Renewable energy remains one of the main engines of AB’'s green economy.
Block-wide usage It's almost like %Reached 50’According to Eurostat’, countries such as Austria and Sweden are already meeting their energy needs. %It covers 90’ from renewable energy sources.
The largest share of green energy is wind () and hydropower () is the fastest growing source, although produced by 2008’de only %1’ to 2024’te It is solar energy that rises above ’.
Experts claim that there are photovoltaic panels It can even pass the booster.In terms of energy produced “in the next few years.
What is the most profitable green energy sector?
Recycling is also good for the environment and, apparently, for the economy.
According to new Eurostat data, waste management is the most profitable green economy sector in AB’.
In 2023, in just 10 years %An increase of 78’ generated revenues of more than 200 million Euro’.
This is twice the output of wastewater management and material recovery, the second and third most valuable activities.
Waste management is also the largest sector in terms of workforce, employing nearly one million people across the block.
Green jobs are on the rise: Where do most people work?
According to Eurostat’, jobs in AB’'s green economy grew by more than two million in less than a decade.
This number, which was only 3.6 million in 2014’te, increased to 5.8 million in 2023’te with an average annual increase of 5.5 percent.
Employment in the EU green economy ranges from environmental protection, such as wastewater and forest management, to renewable energy production and residential energy efficiency.
Is Environmental Leader – an important figure in future business strategies?
Energy saving ranks second after waste management with more than 800,000’ professionals, followed by renewable resources with 785,000 professionals. Wastewater management and the protection of soil and groundwater, where approximately 680,000 people are employed, in front of more than half a million employees, are also relevant.
Although Eurostat does not provide data on this, there is another role that plays an increasingly important role in green strategies and in a sense helps to connect the dots between different green areas: the environmental leadership.
They are responsible for overseeing the environmental impact of a company or project. Basically, they ensure that activities comply with environmental regulations by conducting audits and measuring emissions. They also recommend circular economy practices to increase sustainability and reduce carbon footprint.
Do green policies still have momentum?
AB’'s green economy has been growing steadily since 2014’ and average annual production growth is approx. %It is 8’.
Member states have almost doubled their production in less than 10 years, generating revenues of €1.33 billion in 2023’te.
The debate in the European ’ is now over whether this sector will continue to expand without momentum prior to the 2024 European elections, which, following a downturn for the Greens, points towards more conservative political parties with less environmentally friendly policies aimed at making AB’ more competitive.
The moment that summed this up was when the EU Commission, ’ in February 2025, implemented the Omnibus I package, which included a series of legislative amendment proposals for ’te, aimed at reducing and simplifying administrative and regulatory burdens for businesses, in particular environmental requirements. But it is a movement that some critics consider deregulation under the guise of simplification.
Last year, the EU Commission also suspended negotiations on a law called the Green Claims Directive, which was designed to stop green laundering.
Other moves in this direction included the shelving of a proposal to reduce pesticide use following mass farmer protests in Europe’ and the dilution of the Nature Restoration Act’, which sets binding targets for the repair of degraded ecosystems.
