Commission set to ditch environmental policies

By Anna McLauchlin

Date: 20/07/05

The European Commission of José Manuel Barroso is poised to deliver a damaging blow to the chances of future EU legislation on the environment.

According to insiders, the College of Commissioners will today (20 July) delay any legislative action on seven framework environment policies, citing economic reasons.

Some form of legislative action was originally envisaged in five of the seven 'thematic strategies' before the college.

One European Commission source said that although the executive was likely to voice broad support for their objectives, the chances of the strategies being adopted in full was "as likely as hell freezing over".

The situation has angered those in the Commission's environment department (DG Environment) who see their policymaking role weakened by the Barroso college.

Last week, President Barroso decided to postpone a paper exploring how to cut emissions in the aviation sector. New rules on vehicle emissions have also been suspended until after the summer break.

"This is a case of credibility for the Commission, which will show its true colours with this decision," said one DG Environment official.

Environmental campaigners are equally downhearted. "It's short-sighted to think that environmental policy complicates economic goals and it's irresponsible when there are still serious environmental problems to be solved," said John Hontelez,

secretary-general of the European Environmental Bureau. "Without legislation the EU is just a talking-shop."

"There are a lot of worried people," said Saskia Richartz from Greenpeace. "The Commission is going against all signs from the public polls that the environment should be an equal part of sustainable development, despite its own recognition that there is a growing gap between the EU citizen and decision-makers."

European Voice has learnt that during preliminary meetings, Commissioners Charlie McCreevy, Peter Mandelson and Günter Verheugen voiced strong opposition to the cost of green legislation.

One legislative option on reducing air pollution - already postponed pending today's meeting - could cost the industry €12 billion annually by 2020.

European businesses have defended their position. "The issue is not about delayed legislation, it's about realistic objectives and decisions," said Nadine Toscani from EU business association UNICE.

"The industry is already investing in meeting its environmental objectives," she said. Stavros Dimas, the environment commissioner, has tried to sway today's outcome with a paper defending the strategies that he will present to his colleagues.

Policymakers' wait-and-see attitude, the commissioner argued, has led to climate change, the collapse of fisheries and the "dramatic loss" of biodiversity. Dimas also launched an attack on the economic argument against legislation. "Experience has show that the costs of implementing environment regulations are consistently over-estimated by both industry and regulators," his paper reads, adding that the economic benefits of implementing the strategies will be four times the cost to industry.

Dimas asked his peers: "How can we find the optimal balance between short-term costs, the future costs of not taking further action and a level of environmental protection which delivers a high quality of life and a healthy environment?"

Article reports that the European Commission, meeting on 20 July 2005, might delay any legislative action on seven framework environment policies, citing economic reasons.