Brussels, 15/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Commission decided to move to the second stage of the infringement procedure against Austria for incorrect transposition of the European Directive concerning the free access to information on the environment (Directive 90/313/EEC of Council). The Member State will receive a motivated opinion, as the modification of national legislation, occurring after the sending of a letter of formal warning last year, does not cover the whole country. Several regions - notably Burgenland and Salzburg - have still not presented the Commission with the provisions required to remedy these shortcomings. Furthermore, certain failings linked to the erroneous interpretation of the notion of access to information have been noted in the legislative drafts transmitted by the regions of Lower Austria and Corinthian (and, to a lesser extent, by Styrie and Tyrol).
Margot Wallstrom, Environment Commissioner, recalls that the Directive on public access to information on the environment forms a essential democratic instrument.