The EEB stands for sustainable development, environmental justice, global equity, transparency and participatory democracy. It promotes the principles of prevention, precaution and the polluter pays.

Example: PFAS

An example of EEB’s approach is their work on PFAS. Patrick ten Brink, Secretary General of EEB: “PFAS isn’t somebody else’s problem – it affects all of us. We showed the members of the European Parliament this in 2024 with our blood test campaign. Many of the politicians who took the test discovered that there’s PFAS in their blood, too.”

Healthy economy

“The European Commission is now asking companies for ‘clarification’ on the use of harmful substances such as PFAS, but we believe that word is much too vague. We want to see action: for example, strict rules on the use of PFAS. So that the 185 environmental organizations from 41 countries that are members of our network can do their work even better. We also published our European Pact for the Future on their behalf in 2024. In it we show how a sustainable world and a healthy economy can go hand in hand.”

“One of the pact’s recommendations was given by our youth members: make sure that policy also takes account of the specific consequences of climate change and harmful substances for minorities, such as the Sámi in Scandinavia.”