Indicators are a major source of information for efficient economic and political decisions and provide basic quantitative support for the elaboration and implementation of policies. On behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW), Ecologic analyses the environmental situation of Austria in the context of the EU-27 Member States published in a brochure in November 2008.

The objective of the analysis was to identify sectors where additional effort is required to take a leading position among European countries. In total, 22 indicators in the sectors of water, climate, energy, waste, resource use, consumption, noise, agriculture, transport and industry were analysed. At this, Austria’s performance was assessed in comparison to the other EU Member States. The results of the analysis can be used for priority setting and determination of options for action.

The brochure presents the results of the project “Evaluation of environmental quality in Austria in a European context”, which Ecologic carried out on behalf of the BMLFUW from July to November 2008.