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Press Release from The European Commission DG XI, Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection,
Presenting the strategy, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said: "Environment policy is one of the EU's success stories - thanks to EU legislation we have seen big improvements in cleaning up the air and our rivers, to take an example. But we still face major problems and in some cases the environment is actually getting worse. Citizens are concerned about their environment. Therefore we have to act urgently and this is what we are proposing in the new programme."
The new blueprint for the EU's environmental policy follows the 5th Environmental Action Programme in 1992 and its Review in 1998. This Sixth Environment Action Programme sets out overall objectives to be achieved and identifies a list of priority actions. It has to be adopted by the Council and the European Parliament by co-decision procedure.
A strategic approach
The new programme builds on a consultation launched by the Commission in November 1999 with its Global Assessment of the 5th Action Programme,(1) which in turn was based on a major report by the European Environment Agency on the state of the environment.(2) The Global Assessment had painted a mixed picture of the effectiveness of environmental policy in the EU. It had criticised deficient implementation by Member States of EC environmental directives and a weak ownership of environmental objectives by stakeholders.
Against this background, the new programme stresses the need for Member States to better implement existing environmental laws, and the Commission announces that it will bring increased pressure to bear on Member States by making implementation failures better known.
Another theme in the new programme is working with business and consumers to achieve more environmentally friendly forms of production and consumption. Here, the Commission wants to have recourse to a raft of new instruments ranging from an Integrated Product Policy and environmental liability to fiscal measures and better information for citizens.
Commissioner Wallström sees this as cornerstone of her own agenda: "I believe that 'greening' the market is a key to sustainable development. And I know that there are many pro-active companies out there who already benefit economically from the high environmental standards they apply, and which consumers are expecting more and more."
Another aspect that is highlighted in 'Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice' is the need to continue to integrate environmental considerations into other policies such as transport, energy and agriculture and the importance of spatial planning and action at the local and regional level to promote sustainable development.
The proposed environmental action programme in most areas limits itself to setting general objectives rather than quantified targets.
"For me it is important that we discuss concrete actions that will start things moving rather than spend much time in debating what the specific target figures should be", said Mrs Wallström. "We will set quantified targets later on the basis of more scientific information than we have at the moment."
For each of the four priority areas, the programme explains the issues, defines the objectives and lists the priority actions to be undertaken. On several environmental problems, so-called 'thematic strategies' are announced which will combine different measures for achieving environmental objectives in the most cost-effective way.
Priority Areas
1. Climate change
The achievement of the Community's 8% emission reduction target for 2008-2012 under the Kyoto Protocol is the focus of the proposed new programme. However, the Commission also calls for more far-reaching global emission cuts in the order of 20 40 % by 2020 and cites the scientific estimate that in the longer term a 70 % global greenhouse gas emission reduction as compared to 1990 will be needed.
The programme points to the need for structural changes especially in the transport and energy sectors, calls for stronger efforts in energy-efficiency and energy-saving, the establishment of an EU-wide emissions trading scheme, further research and technological development and awareness-raising with citizens so that they can contribute to reducing emissions. At the same time, a certain degree of climate change is expected to happen and the EU needs to put in place measures to adapt.
Commisioner Wallström stresses: "The scientists have told us clearly that we must face up to climate change or else accept dramatic consequences. Making the Kyoto Protocol operational is not easy as everybody knows but it can really only be a first step."
2. Nature and bio-diversity
Europe is seeing dramatic threats to the survival of many species and their habitats. The full establishment of the Natura 2000 network and a set of sectoral bio-diversity actions plans are the cornerstones of the approach to avert these threats. In addition, more attention needs to be given to protecting landscapes more generally through agricultural and regional policies.
The programme also announces new initiatives for protecting the marine environment and proposals to prevent industrial and mining accidents. A thematic strategy for protecting soils will open a new field of Community environmental policy.
3. The Environment and health
The effects of environmental pollution on human health are increasingly recognised and Community legislation has addressed many problems. A more holistic policy approach is needed to address interlinkages between different environment-related health risks. More attention should be given to particularly vulnerable groups including, for example, children.
A major item on the 'environment and health' agenda for the years to come will be a fundamental overhaul of the Community's system for managing risks from chemicals. Particular attention will equally be devoted to a thematic strategy for reducing risks from pesticides. The implementation of the Water Framework Directive of 2000 and other existing legislation will dominate efforts to protect water quality in the EU, and a similar focus on implementation will apply to noise when the Noise framework directive will be adopted by Council and the European Parliament. A thematic strategy for air quality will monitor the effectiveness of existing standards and identify gaps and priorities for further action.
"The Environment and health is a personal priority for me, and children and other vulnerable groups are a special concern", said Mrs Wallström.
4. Sustainable use of natural resources and waste
One of the most difficult issues for the EU's environmental policy is the inexorable growth in waste, and 'Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice' calls for a decoupling of waste generation from economic growth. Particular efforts will be devoted to increased recycling, and waste prevention objectives are to be pursued inter alia through an Integrated Product Policy. Other proposals target specific waste streams such as sludges and biodegradeable waste.
Improved resource efficiency will be the leitmotiv of a thematic strategy on the sustainable use of resources another area where the 6th Environmental Action Programme will break new ground. As in other areas, the Commission believes that high environmental objectives in this respect will not least promote the competitiveness of European industry.
In Commissioner Wallström's words: "This will help business, with lower costs and new markets, consumers, who have less waste to dispose of and, of course it will help the environment."
Enlargement and the international dimension
The new programme will see the Enlargement of the EU and will then apply also to the new Member States. It calls on the Candidate Countries to fully apply the EU's existing environmental legislation and announces a deepening of the dialogue with their administrations, environmental NGOs and business communities.
Strengthening the integration of environmental aims into the EU's external policies for example through developing methodologies and criteria for sustainability impact assessments for trade agreements and an effective EU role in international environmental policy-making is another priority area.
Working with stakeholders and on the basis of sound science
Broader dialogue and involvement from day one will be a feature of new policy proposals on the environment. The same is true for sound scientific and economic assessments. Monitoring on the basis of indicators will be further developed and the Commission will work closely with the European Environment Agency in this respect. The Commission will also continue to provide financing to, and draw on the support of environmental NGOs.
Other information
A summary of the 6th Programme can be found at http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/newprg/index.htm
A copy of the 6th Environmental Action Programme promotional video can be obtained from http://www.tvlink.org/environment/en/home.htm (1) Europes Environment: What directions for the future?, COM(1999) 543. (2) Environment in the European Union at the turn of the Century, European Environment Agency, 1999.
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