light on Africa-EU relations with regards to the EU's sustainability pledges. It does this through looking at an array of issues - not least trade, aid, the environment, and democratic institutions. In this vein, the book poses a challenge to EU trade and development discourse in the era of the UN SDGs. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue in Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal.

Governments across the WHO European Region need to take urgent action to address the growing public health inequality economic and environmental challenges in order to achieve sustainable development (meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs) and to ensure health and well-being for present and future generations. Based on a scoping review this report concludes that current investment policies and practices (doing business as usual) are unsustainable with high costs to individuals families communities societies the economy and the planet. Investment in public health policies that are based on values and evidence provides effective and efficient inclusive and innovative solutions that can drive social economic and environmental sustainability. Investing for health and well-being is a driver and an enabler of sustainable development and vice versa and it empowers people to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all.

The aim of this report is to present an overview of the 17 Goals using data currently available to highlight the most significant gaps and challenges.