Environmental challenges of Europe: The state of environment and environmental trends in the EU (EU15) and the Accession Countries (AC10)

Abstract

The state of the environment and environmental pressures in the EU Member States (EU15) and the Accession Countries (AC10) is discussed from the prospective of ecosystems and geopolitics. In the EU15, the reduction of the most acute kinds of pollution began in the 1970s, and at the beginning of the 1990s, an overall environmental development action program was made, aimed at sustainability. In the AC10, the state of the environment slightly improved in the 1990s, particularly thanks to the decline of industrial production and a general slump. Typical of the EU15 and the AC10 is the consumption of natural resources at an above-average level per inhabitant of the globe. The starting position in the EU15 with regard to a sustainable development is considerably more favourable than in the AC10.

However, the EU15 are only in the phase of weak sustainability, with the emphasis laid on curative measures for eliminating some consequences of environmental pressures. To achieve the environmental and other goals of sustainable development of Europe and the planet, it is necessary to establish a strategic partnership on the basis of the equality of all European countries, to reduce radically the environmental pressures and consumption of natural resources per inhabitant, and to integrate the ecological principles into sectoral policies. The period of ‘two-speed Europe’ should be as short as possible.