Environmental Policy

Environment was only formally incorporated into the EU policy portfolio in 1985 through the Single European Act. The broad objective for action at the Community level was to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment. This extended from promoting more rational utilisation of natural resources to measures contributing to the protection of human health.

The "polluter pays" principle was enshrined in the policy from the outset, along with the ideas that preventive action was preferable and that environmental damage should be rectified at source wherever possible. Furthermore, the concept of "subsidiarity" was born - EU level action should be taken only to the extent that the objectives could be better attained than at the level of Member States. Later additions included the pursuit of sustainable development and, with the influence of new Scandinavian Member States, the idea that more stringent national protective measures could be taken, provided other trade principles were respected.

In addition to the adoption of common rules in key policy areas, cooperation projects are funded through a financial instrument for the environment (LIFE).

Research and technological development in the environment is also a key theme under the R&D Framework Programme. Specific initiatives in the energy sector are funded through the "SAVE" and "ALTENER" initiatives.

Closer institutional collaboration takes place through the European environmental information & observation network, and the European Environment Agency was created in 1990 with its seat in Copenhagen.

Over a relatively short period, environment has emerged as one of the most important and heavily loaded areas of EU activity. The policy area in which the principle of subsidiarity was developed has seen rapid expansion of activities at the EU level.

Policy Areas

• Water quality
  Trans-boundary effects of pollution have already led to the development of common standards at the EU level for drinking water and urban waste water. These measures set out a framework which is then implemented through national laws in the Member States. Similar arrangements are in place to protect against pollution of ground water and the marine environment by dangerous chemicals including agricultural fertilisers.
• Air quality
  Binding limits for the levels of sulphur dioxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, asbestos and other suspended particles in the air are already in force. Measures have also been agreed to limit emissions of pollutants from municipal waste incinerators and other forms of industrial complexes. The protection of the ozone layer (under the Montreal Protocol) and curbs on green house gas emissions (in the follow-up to the Kyoto summit) are examples of broader international agreements negotiated by the Community.
• Dangerous substances
  At the outset, EU policy focused on developing a common classification system for dangerous substances. More recently, biotechnology has emerged as a key area of concern for the future. An EU regime for agreeing experimental and commercial releases of genetically modified organisms into the environment has been in place since the early 1990s and is currently being reviewed.
• Waste disposal
  The EU has been at the forefront of world-wide efforts to supervise and closely control shipments of dangerous waste material. Within the EU, general rules already exist on landfill and incineration of rubbish and specific sectoral arrangements are in force for disposal of oils, waste from the paper industry and agricultural sludge.

Integrating environment into other EU policy areas

A key priority for many years has been to ensure that the environmental impact of major public and private sector projects is properly assessed. Within the single market, common rules are also in place for eco-labelling of products. The Commission has been working to take environmental factors more fully into account in all its policies: agriculture, fisheries, transport and energy will be particularly important over the coming years.

New alternatives to legislation

Among the important results of the Kyoto climate change summit in December 1998 was the Community-level commitment to reduce emissions of a basket of 6 greenhouse gases by 8%. EU Environment Ministers have already agreed how this should be split among the Member States ("burden sharing") by cooperation rather than legislation. Furthermore, specific sectoral negotiations have taken place with the European car manufacturers' association to agree future limits on exhaust emissions.