This document, entitled "DELIVERING THE EU GREEN DEAL Progress towards targets” (Achieving the EU Green Deal targets – Progress towards targets), published in 2025 by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the scientific and knowledge service of the European Commission, provides evidence-based scientific support for EU policymakingThe aim of the report is to integrate all EU Green Deal (EGD) measures and related policies and offer assessment of the EU's green transition based on reliable data and scientific knowledge. Serves as benchmarking tool and provides science-based guidance for future EU policies and programmes.

The report evaluates progress towards achieving EGD goals in various thematic areas. It analyzes 154 goals from 44 key policy documents with a timeframe from December 2019 to mid-2024. Some of these targets are legally binding, while others are not. The inclusion of non-binding targets, such as those in the Biodiversity Strategy, allows for comprehensive reporting on all EGD ambitions, especially in areas with limited legislation.

Methodology progress assessment is based on screening of EGD political initiatives, extracted and organized them basic political goals by thematic area into the database. These objectives were further grouped by topic, which formed the basis for various thematic overviews that were distributed to experts at the JRC. The experts validated the selection of objectives and helped to identify relevant indicators for assessing the current status given the ambitions of EGD based on the latest available data from internal and reputable scientific research. The report uses, where possible, existing sectoral modelling exercises or assumes in certain cases linear trajectory based on the most current trends. It is used traffic light system to assess progress towards goals.

A message does not judge the policies themselves and is framed by certain limitations. The number of targets per thematic area may not reflect their relative importance. The progress assessment provides an overview of the current state of play but does not assess the relative impact of these targets in terms of environmental, social or economic aspects, nor the timing of the policies. The impacts of some recently adopted policies will only be felt in the coming years and indicators for the new targets are not always agreed upon. The report focuses on quantifiable targets with thresholdswhich are to be achieved by a specific date.

Key findings indicate that progress was made on 96 objectives (62 % out of the total)Of them 32 targets (21 %) is well on its way to achieving, while at 64 goals (41 %) it will be necessary speed up the paceto meet ambitions. When 15 goals (10 %) is the trend either opposite, or stagnant, indicating the need to intensify efforts. For 43 goals (28 %) no data available yet, but many of them are the result of recent policies, the effects of which will be felt in the coming years. These trends are also confirmed when looking exclusively at 87 legally binding targets identified (56 % out of the total number of targets), of which 42 shows some progress, but only 13 (15 %) is progressing at a sufficient pace.

The report is structured into the following main sections:

• Introduction
• Methodology
• The European Green Deal. Facts and figures
• Thematic areas with progress assessment, implementation challenges and key messages for each:
  • 01. Climate ambitions
  • 04. Sustainable and smart mobility
  • 05. Greening the Common Agricultural Policy / Farm to Fork Strategy
  • 06. Conservation and protection of biodiversity
  • 03. Mobilizing industry for a clean and circular economy (note: the numbering in the table of contents indicates that the chapter on circular economy comes before biodiversity)
  • 07. Towards a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment
• Conclusions
• References
• List of abbreviations and definitions
• List of images

The report highlights that achieving the ambitions of the EGD requires sustained, collective effort and represents a societal, economic and governmental shift towards alternative and more sustainable ways of producing, consuming and behaving. Despite structural challenges and the relatively recent introduction of some policies, progress is being made in many areas. Building on this ‘preliminary assessment’, the JRC will continue to explore opportunities, address existing and emerging gaps and consider the challenges the EU faces in achieving this transformation, with a view to informing future EU policies and initiatives.

Between main authors The report includes Luisa Marelli, Matteo Trane, Giulia Barbero Vignola and other experts from the JRC and the European Commission. The report also acknowledges the contributions of many experts from the JRC and feedback from various Directorates-General of the European Commission. Bernard Magenhann, acting Director-General of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), wrote the introduction to the report. Spring