Damning verdict on EU’s ‘green’ policies

Date: 21/10/1999

By Gareth Harding

THE European Commission is set to adopt a gloomy end-of-term report on the effectiveness of the EU's environment policy next week when it delivers its verdict on the Union's fifth environmental action programme.

The 'global assessment' of the EU's environmental blueprint, which was agreed in 1992 and runs out next year, is expected to conclude that despite almost 30 years of Union rules and regulations, the state of Europe's environment is getting worse, not better.

Drawing on recent research from the European Environment Agency, the report will warn that the Union has breached most of the targets in its action programme, made slow progress in integrating environment policy into other policy areas such as transport and agriculture, and failed to provide the policy tools needed to clean up Europe's environment.

One Commission official said the probe's “big message” was that “while we have talked about broadening the range of policy instruments, we have not achieved very much”.

The report will point out that the EU still relies heavily on 'command and control' mechanisms such as directives despite the fifth programme's emphasis on using taxes and charges to change behaviour. And while the Union has started to take the issue of integration more seriously, this has yet to have an impact.

The long-awaited study is, however, not just an autopsy but also a prescription for improving the long-term health of Europe's environment. It flags up many of the measures which are likely to find their way into the sixth action programme, which the Commission will present late next year.

These are likely to reflect the priorities set out by Environment Commissioner Margot Wallsträm during her confirmation hearing at the European Parliament last month. Officials say climate change, eco-efficiency and improving the quality of Europe's air and water will be high on the Commission's hit-list for the next five-year plan.

One bone of contention is whether to set sectoral targets in the follow-up programme. The Commission is in favour of doing so, but is wary of setting uncosted and unrealistic goals as happened in 1992.

Meanwhile, EU internal market ministers will insist next week the environmental impact of proposed laws to promote the free movement of goods and people must be taken into account.

A report to be discussed by ministers at their meeting next Thursday (28 October) calls for greener laws in areas such as public procurement, recommending for example that companies which do not comply with environmental protection laws be automatically excluded from bidding for contracts. It also argues that 'green' groups should be given a say in the development of European industry-wide standards, which are mainly voluntarily and set by supranational bodies.