Brussels, 23/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - 'They should have done much better', comments the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) on the performance of the Italian Presidency, adding in a press release that Silvio Berlusconi had 'ignored the environment to such an extent that only three out of ten of the EEB's 10 Green Tests for the Italian Presidency were passed.' John Hontelez, EEB Secretary General, said the Italian Presidency had set a trend of prioritising competitiveness for the European Union and marginalising the interests of the environment.
The EEB lists its Ten Green Tests: the Constitution, Fail; Chemicals, Fail since the Competitiveness Council was given the REACH proposal, taking it out of the hands of the Environment Council, 'where it belongs'; Climate change, Fail since 'Italy undermined the credibility of the EU on its commitment to Kyoto… thereby reducing the pressure on Russia'; GMOs: Pass since the moratorium was retained; Public procurement, Pass since public health and the environment were promoted in new regulations and the Ecolabel is now part of the selection criteria; Environmental governance, No result possible due to the late delivery of proposals by the Commission; Air pollution, Fail since 'with weak leadership, the legislation is still stuck in the Council'; Seveso II, Pass with real progress on mining and monitoring risk data; Ecofin, Fail since it did nothing to reduce the negative environmental impact of subsidies in the EU, despite being requested to do so by the March Council and Domestic performance, Fail since the Italian government 'continued with deregulation and deterioration of national environmental law and policy practice.'