The EU and Member States' sustainable development strategies were largely developed in isolation and at different times. They consequently vary considerably in terms of their content and their approach. The objective of this project is to develop a handbook of guidance for conducting reviews and peer reviews of national sustainable development strategies in the EU. This involves designing a template, method and core specifications for reviews, so that a similar approach can be taken towards different national sustainable development strategies. The handbook has been published and can be downloaded.

Most EU Member States developed national strategies for sustainable development (SDSs) in the run up to the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. However, Member States face a number of common challenges in preparing, implementing and reviewing their strategies. This relates to adopting appropriate institutional and procedural arrangements, creating a sense of ownership by the target groups, prioritising actions and formulating a coherent vision. Faced with a wide diversity of approaches, as well as weak vertical links and many common challenges, there is a clear need to pool experiences. The objective of the project is to develop a handbook of guidance for conducting reviews and peer reviews of national SDSs in the EU. The project involves designing a template, method and core specifications for reviews, so that a similar approach can be taken towards different SDSs.

Here you can download the guidebook for peer reviews of national sustainable development strategies [pdf, 587 KB, English].

The project is part of a framework contract with the European Commission on Economic Analysis in the Context of Environmental Policies and of Sustainable Development.