13/03/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 13 March, the European Commission published its mid-term review of the 8th Environment Action Programme. In broad terms, the report, which will be presented to the ministers at the next EU ‘Environment’ Council, scheduled for 25 March, stresses the importance of achieving climate and environmental objectives also for their positive economic and social impacts, particularly in terms of health, resilience and security of supply. The report also states that the EU’s objectives set out in the European Green Deal are achievable, if the planned actions are fully implemented. The document goes on to say that implementation will be crucial to assessing the impact of the legislation, which cannot be clearly defined for lack of sufficient hindsight. The Commission will have to carry out another in-depth assessment during the lifetime of the 8th Environment Action Programme, with a final assessment in 2029. (TM)