2018 年，尽管《越境环境影响评估公约》(《埃斯波公约》)缔约方已认识到该《公约》对实现可持续发展目标做出了宝贵贡献，但在《公约》在具体次区域的适用方面，以及在采用《公约》应对主要类型经济发展方面，仍存在挑战。尚未达成协议的一个领域是该《公约》对关于延长核电厂寿命的决定的适用性。预计在下一个十年中，在欧洲经委会区域每年都将作出很多这样的决定，因为欧洲的很多反应堆将达到其最初技术设计寿命的尽头。
In 2018, despite its parties having recognized the valuable contribution of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, challenges remained in the application of the Convention, both in specific subregions and for addressing key types of economic development. One area where agreement has yet to be reached is on the applicability of the Convention to decisions on the extension of the life of nuclear power plants. The next decade is expected to see many such decisions being taken each year in the ECE region, as a number of European reactors will reach the end of their original technical design life.