Flagging efforts in Europe
Renewable energy continues to grow in Europe, but increasingly slowly. Certain EU states may find it difficult to keep their 2020 commitments.
Traffic pollution costs €60 billion per year in healthcare
Each year 500 000 Europeans die prematurely as a result of air pollution. Road transport alone causes 18 percent of air pollution.
EU commits itself to 37.5 percent cut in car emissions by 2030
EU member states and the European Parliament have agreed to a 37.5 percent reduction in CO2 output for new cars by 2030. A 31 percent cut for utility vehicles is also planned.
Mental illness costs Europe 600 billion euro
One European in six experience mental health problems, and this comes at a cost. On average, mental illness costs EU countries more than 4% of GDP.
France, European champion of taxation
Among the demands of the “gilets jaunes” – “yellow jackets”, who have been protesting in France for more than a month, is a reduction of the tax burden. Indeed, France regularly tops the European rankings in this regard.
Europe has a shortage of doctors
A surge in retirements, lack of new doctors in training, emigration to countries with better working conditions… by 2020, Europe could be facing a shortage of 230,000 doctors.
Air pollution kills more than 500,000 Europeans each year
Despite the efforts of European countries, atmospheric pollution (fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in particular) continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.
Europe continues to sell more and more pesticides
Between 2011 and 2016, pesticide sales continued to increase in the European Union. Nevertheless, certain member states, such as Denmark, have made serious efforts to reduce their use.