Brussels, 06/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - One of the most important votes of the European Parliament last week in Brussels was that on the report by Finnish Social Democrat Ritta Myller on the proposal for a decision laying down the Community Environment Action Programme 2001-2010. Voting at first reading (codecision) on several hundred amendments, the plenary largely approved its rapporteur, who hoped to make the programme both more "strategic" and more detailed, despite opposition mainly from the EPP-ED group. At the close of the final vote - 274 for and 150 against, with 31 abstentions - Ms Ryller welcomed the cooperation of the Swedish Council Presidency on this issue. She commented: "Politically, we are in a rather unique situation, where the Parliament is much closer to the Council than the Commission". Cristina Gutierrez-Cortinez, elected member of Partido Popular, on the other hand, affirmed that her group fully supported the programme as proposed by the Commission (it is an "excellent, well balanced proposal, forward looking and scientifically based"), but that she had had to vote against because amendments approved showed a "serious lack of realism". In second reading, our group will "try to restore some common sense", she decreed, mainly regretting the approval of amendments which, she said, impose new environmental taxes that "do not respect the subsidiarity principle" and which penalise farmers and enterprise.
With its vote at first reading, the Parliament therefore took on board the main priorities identified by the European Commission for the next ten years, but above all requested that the programme should take greater account of the future EU enlargement (mainly including candidate countries in the Natura 2 nature conservation network). Some of the other amendments aim to introduce "compulsory thematic programmes" and to fix long term goals (reaching beyond 2010). Others insist on: - ratification of the Kyoto Protocol before 2002; - the setting in place in 2003 of an effective legislation applying the polluter pays principle; - the fixing of the target to reduce fuel by 7% in 2010 and 20% at least in 2020; - the introduction of a green energy label and cross-border green belts before 2005; - the reduction in the number of people affected by noise pollution by at least 10% in 2010 and 20% in 2020; - the improvement of application of the legislation on the environment thanks to sanctions between "recalcitrant Member States".