The Council of Europe Reykjavík Summit Declaration  underlined “the urgency of additional efforts to protect the environment, as well as to counter the impact of the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity on human rights, democracy and the rule of law”, while committing the Council of Europe to strengthening its work “on the human rights aspects of the environment and initiate the Reykjavík process of focusing and strengthening the work of the Council of Europe in this field”.

The Reykjavík process gathered steam in 2023 throughout the Organisation, and by decision of the Secretary General on 1 January 2024, Further to the Council of Europe Reykjavík Summit Declaration the Secretary General set up a Directorate of Social Rights, Health and Environment and a Department on the Reykjavík Process and Environment within, to make the environment a visible priority for the Organisation and promoting co-operation among member States.

The Department set up an Inter-Secretariat Task Force on the Environment and carried out a review of environmental activities across the Organisation, as the basis for formulating proposals for elements of a Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment.

An intergovernmental committee, the Ad hoc Multidisciplinary Group on Environment (GME), was established on 17 May 2024 to prepare a Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment and its accompanying Action Plan. On 14 May 2025 in Luxembourg, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment (2025–2030). The Strategy reflects the Council of Europe’s commitment to a forward-looking, holistic approach that aligns human rights, democracy, and the rule of law with environmental protection. Recognising that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is essential to the full enjoyment of human rights by present and future generations, it pursues five key objectives:

1. Integrating human rights considerations into environment-related strategies, instruments, legislation, policies, and actions, and vice versa.
2. Strengthening democratic governance in environmental matters.
3. Supporting and protecting environmental human rights defenders, environmental defenders, and whistleblowers.
4. Preventing and prosecuting environment-related crimes.
5. Protecting wildlife, ecosystems, habitats, and landscapes.

The Strategy promotes the mainstreaming of sustainable development and environmental objectives across the Council of Europe’s work and operations. Its Action Plan sets out ongoing and planned activities to ensure effective implementation and, in line with the Council of Europe’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, identifies the most relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for each strategic objective.

The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention, ETS No. 104) is considered a privileged regional platform at European level for supporting the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which contributes to the achievement of Goal 15. The Convention has continued promoting harmonised national policies and guidance for the conservation and the sustainable management of wild species and their habitats, including on land. It facilitates regional cooperation on conservation issues in Europe, through the wide-ranging participation of national, regional and local authorities, stakeholders, NGOs and civil society.

The Bern Convention has its own monitoring and standard-setting systems, including a complaint system, and is also recognised for its role in helping align nature conservation standards at the level of the European continent. The Emerald Network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest, set up by Recommendation No. 16 (1989) of the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention, played a key role in that respect.

In order to preserve natural heritage, the Bern Convention is supported by various initiatives, including the European Diploma for Protected Areas, a prestigious international award granted since 1965 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Diploma recognises natural and semi-natural areas and landscapes of exceptional European importance for the preservation of biological, geological and landscape diversity and which are managed in an exemplary way. The Diploma was awarded to two new areas and further applications were received.

The Council of Europe Landscape Convention (ETS No. 176)  emphasises the protection, management, and planning of all landscapes and targets the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, forest management, desertification combat, and halting biodiversity loss.

The convention’s approach includes: Recognising the value of all landscapes — urban, rural, degraded, or outstanding — for ecological, cultural, and social reasons, thus supporting the sustainable use and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems as called for in Goal 15. Encouraging integrated landscape management, bringing together stakeholders to develop common objectives for land use that balance conservation, agriculture, forestry, and human needs, directly contributes to the sustainable management and restoration of forests and other ecosystems. Promoting public awareness, education, and participation in landscape stewardship, fosters community commitment to halting land degradation and biodiversity loss, in line with the specific targets of Goal 15. Presentation of national and regional reports on the implementation of the Landscape Convention by the States Parties to the Convention is available within the framework of the Council of Europe Information System on the Convention, set up under Recommendation CM / Rec (2013) 4 of the Committee of Ministers to member States.

In 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly adopted Resolution 2400 (2021) Combating inequalities in the right to a safe, healthy and clean environment, following a report prepared by the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

At its November 2024 Plenary, the European Committee on Crime Problems approved the draft text of a new Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, replacing and superseding the 1998 Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law (ETS No.172). The new Convention was adopted by the Committee of Ministers and opened for signature in December 2025. The Convention represents a legal breakthrough with global impact in addressing environmental crime, covering a broad range of criminal acts, such as pollution, hazardous waste, illegal logging, trading in wildlife species, mining and the disruption of protected habitats. A provision entitled “particularly serious offence” has been included.

The Committee of Ministers Resolution CM/Res(2013)66 , Article 1§1, defines Cultural Routes as instruments for sustainable territorial development. In addition, the 14th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, reaffirming the principles of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention (ETS No. 176), highlighted that, at a time when Europe’s landscapes are increasingly threatened by climate change, environmental degradation and unsustainable tourism, the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe have significant potential to contribute to landscape conservation, thereby supporting the achievement of Target 15.1, on conserving and restoring terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

This page reflects recent and ongoing developments in the activities of the Council of Europe towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Council’s historical activities in this area have been archived.