Brussels, 19/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Environment Ministers of the EU, who met in Maastricht last weekend for an informal Council (see EUROPE of 16 July, p.12), worked to inject modernity and innovation into the European environmental policy, to serve the cause of sustainable development in the EU. This will to modernise was seen in their resolution to convince the forthcoming Spring European Council in March 2005 than environmental technologies, which save natural resources, energy, emissions of pollutants and other pressures on the environment, are an economic opportunity to be seized with both hands to breathe new life into the Lisbon strategy, and allow the EU to achieve its ambition of becoming the most competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010. They also demonstrated their resolve to work together for a European approach to prevention and management of floods- a field previously reserved for national and local circles (see other article).
The Dutch Presidency and the European Commission described the two working sessions on these two subjects as "a great success".
After the work, Pieter Van Geel, the Dutch Secretary of State for the Environment, who chaired the session on ecotechnologies, told the press of the wealth of the debates attended by Wim Kok, President of the high-level group on the Lisbon Strategy, and representatives of business circles to exchange experience of ecotechnologies, which have already proved their worth, or which are just waiting for the obstacles between them and the market place to be removed in order to do so. A president at the wheel of a solar car and ministers being ferried between the conference centre and the Maastricht town hall by hydrogen-powered bus illustrated some of these innovative, environmentally friendly technologies, which the Dutch Presidency would like to see take off in Europe. The environmentalists represented by the NGO Friends of the Earth International chose a raft to transport the plastic bottles containing the signatures of 26,000 citizens calling for more resolute action against climate change down the Meuse, to be handed over to President Van Geel in person.
"The Council has underlined the importance of the environmental pillar in the Lisbon process, which tends to get put aside. Rather than writing to the European Summit, we have decided on a more offensive course of action. We say that there is no contradiction between the environmental and the economy, that investments in green technologies are viable and profitable for the economy". Studies on research work and experiments, on which there have been many regional seminars throughout the enlarged EU with all interested parties and which have been presented to the ministers, are there to prove it. The President used the example of the efforts made by his own country to develop ecological greenhouses of the future, which will produce energy.
"We have no problem with knowledge, R&D and techniques, but we do with the signals being sent out to the market. The result is that these eco-friendly technologies are not getting onto the market". The signals referred to include environment-harming subsidies like those to coal and lignite, the absence of VAT on 'plane tickets and of tax on kerosene, which amounts to a subsidy to airlines, the lack of other tax incentives and of venture capital for SMEs, the fact that the cost to the environment of a product is not taken into account in its price... These obstacles were brought up by the ministers and quoted by the President summing up the debates.
Wim Kok, who agreed wholeheartedly with the proposals of the Environment Council, advised the ministers to put no more than five concrete proposals for the revision of the Lisbon strategy. When asked about this, Mr Van Geel assured the press that this was the Council's firm intention. "We have exchanged ideas. We are now going to draw up concrete elements so that the environment is not seen as a burden, but rather as an opportunity to combine economic growth with sustainable development. We will also pursue contacts with the economic sector in order not to leave the subject exclusively up to the Ecofin and Transport Councils, and work with the capitals, without which nothing will be possible", he said. He welcomed the fact that the Competitiveness and Agriculture Councils have already given their agreement to discuss the issue with the Environment Council. Margot Wallström, the Commissioner for the Environment, added that the Commission's action plan for ecotechnologies is "a practical tool", and that transport and energy should be areas for work. "Why don't we set 2015 as a deadline for a fleet of vehicles without emissions, doubling the use of renewable energy, halving the number of children suffering from respiratory diseases linked to environmental pollution?", she said.
Here are the Presidency's conclusions from this informal session:
Europe could increase its competitiveness if it used more innovations efficiently for an environmental point of view and thus become the most eco-efficient economy in the world. this would enable it to not only avoid very high social and environmental costs of inaction but also to capitalise on these benefits in terms of economy of costs, new markets, quality and eco-efficiency of products as a label.
This message is expected to constitute an essential part of the Environment Council's contribution to the revision of the Lisbon Process. The increasing recognition of the Lisbon goals of making Europe the most efficient knowledge-based economy in the world from an environmental point of view is already a driving force for innovations likely to help attain the Lisbon objective.
Market penetration is the major challenge for innovation in eco-technologies now or in the future. To open up the prospects of a competitive market for effective ecological innovations, that function in fair conditions, instruments have to be developed in Member States EU-wide.
The pro-active attitude of the business community has to be reinforces, for example, with the compensation of pioneers of comparative assessments of best performances.
These clear and ambitious long term objectives could stimulate innovation. Environmental legislation should be based on impact assessments backed up by facts, that are balanced, coherent, flexible and orientated to the future by avoiding too proscriptive terms of technical specifications. Community legislation should do more to support eco-efficient innovations by beginning a dialogue on these aspects.
R&D efforts targeted on the long term are crucial for stimulating new innovations.
Joint efforts are needed with the business communities for taking full advantage of opportunities offered by eco-efficient innovations, as well as continued dialogue with industry and other actors. Providing strong support via risk capital and capacity building is important to capitalise on their important role in the innovation process. National and local support is needed for this.
the Environment Council should create alliances with other Councils to create supportive conditions for eco-efficient innovations given the economic and ecological benefits.