Brussels, 20/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - A further step was taken during the night of Wednesday to Thursday towards fixing a course of action and priorities for the EU's future environmental policy. The Parliament, Council and European Commission were successful in concluding their last trialogue on the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP), setting out the major guidelines and priorities for environmental policy until 2020 (see EUROPE 10835). The way is therefore now open for an agreement in first reading on the programme entitled “Living well within the limits of our planet”, on which the member states and the European Parliament were particularly keen. Nonetheless, it will be necessary for the interinstutional political agreement to be first formally approved by Parliament and Council. The result of the negotiation will be presented for approval to Coreper on 26 June. The Parliament's vote of approval in plenary session is due during the second session of October after a vote by the environment committee at the European Parliament in July.
The responsibility of member states for implementing the programme, investment in a low carbon economy, fiscal measures for promoting the use of sustainable resources as well as the objectives and indicators for sustainable consumption and production - these were all matters at the heart of the inter-institutional discussions.
The agreement reached in trialogue ensures that the programme will steer Europe's transition towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon and environmentally friendly economy that ensures the protection and strengthening of nature “capital” as well as the health and well-being of citizens.
Phil Hogan, the outgoing president of the Environment Council, welcomed this move forward to be added to the Irish Presidency's list of achievements, building on and crowning with success the work begun by the Danish and Cypriot Presidencies. In addition to the fact that it will provide industry and policy-makers with a long-term vision, this 7th EAP, Hogan said, will provide obvious benefits to the citizens through a cleaner and more resilient environment, greener and more sustainable economic growth and the creation of quality jobs.
Gaston Franco (EPP, France), who is rapporteur negotiating on behalf of the Parliament so that the programme is a true manifesto for green growth, said he was very pleased, adding: “This is a very great success for the European Parliament which has fought for the 7th programme to come about. By dint of persuasion, we have reached a very ambitious text on the EU's environmental and climatic commitments at European and international level, without putting a strain on the economic competitiveness and development of Europe. This is the real manifesto for the environment and the 'New Deal' for green growth and employment as I had imagined”. He went on: “The objective now is for the commitments taken by the Union and member states under the programme to be effectively held and for the European environmental legislation to be fully implemented” (our translation).
Along the same lines, Janez Potocnik, European Environment Commissioner, and Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, consider in unison that this political agreement “sends a clear signal that the EU and its member state firmly support a strong and smart environment policy”. They underline the need for “the EU institutions and the member states to now turn their commitments into action”, and say it is necessary to “assume our collective and individual responsibilities to tackle the challenges we have identified together”. (AN/transl.jl)