These legal instruments incorporate methods of prevention and correction, the precautionary principle, the polluter pays principle and the principle of participation. This encourages scientific authorities to take action and enables a more widespread use of scientific data to explain public policies and stimulate social debate. Moreover, a Community strategy for sustainable development is to be adopted by the European Council in Gothenburg in June 2001. This is the context in which European environmental research comes into play. The fifth FRDP already dealt with the evolution of needs, by channelling research towards industrial, commercial and economic issues.
Environmental research is called for when implementing European policy actions.
However, uncertainties concerning delicate social issues should be tackled in a more widespread consultation and dialogue between scientific authorities and the people. The main areas of European environmental research Community environmental research has to be structured in such a way as to provide an answer to these challenges. Within the framework of the policy priorities of the sixth EAP, three key sectoral and two cross-sectoral areas have been put forward. 1.1 Climate change Climate change is now a proven fact, but its importance and impact on the global or local environment still have to be defined. The need for global action to curb climate change has been acknowledged, but further negotiation is required for an efficient strategy to be drawn up and implemented.