Green Deal call area 8: A zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment

Public opinion surveys have shown that a majority of EU citizens are worried about the impact on their health of chemicals present in the environment and everyday products. The EU has put in place extensive legislation to protect the environment and health of citizens. However, we continue being exposed to manmade chemicals through water, food and air. These chemicals are suspected or proven to cause various health effects. Assessment their health risks is compromised by the fact that we are exposed to a large number of different mixtures of chemicals, not to single substances.

Green Deal call area 7: Restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services

Biodiversity loss threatens the delivery of these services. Large-scale ecosystem restoration of ecosystems at land and on sea is therefore urgent. Whilst solutions are available now, they are neither up-scaled nor integrated enough in today’s governance, investment or policy support landscapes.The Commission will soon present a Biodiversity Strategy that will identify specific measures to halt biodiversity loss, and to restore ecosystems and their services.

Green Deal call area 6: Farm to Fork

The Farm to Fork Strategy, which is at the heart of Europe’s Green Deal, outlines the ambition to transform European food systems into the global standard for sustainability. It tackles the major challenges we face such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of land and sea, while ensuring that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised. It puts emphasis on enabling a 'just transition' for all food systems actors, including all citizens.

Green Deal call area 5: Sustainable and smart mobility

Transport is a major contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions. The European Green Deal seeks to address this. In order to achieve the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050, transport emissions will have to drastically reduce by 90%.

Much more needs to be done in aviation and shipping to achieve the EU decarbonisation goals. Airports and ports have a major role to play since, as hubs, they can have a significant and immediate impact on the modes of transport using them.

Green Deal call area 4: Energy and resource efficient buildings

With rising focus on the building sector (e.g. the ‘renovation wave’ initiative of the European Green Deal) in view of the full decarbonisation by 2050, the built environment remains a strategic domain for R&I. The priority is the design and construction of new or retrofitting of existing buildings as zero-emission/zero-pollution, positive energy powerhouses within sustainable green neighbourhoods (districts).