MEPs slam noise pollution plan

Date: 12/06/1997

MEPs have branded as “pathetic” the European Commission's latest Green Paper to tackle the growing problem of noise pollution.

Spanish Socialist MEP Carmen Diez de Rivera Icaza told this week's plenary session in Strasbourg that 70&percent; of EU citizens were now forced to put up with noise levels in excess of maximum limits set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). She added that the main culprit responsible for these unacceptably high levels was road traffic.

In its 1996 work programme, the Commission set out a wide-ranging series of actions aimed at tackling the problem.

But De Rivera, whose report calling for a tougher EU approach to noise pollution was supported by an overwhelming majority of her colleagues in a vote taken after the debate, complained that the majority of these good intentions appeared to have sunk without trace and been replaced by “a pathetic little Green Paper”.

This consultation document did little more than suggest a series of inadequate and non-binding measures, she added.

French Republican MEP Jean-Pierre Bebear, a doctor specialising in hearing deficiencies, said that the majority of Europeans cited noise pollution as their principal cause of annoyance.

“I can confirm that the number of hearing problems and cases of deafness linked to noise pollution are increasing every year,” he said.

Bebear added that there were many other non-hearing problems linked to noise pollution, including lack of sleep, poor performance at work, lower levels of academic achievement by students and a worrying increase in the consumption of sleeping tablets across the Union.

Other parliamentarians echoed their colleagues' concerns over rising noise levels.

Greek New Democracy Euro MP Stelios Argyros argued that the Commission needed to encourage member states to provide detailed information on the scale of the problem, saying this was the only way to ensure the relevant authorities could plan a coordinated EU-wide response to noise pollution.

But Argyros went on to warn his colleagues not to expect overnight results.

He argued that at least ten years of planning and implementation would be needed before Europeans could expect to notice real improvements.

British Socialist Anita Pollack said that while some people had argued that noise pollution was a local problem - affecting, for example, those living near airports or major roads - it did, in fact, have implications for society as a whole. She pointed out that it was often the poor and those living in run-down areas who suffered most acutely from unacceptable levels of noise.

Speaking on behalf of Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard, who was unable to attend the session, Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler denied that the Green Paper had been a failure.

He said the fact that there had been around 175 responses to the document showed there was a clear interest in taking action.

But Fischler admitted that the Commission was not yet in a position to say exactly what sort of action it would propose.