EU households spent more on alcohol, tobacco and drugs than member states on environmental protection. Credit: Pxhere

The average EU household spent more on narcotics and alcohol throughout 2017 than EU governments did on environmental protection, new Eurostat figures show.

Figures released by the EU’s statistics agency on the 2019 edition of its energy, transport and environment statistics reviewed data from the period spanning 2006 to 2018.

According to the figures, the total amount spent on environmental protection by EU Member States during the year 2018 reached €297 billion, an increase of 22% compared to 2006.

Despite the increase, the report found that national environmental protection expenditure in regards to countries’ gross domestic product had remained relatively stable since 2006 (2% of GDP) and even registered a minor decline in 2018 (1.9%).

Governments’ spending on the environment paled in comparison to EU household’s spending on alcohol and narcotics, the figures showed, reporting household expenditures ranging from 2.3% to 2.1% between 2006 and 2017.

Both Member States and NGOs were outspent by corporations when it came to environmental protection, the report found, noting that business spending “accounts for the largest share of the environmental protection expenditure, accounting for 54% of the total in 2018.”

Member States’ environmental protection expenditures quantify the resources devoted to protecting the environment, including by preventing, reducing and eliminating polluting or degrading agents, taking into account the resources of national governments, corporations and households.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times