Brussels, 20/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - As is only to be expected in this time of economic crisis, member states' environmental good intentions are flagging. The final Environment Council under the outgoing Polish Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU provided the proof. In very short conclusions, the Council welcomed the roadmap for a resource efficient Europe as a key point of the EUROPE 2020 strategy leading to a changed economy, more sustainable and more competitive. The Council also approved the multi-sectoral approach that underpins the roadmap. That, however, is virtually all the text contains. Some delegations, concerned by the economic crisis, called for innovative funding sources (including as part of the European semester) and urged closer cooperation with businesses in making the transition to a sustainable and more resource-friendly European economy.
The European Commission is deeply disappointed at the lack of ambition of the conclusions and made its feelings known in a statement annexed to the minutes of the meeting. It looks forward to working with future Presidencies to reaffirm Council's commitment to an ambitious and positive resource efficiency agenda in 2012, especially including resource efficiency in the European semester and in national reform programmes, for example by addressing the issue of phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies and switching taxes away from employment towards the environment.
Friends of the Earth see these conclusions as a lack of political will to rethink Europe's overconsumption of the world's resources. “Instead of agreeing to develop targets for reducing Europe's dependence on water, land and other resources, member states have taken a step backwards by opening-up discussions on whether the milestones (2020 and 2050) are valid and whether targets are needed. In these troubled economic times, governments should be actively moving Europe towards a better use of resources”, stated Michael Warhurst, resource-use campaigner at the environmental NGO. (AN/transl.rt)