The European Union has been a world leader in the field of the environment for 40 years. Global findings indicate success in reducing environmental pressures. These achievements are all the more remarkable in the European and world context, much changed over the past decades. Without a solid policy agenda, the significant increase in the economy during this period would have led to far more powerful impacts on the health systems and human health. The EU has demonstrated that well-designed, compelling policies work and bring enormous benefits. The EU formulates an attractive future vision for 2050: a low carbon society, a green, circular economy and resilient ecosystems as a foundation for the well-being of citizens. In addition, globalization links Europeans to the rest of the world through a series of systems that allow a two-way flow of people, finances, materials and ideas. Indeed, only the idea of what it means to live well within the limits of the planet is extremely difficult to understand.