Brussels, 18/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a speech in Brussels at the Centre for European Policy Studies on Monday, Margot Wallstrom, European Commissioner responsible for the environment, welcomed the "large stride forward for sustainable development" made by the Heads of State and Government at the Gothenburg Summit (see EUROPE of 16 June, p.9). The European Environment Bureau, which represents the defenders of the Environment, for its part, refers to "an initial modest step".
For Ms. Wallstrom, the main breakthrough at the Summit resides in the fact that the environmental dimension is now on an equal footing with economic and social development in the framework of the Lisbon Process. "Our leaders recognized that economic development, cohesion (…) social and environmental protection must go hand in hand", she observed. The Commissioner did, however, declare herself a little disappointed by the fact that the Heads of State and Government did not rally behind specific Commission proposals like, to cite but one example, that of reducing greenhouse gases by 1% each year until 2020 in relation to the 1990 level. This lack of decision on proposals of concrete measures is also deplored by the EEB. But Ms. Wallstrom was nevertheless less critical, considering that "the concrete proposals presented by the Commission remain on the table, even though they were not specifically backed in the Gothenburg Conclusions". In this sense, Gothenburg marked the beginning of a process, she considers, stressing that sustainable development will now be on the menu of each Spring European Summit. The Commissioner, moreover, welcomed the fact that the internalisation of environmental costs in price-setting should be specifically stressed in the Summit's conclusions.
Regarding climate change, Ms. Wallstrom could but note the American status quo regarding the Kyoto Protocol. She does, nevertheless, find encouraging the will of the EU and United States to continue to work together and the American undertaking not to prevent other parties to the Kyoto Protocol moving ahead in seeking an agreement at the COP6 (conference of parties signatories to the convention on Climate), to be held in Bonn in July.
Qualifying the success achieved in Gothenburg regarding sustainable development modest, the European Environmental Bureau also has nuances. The inclusion, for the first time, of sustainable development at the top of the Summit's agenda and the decision taken to return to the issue every year at the Spring Summits are considered positive, likewise the need to set "fair prices", that is to say prices including environmental costs. The EBB, however, deplores the fact that the Fifteen were unable to agree on essential points like stopping subsidies granted to projects harmful to the environment, environmental taxation, the taking account of the environmental dimension in allocating public procurement, environmental liability and the adaptation to of Community agriculture and fisheries policies to the requirements of sustainable development.