Press Release: Strategic Environmental Assessment: Commission takes legal action against twelve Member States

The European Commission on 11 July sent twelve Member States a final written warning for failing to incorporate into national law an EU law aimed at assessing the environmental impacts of a wide range of plans and programmes. These include, for example, plans on land use, road construction or waste management. National laws should have been in place by 21 July 2004. The Member States concerned are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Finland (concerning the province of Åland only), Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia. The EU law in question - known as the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive - seeks to ensure that national decision-makers examine the environmental effects of plans and programmes before approving them. It thereby contributes to better management of finite natural resources and reduces the possibility of environmental harm.