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COMMISSION OPTîIBEUROF2AN COMMUNIÎTES
»
COM(75)289 final
Brussels ,17June 1975
INITIAL REFLECTIONS ONTHE SECOND ACTION PROGRAMME
OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ONTHE ENVIRONMENT
CCMC75 )289 final

ENA)/137/75-E
INITIAL REFLECTIONS ONTHESECOND ACTION PROGRAMME
OFTEE EUROPE >1NCOIH-1UIJITIES ONTHE ENVIRONMENT
Following onfrom thedecisions taken attheParis Summit Meeting
(October 1972 ),theCouncil approved anEnvironment Policy fortheCommunity
inNovember 1973 theaim ofwhich was to"improve thesetting andquality
oflife ,andthe surrounding ?.andliving conditions ofthepeoples ofthe
Community ".
Theobjective ofthis policy was to ,:help tobring expansion into the
service ofmanbyprocuring forhim anenvironment providing thebest
conditions oflife ,andreconcile this expansion with theincreasingly
imperative need topreserve thenatural environment "*.
Byadopting such objectives inaperiod offavourable economic activity ,
theCommunity andtheMember States demonstrated that ,from this period
onwards ,they would betalcing into account newconsiderations andvalues
such asthefragile nature ofthenatural environment ,the "finiteness "
ofnatural resources ,theshortcomings ofasociety whose only criterion
fordevelopment wastechnological progress andtheaccumulation ofmaterial
goods ,andtheinterdependence' ofnational policies which dealt with these
problems .
I'lore specifically thepolicy adopted setoutto:
–prevent ,reduce andasfaraspossible eliminate pollution andnuisances ,
–maintain asatisfactory ecological balance andensure theprotection of
thebiosphere ,
–ensure thesound management andavoid anyexploitation ofresources orof
nature which cause significant damage totheecological balance ,
–guide development inaccordance with quality requirements ,especially by
improving working conditions andthesettings oflife ,
–ensure that more account istaken ofenvironmental aspects intown planning
andland use ,
–seek common solutions toenvironment problems with States outside the
Community ,particularly ininternational organizations .

ri:V/i5'i775-s
■v
Sincethai;timeanddespitetheeconomicdifficultiesencouuitered|these
preoccupations havescarcelylessened*Attacksonthenaturalenvironment
continuetomakethemselvesdeeplyfelt#Thefateoffuturegenerations
isstillamajorpreoccupation ofEuropeansandtheachievementofbetter
livingandworkingconditionsremainsoneoftheirmajoraspirations#
Theenergycrisishighlightedthevulnerability oftheEuropeaneconomyas
regardsthesupplyofsomenon-regenerating rawmaterialsandfocussed
attentionontheneedtoavoidthetypeofwastagethat'goeshandinhand
withahighlyconsumer-oriented society.
TheCommission raiso "believesthataCommunityenvironmentpolicy
which,withoutprejudicingtheactiontakenatnationalandinternational
level,setsouttoimprovelivingconditionsandprotectournatural
heritagewithoutcreatingbarrierstotradeordistortionsofcompetition ,
isneededasmuch,ifnotmore,■todaythrii-i"fcwasinthepast.
TheCommissionbelievesthatthepolicytobepursuedinthisfieldover
thenextfiveyearsshouldcentrearoundthreekeyareas:
Inthefirstinstanceitshouldensurethattheactionundertakenduring
thefirstprogrammebecontinuedandifnecessarysteppedup.laparticular
sdiflQ^ra-jectS'Which wore'planned -in.the'-firs^programmeetill ■;
havetobedecideduponbytheCouncil.Delayshaveinfactoccurred
whichmaybeputdowneithertothecomplexnatureofthedossiersor
*totheslownessofprocédure. c
Secondly,itshoulddefiriemors"'©Jteeflythecontent ■&rtc!dn',*rr,'r':""
guidingprinciplessuchastheneedtotakepreventativeactionassoon
aspossible,fixcommonlong-termobjectives,andfinallytocoordinate
nationalprogrammesandharmonizepoliciesonthebasisofcommonlon^-term
thinking.Inparticular,thiscoordinationshouldmakeiteasierto
definewhichactionsshouldbegivenpriorityatCommunitylevel.
Inthethirdplace,itshouldfocusattentiononchangesintheeconomy
whicharedueinparttoareactionagainsttheverytypesofexcess
whichthepolicyistryingtocounteract.Inthiswayitshouldhelp
inthefightagainstalltypesofwastagewhichaccompaniesexpansion.
Likewiseitshouldbecomemorecloselyassociatedwithdevelopmentpolicies
forthirdworldcountries.
*cf.StateofProgressoftheActionProgrammeontheEnvironmentat
1May1975-Hoc.SEC(75)1774.

3 EW/137/75-3
1.Pursuingactionalreadyundertaken
Anenvironmentpolicy,whilstheedingpresenteconomicrealities,must
notbeswayedbyfashionor"byshort-termeconomictrends.
Meanwhile anumberofactivitiesplannedinthefirstprogrammeareyet
tobeundertaken,pursuedorputintopractice.
(a)Asregardsthefightagainstpollutionandnuisances,theseactivities
mustbecontinuedinaccordancewiththethreeprinciplescontained
inthefirstprogramme,namely;'
-theobjectiveevaluationoftherisksfrompollution;
-protectionofman.ancbihgnatural •ercsironment ;
-theréductionofnuisancesatsource.
Muchworkandresearchisstillneededtoprovideanobjectiveevaluationnw«w–»wim ■«nn
oftherisksfrompollution.Asinthepast,theaimistogamgreater
insightintotherealshortandlong-termeffectsofthemajorpollutants
onmanandhisenvironment andtodrawupcriteria,i.e.,therelationships
betweentheconcentration ofapollutantanditseffect.Criteriaof--•
thiskindhavethereforebeenproposedbytheCommunityinrespectofSOg,
Coandlead.Furthercriteriaaretobeproposedandadoptedforother
pollutantsmentionedinthefirstprogrammeandthosereferredtoas
belongingtothe"secondcategory",afinallistofwhichhasrecentlybeen
adopted. ■. - "
Thedefiningofqualityobjectivesand,whereappropriate ,qualitystandardsis
theclearestindicationoftheooncerntoprojectnanandthenaturalenvironment.
Qualityobjectivesforwaterhavebeenadoptedforsurface,waterusedto>
producedrinkingwater. v
InFebruary1975theCommissionforwardedaproposalforaDirectiveonthe
qualityofbathingwater.Otherproposalsarebeingdrawnupconcerning
thequalityofwaterrequiredforfishandshellfishbreeding,irrigation
andcertainindustrialuses.

-4- EK7/137/75--E
Work should becontinued ,onthedefinition ofquality objectives forthe
various environmental media (water ,air ,soil )asshould thedevelopment of
common methods todetermine themeasures necessary toachieve andmaintain
present andfuture quality objectives .
Finally ,thestate ofthevarious environmental media -intheCommunity
should beconstantly andsystematically monitored andcontrolled using
harmonized methods ofmeasurement ,
The^reduction of'uuiaances atsource -ah6u3?L .also be;kept i>p;by :
-adopting regulations onproducts ,their specifications ,their useortheir
disposal ;
-theadoption ofregulations onthedischarge into theenvironment of
certain parti cularly dangerous pollutants ;
-thestudy ofhowtosolve theproblems posed bypollution from particular
industries .
(b)Asthefirst programme hasalready pointed out ,anenvironment policy
should notonly ainatfighting pollution but&2so atcaking apositive
contribution toimproving thequali tyoftheenvironment .
Accordingly ,action should beundertaken ormaintained with theparticular aim
of:
-improving knowledge about "thestate oftheenvironment "inthevarious
regions oftheCommunity ;
-studying theproblems posed bytheavailability andsupply ofwater and
thedepletion ofcertain non-regenerating natural resources j
-serking practical solutions totheconflict between thedesire toprotect
andimprove theenvironment andtherequirements ofeconomic development
inregions vhere improvement ofthequality oflife isheld back byregional
imbalances ;
«•taking account ofthepequirsrafents ofinproTiag andprotecting theenvironment
inlnnd uoe^pianfcing ,.-particularly intheplanning ofenvironmentally
sensitive areas andoftransport systems ;forexample ,disincentives might be
applied-'in dbfcsely populated areas }
-protecting thevarious forms oflife (fauna ,flora )i
-safeguarding thenatural environment ,particularly bymeans ofmeasures
taken under the common agricultural policy .

-5- ENV/137/75–E
(c)Lastlythethirdseriesofactionstallconcernboththefi;yht
arair.st -pollutionandwastageandimprovement oftheenvironment .
Apartfromresearchprojectswhichformaspecialprogramme,theaimhere
istoeducateandpromoteagreaiersenseofawarenessinthepublic,to
disseminateinformation ontheenvironment andimprovecertainrulesof
law(e.go,thelawsonthecivilliabilitjrofpolluters,harmonization of
monitoringmethods,etc.).Thisheadingalsoincludesiheactionwhich
.theCommunities anditsMemberStatesmustoontinuetopursueavinternational
organization levelas'wellasccoparation.uith non-membercountriesto"find
commonsolutionstoenvironmental problems".
Prominentamongtheseactionswillbetheimplementation of
International ConventionstowhichtheCommunityisasignatory.
2.Emphasizing thepreventive andforward-looking natureofthemeasures
tr-betakenr,ndmorafullyharmonizing Communitypolicies
.MJ'n■ «■ i»i–.'mmgi« utma
(a)ThefirsttwoprinciplesoftheCommunityenvironmentpolicyadopted
bytheCouncilinllovember1973statethat"thebestenvironmentpolicy
coniaists'"inpreventingpollutionornuisancesatsource,ratherthan
subsequently tryingtocounteracttheireffects "Effectson
theenvironment shouldbetakenintoaccountattheearliestpossible
stageinalltechnicalplanninganddecision-making processes"andan
evaluationmadeofthe"effectsonthequalityoflifeandonthenatural
environment ofanymeasure,thatisadoptedorcontemplatedatnational
orCommunityleT/elandwhichisliabletoafi'ectthesefactors."
/
InordertoputthisprincipleintopracticesomeStateshaveintroduced
orareabouttointroduceprocedurestoprovidean"environmental impact
assessment"wherebyaccountistakenoftheeffectsontheenvironmentof
importantinvestmentandplcumingdecisionsordecisionsconcerning
themarketingofparticularproducts.
TheCommissionbelievesthatsuchproceduresshouldbeintroducedinthe
Communityonthebasisofcommonevaluationcriteriawhichshouldbe
drawnupandadoptedduringthesecondprogramme.

ESTV137/75-E
(b)Atitsmeetingon19July1973,"theCounciltooknoteofthe
determination ofMemberStatestoensurethatthepresentqualityofthe
variouspartsoftheenvironmentinallregionsoftheCommunityshould
notdeteriorate ,bearinginmindthooftenirreversible orvirtually
irreversible natureofcertaintypesofpollution".
Inamemorandumdated3April1974-(Doc.R/899/74-iSITV.39).the
' . i
Netherlands Governmentsetoutthewayinwhichtheybelievedsucha
policy(knownasa"standstill"policy)should "beunderstoodandimplemented .
TheCommissionconsidersthateffortsshould "bemadetodefineandimplement
along-termpolicyintheCommunitywhichwouldensurethattheCommunity's
economicdevelopmentisnotdetrimentaltothenaturalandsocialenvironment;
atthesametime,thepolicyshouldaimtoreducetheeconomicandsocial
imbalancesbetweenthevariousregionsoftheCommunity,. '
Ofthemoreimportantmeasurestobetaken,thefollowingmightbementioned:
animprovedknowledgeandevaluation(onthebasisofcommoncriteria)cf
theenvironmental situationinthevariousregionsoftheCommunity,the
purificationofcertainsensitiveareas*,preservationasfaraspossibleofthe
presentqualityoftheenvironmentinuncontestedandhithertoscarcelypollutedarea1
thedrawir.£~upofenvironmental inpactassessments,theharmonized ;
applicationofqualityobjectives,thefixingofstandardsforthemost
dangerouspollutantsandpromotingthedevelopmentofnewtechniquesless
1.harmfultotheenvironment .
(c)TheeleventhprinciplecftheCommunityenvironmentpolicy('PiileIIcfthe
EnvironmentProgramme)stipulatesinparticularthat: j
"Majoraspectsofenvironmental policyinindividualcountriesmustno 1j
longerbeplannedandimplementedinisolation.Onthebasisofa-causaoar.
long-termiconc^pt<nationalprogrammesm-thesofieldsshouldbacoordinated
/ • 1
andnationalpoliciesh?rrnorusodwithin .theOcnrmintiyv Suchpolicies
shouldhaveastheiraimtheimprovementofthequalityoflife•
Therefore,economicgrowthshouldnotbeseeninpurelyquantitativeterms.
Particularlycertainareasof–common ,interestsuchastheHhineandthe
Mediterranean .

EHV/137/75-E
Siich coordination andharmonization should inparticular make itpossible
toincrease theefficiency oftheaction carried outatvarious levels
toprotect andimprove the environment intheCommunity ,taking into
account theregional differences existing intheCommunity andthe
requirements forthe satisfactory "epilation oftheCommon Market •"
Itistrue that theprocedure forproviding information ontheenvironment
adopted on 5March 1973 hasenabled theCommission andMember States to
beinforr.od inadvance ofthenational laws ,regulations andadministrative
provisions under preparation inthevarious Member States andhasalso
mejitthat theCommission canrequest that particular national initiatives
beextended tothewhole oftheCommunity .
Nevertheless ,thenecessarily random ucyinwhich ,these texts -rrsforwarded makes
impossible tobuild upafull andaccurate picture ofthepolicies pursued
atnational orregional level ,andconsequently tofully ensure the
coordination ofnational programmes andharmonization oftheCommunity 's
policies aslaid down intheprogramme .
s
Such coordination would make iteasier fortheCommunity toestablish
priorities forComnunity action whilst taking maximum account ofthe
economic ,social andenvironmental differences between Member States
without adversely affecting thesatisfactory operation oftheConsaon Market .
Toimprove this coordination ,theCommission believes that itwould be
beneficial ifatoneoftheir meetings Environment .Ministers discussed
andcompared ideas among themselves andwith theCommission onthe
environment policies pursued atnational fcor2nur1.it yandinternational level andtlx?
twice yearly forexample theCommission invite senicr officials from the
national administration(s )responsible fortheenvironment (orrepresentatives
from theIHnistry dealing with environmental coordination )tomeet onaai
informal basis with theaimofexchanging information andideas .
3.Contributing tothereduction ofwastage
Itwill "beremembered that ,well before thopresent energy andrawmaterial
crises ,considerable importance wasattached bytheenvironment policy -drawn up
inOctober 1973 -totheproper management ofnatural resources .

-8- ΕΤν7ΐ37 /?^ι :
Awell thought outenvironment policy does indeed have much incounion with
thegeneral policy forthe conservation andsaving ofnatural resources and
therodwctiorrjof wastage . 'Very often damage totheenvironment islinked to
wastage ;atmospheric pollution inthegreat urban centres islinked to
thr»-widespread useox"high energy .-consuming private means oftransport
andatthesame time topoorly regulated domestic heating systems . The
useofproducts with "built-in obsolescence leads totheproduction of
waste which scars theenvironment .The intensive useofchemicals in . ■
agriculture £>w6 icides ,fertilisers )andtheconsequent consumption ofluxury
products together with theusecf wth ahi# !,ehcrfc–terra
run
ytueld^rrf f?3ci0' -ixr-thfiL Insg -theioaintenance ofthenatural environment andthe
soil'sproductive capacity ,,while -theabandonment cf .arable laiid has ,ecological
implications (erosion ,chmges inthoi-ratcr system )whiah .must betakon into account ,
-<Ph4 „environment policy canprevent theproduction ofwaste by "bringing
about areassessment ofproduction methods andthecomposition ofproducts
putonthemarket ,itwill encourage thefight against thesquandering of
expensive resources ,which arebecoming depleted tothedetriment .of ....
future generations . Inmore general torms ,it .must protect arare .
resource namely thequality oftheenvironment inwhich menlive andfrom
which they derive their livelihood . ;
! ,• • . ' !
■ i
Conversely ,thefight against wastage *vrith thechnngae' itirgilios inconsumption
andproduction habits ,canhave favourable repercussions on,thequality of ..
life ifforexample itsoedy toareduction ofovercrowding *pollution ,noise
EuinruicQ .andtho ^upiiling ofbenuty .-spots byrubbish orineasentirJ .buildings .
Theforthcoming programme must therofore -give greater priority than •
hitherto toactions designed tosave natural resources ,particularly by j
means ofmeasures concerning therecovery andrecycling ofwaste ,the
■composition andlife ofproducts andtherational useofenergy andrawmaterials . ,
4.Paying closer attention toenvironmental aspects inthepolicy of
cooperation with doveloping countries
Anyoverall view ofenvironmental problems seen interns oftheir three major
components ,namely congestion *;,shortage ofcertain resources and .adverse
effects onthequality oftheenvironment means that theCommunity must make
acareful analysis andseek solutions notonly within Europe .butwith third
countries andinT>arti cv.1aivwith .the .developing .xxmntries *
(
}
*
i

-9- ENV/137/75-E
pX
Theobetweendevelopmentandenvironmentareindeedmanyand
areperforceonaninternational scale.FortheMemberStatesandthe
Communitythetransnational dimensionofenvironmental problemsdoesin
factpresentawholeseriesofnewconstraintsandopportunities.
Whereasitrestrictstheroomformanoeuvreofparticulareconomicagents
(transferofpollutants;globaleffects;negativeeffectsofthe
environmentoncompetitivepositions,etc.)itdoesprovidethachance
togobeyondthelimitsimposedbynationalorcommunityterritory
(overcrowding ,shortageofcertainresources,pollution).
Presenttrendstowardsanowindustrialgeographyshouldthereforebe
examinedastotheirimpactontheenvironment andthekindofdevelopment
whichisinvolved.
Thisexamination shouldnotonlydealwiththetyposofindustrylikely
toboredeployedinternationally ,thegeographical extentofthis
redeployment andtheproceduresinvolved–whichshouldtakeaccount
tooofregionaldifferences (life-styles,geographical andclimatic
conditions)–butalsothelong-termconsequencesofindustrialand
agricultural development onthenaturalandsocialequilibrium.
Giventhepotentialeasewithwhichpollutionproblemsmightbepassed
ontodevelopingcountries,theCommunityshouldradkeclearits•
intentiontodoallitcan,incooperatingwiththesecountries,to
preventthephenomenaofenvironmental destruction–atpresent
afflictingtheindustrialized nations~fromoccurringinthirdworld
countries.Totheextentthatthiscoincideswiththeprioritiesof
thedevelopingcountries,theLomeConventioncouldtakeaccountof
theseconsiderations andmakeapositivecontribution tothedevelopment
ofvastprojectsdesignedtocombaterosion,the3ossofsoilfertility,
desertformationandtoimprovelivingconditions–inparticularhousing.
• •
Thecombinationofobjectivesandrieamtresse-!}outabove,'whichaim--ontheone
handtoreconcilethedemandsofeconomicprogresswiththeneedto
protectthenaturalenvironmentandavoidwastageandontheotherv
torespondtothedeepdesire ■ofEuropeanstoimprovetheir
qualityoflife,aresuretomakeavaluablecontributiontothe
balancedandharmoniousdevelopmentoftheEuropeanCommunity.