A4-0231/98

Resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee on a Europe-Asia cooperation strategy in the field of the environment (COM(97)0490 - C4-0039/98)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission Communication (COM(97)0490 - C4-0039/98),

- having regard to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Kyoto in December 1997,

- having regard to its resolutions on Asia and EU-Asia relations, in particular those on forest fires and air pollution,

- having regard to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session held in June 1997 (UNGASS),

- having regard to the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment held in November 1997 in Helsinki,

- having regard to the Europe-Asia cooperation strategy in the field of energy (COM(96)0308),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the opinions of the Committee on External Economic Relations and the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A4-0231/98),

A. whereas the main objective of the Communication is the formation of a constructive cooperation strategy between the European Union and Asia, based on reciprocity and equality,

B. whereas most of the environmental problems in the European Union are caused by a high level of consumption of goods, unlike in Asia where many environmental problems are caused by poverty,

C. whereas Asia is not a homogenous entity but a collection of diverse countries and cultures in different stages of economic development; in this general framework the specific economic, social and environmental characteristics of the individual Asian partners must be taken into account,

D. whereas environment, industry, trade and social aspects need to be linked in order to achieve the goals of the Communication,

E. whereas public recognition of environmental problems in both regions is crucial to the success of this cooperation strategy,

F. whereas environmental issues are public in nature, being not only environmental problems but also social problems,

G. whereas the involvement of NGOs in the planning of cooperation is of major importance,

H. whereas one aim of the cooperation strategy will be to solve environmental problems on global and local levels,

I. whereas persistent forest fires have led to the devastation of the tropical rain forest and serious damage to the environment,

J. whereas the Commission's focus on the export-led industrialising countries is regrettable; whereas the strategy should also actively include the South Asian developing countries to a greater extent;

1. Welcomes the Commission Communication on a Europe-Asia cooperation strategy in the field of the environment so that sustainable development can be achieved through effective cooperation; emphasises that the cooperation strategy outlined needs to highlight how Asia can play an equal role in this cooperation;

2. Shares the Commission's concern at the level of poverty in Asia, but is surprised that this has not been given greater focus in the Commission Communication;

3. Emphasises the finding that widespread poverty exacerbates environmental problems; calls for further support for environmentally viable farming and rural employment opportunities;

4. Agrees with the principles underlined in the Communication, but is surprised that the Commission itself does not focus more on concrete suggestions; emphasises the need for the Commission to take measures in order to ensure the success of cooperation;

5. Wishes to see stronger commitment to mainstream efforts to combat climate change and clear linkage to the Kyoto clean technology and technology transfer schemes;

6. Stresses that cooperation between the European Union and Asia should actively help the Asian countries to fulfil the obligations derived from international agreements such as Agenda 21, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Montreal Protocol, etc.;

7. Notes that programmes, measures and initiatives often wholly or largely fail to reach the poorest sections of the population, and therefore calls for specific initiatives specifically geared to these people's opportunities and needs;

8. Emphasises that the European Investment Bank (EIB) should have clear policies concerning the environmental impact of its operations;

9. Considers it essential that European Union companies comply with a uniformly high level of environmental standards, whether operating in the Asian or in the European region; environmental standards should take the form of a 'code of conduct' setting out the standards which European Union companies should uphold when carrying out activities in Asia;

10. Emphasises that existing networks tying the European Union and Asia together should be a part of the cooperation, and calls on the Commission to make explicit precisely how programmes such as Asia-Urbs, Asia-Invest, Multilateral Environment Agreements and existing Cooperation Agreements can be mobilised to contribute to the strategy;

11. Welcomes the fact that, at the ASEM II meeting in London on 3-4 April 1998, a few tentative steps were taken towards integrating environmental issues into other areas of policy, but regrets that the environment was not given greater weight, and that it was not taken into account in the consideration of some areas of policy and stresses that in future environmental questions should continue to be discussed at the most important Europe-Asia political fora such as ASEM and ASEAN;

12. Calls on the Commission to develop plans to assist capacity building in national, regional and local government administrations in Asia to deliver environmental management and to encourage local Agenda 21 activities;

13. Stresses the need to support Asian governments in the reducing administrative deficiencies and, by means of appropriate educational measures, to build up effective management in the environmental sector; stresses also the great importance of encouraging the exchange of experiences between the Asian partner countries; considers it a matter of urgency to allow experiences from existing programmes, for example the EU-China Environmental Management Cooperation Programme (EMCP), to be fed into the cooperation process;

14. Considers that special focus should be directed towards women, as the role of women is crucial to sustainable environmental development;

15. Calls on the Commission to form taskforces made up of NGOs, academic institutions, local authorities and EU-Asia officials, which should work to ensure that the cooperation strategy will be a success, and emphasises that involvement of NGOs and community organisations is essential to the strategy, both in planning and delivery;

16. Emphasises that, whilst the financing of this cooperation is to receive support from public funds, it is to be based largely on private funds; nevertheless believes that a successful strategy cannot be achieved in the absence of some funding commitment from the European Union;

17. Agrees that the priorities set for cooperation follow from the criteria put forward by the Commission; stresses the need to concentrate the funding for scientific and technical cooperation between the European Union and Asia under the INCO-DC programme primarily on the core areas referred to above;

18. Stresses the need to carry out a continuous evaluation of the programmes and projects at all levels of preparation, selection and implementation and welcomes in this connection systematic use of an appropriate mechanism for assessing the effects of the environmental policy;

19. Underlines the need to avoid giving European Union support to projects and programmes with a direct negative impact on biodiversity and calls on impact assessment studies to take biodiversity into account;

20. Considers that it would be more efficient to gather together all budgetary elements concerning the environment and cooperation with Asia within a framework programme;

21. Stresses that water pollution is Asia's most severe environmental problem, being responsible for more than 500,000 infant deaths a year;

22. Stresses that development of sustainable energy sources should be an essential part of the strategy and also stresses the importance of renewable energy technology transfer to Asia both for the protection of the environment and the modernisation of the energy sector in Asia and for export opportunities for European Union enterprises; urges, therefore, concerted EU-Asia cooperation in the fields of energy and the environment;

23. Emphasises that air pollution is also creating pressing health problems and that emissions of particulate matter and SO2 in Asian cities are among the highest in the world; draws attention to the fact that whereas Asia's share of world greenhouse gas emissions amounted to 20 % in 1985, they are expected to rise to 25-30 % by the year 2000;

24. Calls on the Commission to promote greater public awareness both in Europe and in Asia of environmental problems;

25. Calls on the Commission to evaluate the Europe-Asia cooperation strategy in the field of the environment after a period of 3 years and to submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council;

26. Calls on the European Union to make its financial agreements with the countries of Asia subject to conditions concerning the management of the environment, paying particular attention to the management of biodiversity and the tropical forests, together with the relevant (national) legislation defining the ownership of intellectual property in biodiversity; calls on the European Union, in its consultations with multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF, to emphasise such conditions for the granting of credit;

27. Hopes that more consideration will be given to the persistent forest fires in Indonesia and considers it important that the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) should establish criteria for responsible forest management; reiterates its call on the governments of Asia to take account of the delicate environmental balance in their regions, the rights of indigenous peoples and the serious threat which these fires represent to public health;

28. Expresses once again its deep concern at the rapid loss of biodiversity caused by unsustainable forestry practices; calls on the parties involved to agree as soon as possible on a credible certification system for sustainable forestry;

29. Insists on the necessity to coordinate European Union efforts, Member States actions and Asian State interventions without forgetting the cooperation of the private sector;

30. Considers that the development of research and technology in the environmental sector could greatly benefit both Asia and Europe;

31. Stresses the importance of small- and medium-sized enterprises in many Asian countries and their impact on the environment and calls for a policy of information and special measures (such as seminars and financial incentives given by their host countries) to help these enterprises to implement environment-friendly measures;

32. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States.