The European Council has approved conclusions on ‘Europe’s Environment 2030 – Building a more climate resilient and circular Europe’. The conclusions stress the urgent need to accelerate action to meet the EU’s long-term environmental and climate goals, particularly the six 2030 priority objectives of the 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP).

The Council acknowledged the findings of both the latest report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Europe’s environment 2025’, and the Commission’s mid-term review of the 8th EAP. Despite progress, both reports concluded that further efforts are needed to meet the 2030 priority objectives, especially in climate adaptation and the circular economy.

In its conclusions, the Council explicitly recognised the insufficient progress towards the 8th EAP objectives and the unsatisfactory state of nature and biodiversity. It also stressed the urgency of advancing both climate resilience and the transition to a circular economy, recognising the interconnectedness of these issues in addressing climate and environmental challenges such as pollution, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity.

The Council conclusions responded to two significant recent developments: the mid-term review of the 8th EAP, submitted by the European Commission on 13 March 2024, which assessed progress towards the six 2030 priority objectives of the 8th EAP; and the European Environment Agency (EEA) report on the state of the European environment, ‘Europe’s environment 2025’, presented on 29 September 2025. Both reports noted that meeting the 2030 priority objectives, which are based on the ambitions of the European Green Deal, will require further efforts.

Against this backdrop, the Commission has announced two major initiatives in its 2026 work programme: the European integrated framework for climate resilience and the circular economy act. These conclusions aim to set the Council’s political priorities and ambition for these upcoming legislative proposals.