This joint EEA-FOEN report explores two key questions related to Europe’s long-term environmental and climate ambitions: how to define a ‘safe operating space’ for Europe, and whether Europe’s environmental footprint is currently smaller or larger than its estimated ‘safe operating space’.

With one third of humanity currently in lockdown, people all over the world are learning from the Coronavirus pandemic that we cannot take our lifestyles for granted. In the face of fear and suffering we need to have hope.

Europe has seized its ‘man on the moon’ moment, inspiring the seemingly impossible to become possible. In setting out a bold vision to become the first climate neutral continent, the EU is looking to inspire a global ‘space race’ to net zero emissions. One of the mission critical pathways to reach this goal is through Europe’s buildings.

Four years on from the Dieselgate scandal - which exposed the failure to curb toxic air pollution from cars and shook confidence in EU emissions regulation - Europe is in the process of setting a new pollutant emissions standard for light and heavy duty vehicles.

A raging pandemic—unleashed by a highly contagious COVID-19 virus—has triggered unprecedented restrictions not only on the movement of people but also on a range of economic activities, and the declaration of national emergencies in most countries in Europe and North America.

Following the emergence of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its spread outside of China, Europe is now experiencing large epidemics.

The objective of this study is to provide a first assessment of the legal scope for EU or national measures to phase-out ICE vehicles and to identify issues where legal uncertainty remains and further investigation is needed.

A longer lasting and more intensive coronavirus outbreak, spreading widely throughout the Asia Pacific region, Europe and North America, would weaken prospects considerably. In this event, global growth could drop to 1½ per cent in 2020, half the rate projected prior to the virus outbreak.