PRESS RELEASE

EEB welcomes Environment Committee's evaluation of European environmental policy

Brussels (26 February, 2008) - The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations, welcomed today's adoption of the "Report on the Mid-Term Review of the 6th Community and Environment Action Programme" by the Environment Committee of the European Parliament. The report covers the progress made on EU environmental policies since 2002 and describes what steps are necessary to further the EU's environmental goals. Adoption of the report passed by a large majority, with only one vote against.

The EEB welcomes the report, which evaluates implementation of the 6th Community and Environment Action Programme (6th EAP) thus far mainly by assessing the mid-term review on the 6th EAP, which was published by the European Commission in 2007.[1] The Environment Committee's report gives an honest picture of progress and risks and provides clear direction for the coming years.

John Hontelez, Secretary General of the EEB, says, "The Environment Committee rightly warns that under status quo conditions, the EU will achieve neither its goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 nor its objective of reducing natural resource use and waste, in addition to its health protection objectives being compromised with the adoption of REACH legislation on chemicals." [2]

The Committee expressed its belief that "wider use of market based instruments, taking the environmental impact of all production and distribution processes and consumption patterns into consideration, is needed."

John Hontelez responded, "The Committee rightly points to the possibility of taking EU action on environmental tax reform by combining the 'open methods of coordination' and 'enhanced cooperation,' two tools to overcome the Treaty requirement of unanimity for tax-related decisions. Such a strategy is necessary to make sure prices start reflecting environmental costs while reducing the cost of labour."

The EEB also strongly welcomes the call to EU budget authorities to ensure the Commission will have all the necessary financial and human resources to ensure the "most efficient monitoring of implementation and enforcement of existing legislation."

John Hontelez commented, "Indeed, DG Environment [3] does not have sufficient means to enforce the EU environmental acquis as it should. This situation should change, not at the expense of other tasks, but as a result of increased resources."

For further information please contact:-
 
John Hontelez, EEB Secretary General, hontelez@eeb.org, Tel +32 (0) 486 512 127
Doreen Fedrigo, EEB Policy Unit Coordinator, doreen.fedrigo@eeb.org, Tel +32 (0) 2 289 1304
Vanessa Bulkacz, EEB Press and Publications Officer, press@eeb.org, Tel +32 (0) 2 289 1309

Editor's Notes:
[1] The 6th EAP establishes the EU's Community framework for environmental policy and covers the period July 2002 to 2012. The Commission's mid-term review of 2007 addresses three distinct issues: the extent to which the EU is meeting its commitments; assessing whether the original goals set out in the 6th EAP are capable of being met using the most recent scientific evidence; and considering whether the EU's approach to environmental policy needs to be reassessed in light of the changing political context.
[2] REACH is European legislation regulating the use of chemicals. It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007.
[3] Directorate General of the Environment at the European Commission