New Europe Sustainable Development Report with special focus on SDG 2 | SDSN Northern Europe
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New Europe Sustainable Development Report with special focus on SDG 2

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This year’s edition reveals that overall SDG progress is stalling, with SDG 2 – Zero Hunger facing particularly severe challenges, underscoring the urgent need for peace, increased funding, and stronger collaboration to support struggling farmers and food producers.

The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2025, released today, warns that progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is stalling, despite the EU’s continued commitment to the 2030 Agenda. While the report assesses all SDGs, this year’s edition places special focus on SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, highlighting the urgent need to address food security challenges.

According to the findings, geopolitical instability, financing gaps, and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed SDG progress across Europe. In particular, achieving SDG 2 requires peace and sustainable financing, as well as strengthened collaboration between governments, businesses, civil society, and food producers. The report underscores the vulnerability of small-scale farmers and food producers, who are disproportionately affected by climate change, economic uncertainty, and market disruptions.

Experts stress that without targeted investments in sustainable agriculture, fair food systems, and resilient supply chains, the EU risks failing to meet its commitments. The report calls for urgent policy action and cross-sector cooperation to accelerate progress toward a more sustainable and food-secure future.

Independent quantitative assessment

The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2025 provides an independent quantitative assessment of the progress of the European Union, its member states and partner countries towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The sixth edition of the ESDR identifies SDG priorities in a context where the new EU leadership, including the European Commission, Parliament and Council of the EU, has recently been established for 2024-2029 mandate.