Plan for impact assessment studies revived

Date: 18/03/1999

By Simon Coss

ONE of the results of last year's election of a red/green coalition in Germany has been a bid by Bonn to revive a plan to ensure that new public infrastructure projects cause as little environmental damage as possible.

The German presidency is currently trying to persuade other EU governments to take a second look at a 1996 European Commission proposal which would require national authorities to carry out 'strategic environmental assessment' studies on major construction projects.

The fresh talks are still at an early stage, but German officials insist that they will do their utmost to push the proposal forward before their country's six-month stint in the Union's driving seat ends in June. "We want to move this," said one.

But it remains to be seen whether Bonn's new-found eco-enthusiasm will be enough to breathe fresh life into the old plans. At a preliminary meeting earlier this month, most EU governments stuck to the positions which led to the proposal being shelved two years ago.

Germany was the only country which had shifted significantly from its earlier stance. Bonn, along with France and the UK, was originally one of the most vocal opponents of the Commission's plans.

" It was a little bit unchanged during the talks. Some countries said they did not like the plan very much, while others supported it," said one diplomat present at the meeting.

The majority of the session was taken up with a briefing from the Commission to remind those present of the details of its original proposal.

Supporters of the Commission's plan argue that all too often in Europe, major new developments such as roads, railways and bridges are built without any real studies being carried out into their possible impact on the environment.