Measuring progress towards a more sustainable Europe – sustainable development indicators for the European Union – data 1990-2005. 2005 edition

This publication, aimed at the general public as well as decision-makers, provides a first progress report on the implementation of the sustainable development strategy, launched by the European Council in Gothenburg in 2001. It focuses on quantitative trends, restricting the analysis to the set of sustainable development indicators (SDI) adopted by the European Commission in February 2005, and provides a useful complement to the Commission's communication on the review of the sustainable development strategy.

Trends are assessed against policy objectives to inform the readers about the achievements, trade-offs, and failures in achieving the commonly agreed objectives. The data presented cover the period from 1990 to 2005 (or the latest year available). The emphasis is on the visualisation of trends – the actual data can be downloaded from the Eurostat SDI webpage. The wide range of themes covered illustrates both the practical implications of sustainable development for EU citizens, and the complexity of issues involved. This report should contribute to raising awareness of the opportunities and challenges lying ahead.