EU Policy Areas

Environment

Environmental policy has been an issue subject to EU deliberation since 1972 and has been institutionalised through successive treaties. The 1992 Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) was particularly important in introducing the concept of sustainable growth into environmental issues. Article 6 of the Amsterdam Treaty further strengthened the role of environmental policy: “Environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the community policies and activities referred to in article 3, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development.”

The treaty states that EU Environmental policy should contribute to the pursuit of:

•Preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment
• Protecting human health
• Ensuring a prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources
• Promoting measures to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems

At the Cardiff Summit in 1998, it was also decided that environmental considerations and the aim of sustainable development should be integrated into all EU policy areas. This has become known as the Cardiff process.

The cornerstone of EU environmental action is the Sixth Environment Action Programme entitled ‘Environment 2010: Our Future, Our Choice’ which covers the period 2001 to 2010. The priorities are: tackling climate change and global warming; protecting the natural habitat and wildlife; addressing environment and health issues and; preserving natural resources and managing waste.

The European Commission has, in addition, the job of making sure that laws are not just passed, but also enforced. It also has to ensure that all relevant EU policies (e.g. agriculture, development, energy, fisheries, industry, the internal market, transport) take into account the impact they will have on the environment; that business and consumers are closely involved in identifying solutions to environmental problems; that people have the information they need to make environmentally friendly choices and that there is raised awareness of the importance of using land wisely in order to preserve natural habitats and landscapes, and minimise urban pollution.

EU environmental project funding can be thought of as falling into two distinct categories. Firstly, funding within programmes where proponents of projects will be required to meet specific, pre-set criteria and to design projects to assist in the delivery of the objectives of the programme. Examples of such instruments are the Structural Funds. Secondly, open calls for proposals where project proponents have more freedom to design projects that meet objectives set within the context of an environmental need appropriate to the funding call. Environmental research and technological innovation are often funded in this way and the LIFE III instrument provides a good example.

DG ENV website: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/index_en.htm