Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 'Environment policy in cities and towns` (98/C 180/04)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to its Bureau's decision of 11 June 1997, to draw up, under the fourth paragraph of Article 198c of the Treaty establishing the European Community, an opinion on Environment policy in cities and towns and to instruct Commission 4 for Urban Policies to prepare the Committee's work on the subject;

having regard to the Conclusions of the Council of 3 March 1997 on the European Union's negotiating proposals for the UN Climate Conference being held in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997;

having regard to the Fourth and Fifth Environmental Action Programmes (1987-1997);

having regard to the Green Paper on the urban environment (1990);

having regard to the expert group on the urban environment's final report on European Sustainable Cities;

having regard to the Charter of European cities and towns on the road to sustainability, adopted at the first European conference on sustainable cities and towns (Aalborg Charter);

having regard to the second European sustainable cities and towns conference held in Lisbon in October 1996;

having regard to the Commission report on implementation of the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development - Towards Sustainability of 10 January 1996 ();

having regard to the European Commission European Sustainable Cities Report by the expert group on Urban Environment, Brussels, 1996;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 393/97 rev. 2) adopted by Commission 4 on 14 January 1998 (rapporteur: Mr Eveslage),

unanimously adopted the following opinion at its 22nd plenary session held on 12 and 13 March 1998 (meeting of 12 March).

1. Introduction

1.1. Bearing in mind that measures for sustainable and environmentally sound development are best implemented at the level of cities and towns, the Committee of the Regions has already addressed various aspects of urban policy and the environment in numerous documents ().

1.2. The European Union's Fourth Environmental Action Programme (1987-1992) included a general consideration of cities and towns, which was followed up in the 1990 Green Paper on the urban environment, leading in turn to the setting-up of an expert group on the urban environment. In 1994 the European Commission set up a consultative forum on the environment, with a view to facilitating consultation of the various players involved in environment policy. The sustainable cities project was launched in 1993 by the European Commission's DG XI. It sought to draw up institutional and operational proposals for sustainable urban development, to exchange experiences and to disseminate good practice. The final report offers recommendations to the EU, national, regional and local institutions for facilitating the implementation of the accompanying programme. These recommendations identify cities as a springboard for environment policy.

1.3. In its final report on the European sustainable cities project the European Commission identifies cities as a springboard for environment policy. The report emphasizes that the urban environment is a cross-sectoral issue for which the main responsibility lies with the local and regional authorities.

1.4. The report concludes that the European Union should pay greater attention to the importance of cities and towns in the context of environment policy. The aim should therefore be to optimize existing EU measures in the light of the complexity of urban problems.

2. Current situation

2.1. In June 1992 170 states, meeting in Rio de Janeiro, adopted an action programme on environment and development for the 21st century, Agenda 21. This action programme, which covers both the industrialized and developing countries, contains action guidelines for all social levels and groups, in order to counter any further deterioration of the environment. The Agenda 21 adopted in Rio sets out to initiate a process worldwide which will culminate in environmentally sound and sustainable development, in order to pass on an inhabitable planet to future generations.

2.2. Europe's cities and towns too have an important part to play on the road to sustainable development because through them action can be taken at local level in accordance with the principle of thinking globally and acting locally; the measures taken at local level will together make up a mosaic of worldwide sustainable and environmentally sound development. The requirement to participate in local Agenda 21 or similar processes and to establish long-term local programmes of action aimed at sustainability is the subject of the Aalborg Charter which brings together almost 300 local authorities from 28 European countries with a total of more than 100 million European citizens. The European campaign for sustainable cities and towns was launched at the end of the first European Conference on sustainable cities and towns held in Aalborg in May 1994.

2.3. Some 20 % of EU citizens live in major urban population centres of more than 250 000 inhabitants. Another 20 % live in medium-sized towns and 40 % live in towns with a population of 10 000 to 50 000 (). It should not be forgotten however that about 20 % of Europeans live in towns with fewer than 10 000 inhabitants. The aim should be to bring all the European Union's cities and towns equally into the ambit of local measures aimed at sustainable and environmentally sound development. Major cities and population centres have particular environmental problems and are, as a result, areas requiring optimum effort, in which problem-solving initiatives have been, and are being, developed as part of the democratic process. But the existing inter-relationship between major cities and urban population centres on the one hand, and rural areas on the other, should not be neglected, because, for example, poor public transport links between regions or localities with fewer than 10 000 inhabitants and major cities results in heavier use of private transport, which in turn has a negative impact on the environment of large cities.

On the other hand there is the trend for urban dwellers to migrate to rural areas. Possible reasons for this are cheaper housing and an improved quality of life, especially for children. Rural migrants often continue to work in cities or towns, however, leading inevitably to increased use of private transport (commuting). Further problems are caused by the increased use of cars for leisure activities. A key issue is the impact of human population and its activities on the urban, rural and natural environment, which can be seen in terms of the 'footprint` of human or urban activity.

2.4. The cities and towns have made considerable efforts to improve the environmental situation, with some success. Many problems remain however. A remarkable study carried out in 1995 by the European Environment Agency shows that air quality in cities and towns with more than 500 000 inhabitants gives cause for concern. Moreover, about 70 million EU citizens are affected by winter smog, and about 80 % of the EU population are exposed to the summer smog caused by excessive concentrations of atmospheric ozone at least once a year. Apart from industry and domestic heating, the main culprit is increasingly urban passenger car traffic. The use of private cars has risen faster than that of all other forms of transport and can be expected to rise further. The rising concentration of cars in residential areas is negating the positive environmental effects of, for example, the use of catalytic converters. Cities and towns face other environmental problems however, for example the disposal of refuse and waste water. Environmental awareness has however risen sharply in the cities and towns. In many places sustainable and environmentally sound development is being encouraged, in line with Agenda 21, contributing to a significant improvement in the environmental situation and living conditions in the cities and towns.

Against this background, the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions have called for the European Union to become more actively involved in urban development. At the UN conference on sustainable urban development (Habitat II) in Istanbul the European Union and its Member States stated that sustainable development of cities and towns was a common objective.

2.5. Global climate change was the main topic at the international climate conference held in Kyoto in December 1997. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a main plank of sustainable development at world level. The scientific discoveries of leading climatologists suggest that rapid and effective action is needed. Climatologists belonging to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict global warming of between 1 and 3.5° C over the next 50 to 100 years. This will produce a further rise in the sea level of between 15 and 95 cm. This will affect large areas, such as Britain's fenlands, the German North Sea coast, Black Sea coastal areas, the Italian Po plain and the mud-flats on the west coast of Jutland in Denmark. The consequences for local residents will be disastrous. Through the greenhouse effect global warming will have a long-term damaging impact worldwide on health, animal and plant life, agriculture and fisheries. Urgent action is therefore needed, and the European Commission should continue its successful work in the framework of the fifth environmental action programme in a follow-up programme.

3. The European Union and urban environment policy

3.1. EU urban environment policy covers, inter alia, energy, construction, transport, waste disposal, sewers and protection of the natural environment. This range of urban responsibilities is the foundation of sustainable and environmentally sound development in accordance with the principle of thinking globally and acting locally. If there is to be environmentally sound development, for example from the AGENDA 21 point of view, the cities and towns must be given a framework for action and areas of activity within which they are free to act autonomously. The aim is to provide long-term EU support, both intellectual and financial, for the many activities undertaken in the framework of urban environment policy. It should be borne in mind that AGENDA 21 was signed not by cities and towns but by 170 states, so that it would seem appropriate for it to be supported mainly by national governments, but also by the European Union.

3.2. The regional structures of the individual EU Member States are not uniform. The detailed allocation of powers and responsibilities may vary. What is common to all states however is that the cities and towns, as the lowest level of government, are responsible for practical grass-roots implementation. This covers environment-related areas such as spatial planning, energy, construction, transport, waste disposal and sewers. A sustainable, ecologically orientated environment policy is thus inseparably linked with European policy for cities and towns. And here the cities and towns have to tackle numerous economic, social and ecological problem areas.

3.3. In the light of this, the successful development of the European Union will depend to a great extent on the economic and ecological success of its cities and towns. If the EU is perceived directly in its regions and municipalities as the source of an improved quality of life, this will strengthen every citizen's sense of identification with it. We should not forget that the former Commission President, Jacques Delors, called the next century the Century of the Regions.

3.4. These factors and the need for targeted, sustainable urban development were recognized by the European Union early on. The Structural Fund and the Cohesion Fund are the European Union's main financing instruments in the field of regional and cohesion policy. The combined budgets of the two funds for the period 1994 to 1999 amount to some ECU 170 billion. In acknowledgement of the fact that the success of local authorities has a decisive impact on growth and development in the European Union, some 30-40 % of the total resources of these funds go to underdeveloped Objective 1 regions. The funding for Objective 2 regions is earmarked mainly for restructuring in industrial areas. The twin objectives are therefore promotion of underdeveloped rural regions and improving living and working conditions in urban population centres. The existing interactions were recognized and made a criterion for pan-European sustainable urban development policy. In 1994 the Urban Community initiative was set up under the aegis of the Structural Funds. The aim of this initiative is to set up partnerships in disadvantaged inner city areas and to eliminate development problems by means of integrated programmes. The Commission's INTEGRA initiative involves projects to tackle employment problems in disadvantaged inner city areas.

3.5. Public transport is of particular importance for sustainable, ecological urban development. This covers on the one hand the establishment of Trans-European Networks, and on the other, local transport policy. A good public transport system offering an attractive alternative to the use of private cars is an important factor in ensuring both successful economic development and the sustainable and environmentally sound development of cities and towns with a view to improving the quality of life of their citizens. The concept of sustainable mobility should therefore be the central aim of transport policy. Here account needs to be taken, however, of the mobility needs of private individuals and industry on the one hand, and of the environmental impact of transport on the other. Increased support for a sustainable transport and structural policy should therefore constitute a central plank of European aid policy. There is a wide variety of necessary and appropriate measures. In addition to developing the public passenger transport system - with particular attention to the linking of less developed regions to major population centres and cities - people also have to be offered other alternatives to using their private cars. Local transport policy should therefore promote an environmentally sound, efficient and cost-effective system combining the use of public transport with the provision of cycle and footpaths. Retail deliveries in the cities and towns should be organized so as to reduce transport costs and environmental impact. Economic success through sustainable mobility can thus be combined with the objective of improving the quality of life in cities and towns. It should be borne in mind, however, that local public transport services - as well as other services such as energy supply and waste disposal - can be endangered by deregulation. There is a danger that some of the areas of responsibility of the cities and towns, and thus opportunities to influence the environment, will be lost as services are privatized.

3.6. The crucial point here is that local administrative units (towns, cities and other local authorities) are the key to a sustainable environment policy. This being so, the European Union's environment policy adopts a bottom-up approach. For Europe's citizens, sustainable environmentally-sound development has increasingly become the key to the quality of life which present and future generations will enjoy. The 1990 Green Paper on urban development and the 1996 report on sustainable cities recommend an integrated approach to local problems, which embrace social, economic and environmental factors. The aim of the sustainable cities project launched in 1993 is to help cities and towns implement the 'Local Agenda 21` project or similar plans for sustainable environmentally-sound development in a number of ways (preparation of reports, swapping of ideas, networking and notification of tried and tested methods). Local authorities are rightly recognized as being the driving force behind regional, national and Europe-wide economic progress. The European Commission's initiatives and measures pursue the right approach. The measures adopted by the European Union in the future must build on this within the framework of a sustainable environmentally-sound urban development policy.

3.7. In the past the European Union has launched numerous activities in support of European environment policy. One example is the EC environmental audit regulation, which also gave a boost to the development of environmental management systems in cities and towns. The planned EU directive on environmental impact assessments for programmes and projects supports sustainable environmentally-sound development, although Member States are to be given enough leeway to act themselves in the light of existing national regulatory instruments. However, it should be generally borne in mind that a sustainable and environmentally-sound urban development policy can be implemented even without Europe-wide provisions, if in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity the positive effects of voluntary environmental impact assessments become clear to understand.

3.8. In addition, the European Union has implemented a series of support programmes, including:

- Interreg II - Support for measures for preventing and monitoring pollution, for the safe disposal of waste, for cooperation on spatial planning and for environmental protection programmes as part of cross-frontier cooperation along the EU's internal and external borders;

- Leader II - Support for measures for preserving and enhancing the environment, the quality of life and technical assistance for rural development;

- Urban - Support for measures to improve infrastructure (e.g. cleaning up of polluted sites, waste land and public facilities);

- Resider II - Support for all sorts of improvements to the environment, e.g. land rehabilitation, landscaping;

- Life II - Single financial instrument for supporting environment policy in the European Union;

- Environmental information - Programme for furthering environmental awareness and promoting dialogue between economic players, regional and local authorities, environmental organizations and consumer associations;

- Altener - Wider use and promotion of renewable energy sources and action to strengthen the competitiveness of these sources;

- Joule-Thermie - Support for rational energy use and renewable energy sources;

- Save II - Energy conservation programme focused on support for reducing CO2 emissions, with the assistance of the Community initiative for improving energy management at regional and local level;

- Loan and credit guarantee programme of the European Investment Bank for supporting investments in the reduction of atmospheric pollution, conservation of raw materials and rational energy use.

These programmes have had an outstanding effect so far. Therefore it is absolutely vital to maintain and extend their scale and scope. It is also important to ensure that when a programme comes to an end or its funding runs out, provision is made for transitional support pending the adoption of new support programmes. This is the only way that work in cities and towns can continue uninterrupted.

3.9. In 1994 the European Environment Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen started work. The main task of this body is to provide Member and non-Member States with technical, scientific and economic information so that they are in a position to draw up and implement measures and laws for protecting the environment. The EEA is also helping to produce a map of environmentally threatened areas in Europe and to set up monitoring stations. Other projects concern a Community soil, water and air information and monitoring network and a system for providing direct information about forest fires and acid rain. In order to achieve these objectives, the EEA has set up a Europe-wide environmental information and observation network consisting of experts and specialist organizations and various contact points for specific problems such as atmospheric emissions and the pollution of inland waters. The EEA plays a central role in the monitoring of environment policy by passing on reliable comparable data to the European Union and the Member States. The CORINE databank was set up to handle this information. These activities are welcomed wholeheartedly and may be extended and intensified further in future.

3.10. The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, which was established in 1975, deals not only with economic and social issues but also with environmental questions relating to urban life. In 1993 it launched a programme on municipal innovations which focused on the economic and social aspects of sustainability and their links with social justice and environmental protection. The Foundation also investigated the procedures and mechanisms available (environmental audit regulation, involvement of municipalities) and technical innovations. A central concern of the Foundation is the support to be given to the exchange of information. As a body which acts as a depository for Europe-wide information the Foundation can make a vital contribution to an effective and internationally coordinated environment policy at local level.

3.11. All in all, the EU activities listed above deserve our wholehearted approval. Above all, we expressly welcome the fact that the European Union has realized that sustainable environmentally-sound development can be brought about by giving greater EU support to the environment policies of cities and towns because sustainable environmentally-sound development can be achieved worldwide by the combined effect of a whole host of local environment measures.

However, if the process initiated by the EU of strengthening the environment policies pursued by local authorities is to be continued resolutely, it will be necessary above all to extend and strengthen existing support programmes so that the excellent EU programmes already in place can become even more effective. It is also necessary, in the event of a support programme coming to an end, to make provision for transitional support pending the launch of new programmes so that work can continue uninterrupted. Another way of making optimum impact is, for example, to organize an EU-wide competition for local authorities in the field of sustainable environment policy so as to promote the exchange of information between EU cities and towns and make other cities and towns in the EU aware of outstanding examples of urban environment policy.

Decision-making structures at the level of municipalities and regions need strengthening to achieve effective action due to the variable structures in existence throughout the Community.

4. Examples of urban activities in the field of the environment

Successful projects in the field of sustainable environmentally-sound urban development have been implemented in many European cities and towns. It is only possible here to give a brief description of some of the projects. However, these examples show the potential available in cities and towns for promoting sustainable development in the EU.

4.1. Graz (Austria): modernization of heating an energy-saving measure

Graz, the capital of the Austrian province of Styria, is modernizing the heating in municipal buildings. This measure is part of an extensive programme in the city for halving CO2 emissions and cutting the emissions of other noxious airborne substances by at least 60 % by the year 2010. The project has been running since 1991 and its objectives are to conserve energy, protect the climate and reduce CO2 emissions. Graz signed the Heidelberg Declaration in 1994 and is a member of the campaign entitled 'Cities in support of protecting the climate` (Städte für den Klimaschutz) and the Pro Climate Alliance (Klimabündnis). It is against this background that Graz has made a voluntary commitment to reduce its CO2 emissions.

An important example of the contribution of cities and regions to sustainable development within the meaning of local Agenda 21 and local climate protection and of the exchange of experience needed for this is the climate alliance of European cities and regions for the maintenance of the earth's atmosphere. On joining the climate alliance, local authorities commit themselves to financial support for the way of life of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon forest and to aiming to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2010 using 1987 as the base year. They also undertake numerous initiatives at local level.

Until 1987 coal and coke were normally used to heat the municipal buildings in Graz. Because of the high emissions and the unduly high energy consumption the authorities were quick to recognize the urgent need to switch to a different type of heating. However, a rapid switchover was impossible, as it was almost everywhere, because of the lack of funds in the city's coffers. The 40 million or so Austrian schillings needed to modernize the heating were not available in the city's budget. This is a common problem facing cities and towns wishing to act to save the environment. Because of the tight budgetary situation, the advance or start-up funds required can usually be obtained only with great difficulty. Graz was finally able to find a solution by getting the local public utilities to take over the cost of modernizing the city's heating system and then paying this back over a period of ten years by charging higher prices for district heating and gas.

So far a total of 70 heating systems in municipal buildings have been switched over using this 'consumer-oriented energy model`. A report published in 1992 set out the interim results. Of the 35 heating systems covered by the report 24 had previously used coal or coke and 11 oil. By 1992 15 used district heating and 20 natural gas. Annual fuel savings were set at 46 % - i.e. a cut of almost one half. By switching over to fuels containing less carbon, the CO2 emissions had been reduced even more (69 %). Carbon monoxide and dust emissions had fallen by 99 %, SO2 by 97 %, Nox by 72 % and hydrocarbons by 95 %.

These impressive results demonstrate the value of local energy-saving blueprints. The blueprint used in Graz is based on a number of approaches. The main points are:

- switchover of heating systems to district heat produced by combined heat and power generation and gas;

- thermal insulation and efficient energy utilization;

- use of regenerative energy sources, especially solar energy.

These projects require advance and start-up funding, which the cities and towns themselves cannot provide because of the extremely tight budgetary situation. Specially-targeted and reinforced EU action in support of cities and towns can not only give a lasting boost to the protection of the climate in keeping with Agenda 21 (reduction of CO2 emissions by using new heating technology) but can also be of direct help to the European labour market because of the demand generated for new heating technology.

4.2. Bologna (Italy): restrictions on car traffic in the historic city centre

The sharp increase in the use of private cars has produced unacceptable conditions for the environment, people and buildings in the historic centre of Bologna, a city originally designed for pedestrians only. The city centre is made up of a network of narrow, winding streets; some three quarters of the centre consists of one-way streets that are less than five metres wide. Before measures were taken by the city authorities, this system had to cope with a concentration of up to 6 500 vehicles per square kilometre, making it impossible for pedestrians, bicycles and buses to circulate easily.

In July 1989 the whole of the old part of Bologna was made into a 'restricted traffic zone`, with limits on the use of private cars between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Only cars with special permits were exempt from this ban. In addition to the access restrictions in the old city, the following measures were implemented:

- public car parks were now reserved for residents and traders;

- a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour was introduced in the whole zone;

- public bus transport was reorganized;

- park-and-ride sites were set up on the outskirts of the city;

- more short-term parking was provided;

- access rights were rigorously monitored;

- the pedestrian precinct was extended at the expense of a main road.

These measures made it possible to reduce the number of private cars entering the city centre each day from 152 000 in 1981 to just 58 000 in 1989. At the same time, bicycle, taxi and motorcycle traffic increased. The number of bus passengers stopped falling. Since no budget resources were available to finance the traffic restriction programme, it was implemented almost entirely through organizational measures, with very few structural changes. Other measures, such as the planned increase in park-and-ride sites, and building of multi-storey car parks on the inner ring road and of a tangential road link to take traffic away from the old town, would necessitate larger investments that the city cannot currently afford. This example also shows how targeted EU support measures to improve local public transport (buses and trams) and bicycle and pedestrian traffic can substantially improve the environmental situation in cities and towns.

4.3. Langeac (France): district heating using wood waste

Langeac is a small town with a population of about 4 300 in the French Massif Central. There has been a campaign here to save energy by using renewable energy sources, in particular by promoting the use of local resources such as wood and water. Thus two plants have been built to exploit renewable energy sources: a small hydroelectric plant with an output of about 750 kW and a thermal power station for local heating that uses wood waste. In 1987 a number of public buildings - a school with 600 pupils, an open-air swimming pool, the grammar school and community centre, the police station and a home for disabled people - were linked up in a local heating network. The network (which is about 1 km long) was required so that modern wood-burning technology could be installed in a large power station. Only wood waste is used: sawdust and wood waste from local sawmills, bark and timber waste from publicly-owned forests, wood waste from a pallet and box factory, and waste from a paper factory. Some 1 200 tonnes of wood are delivered and burned every year. This has considerable positive implications for the environment: using wood saves 258 000 litres of light heating oil per year. The investment costs for the whole system were FF 4,4 million, of which FF 1,2 million was paid by the Regional Fund for energy matters. The net return on sales of heating is FF 400 000 per annum, which means that the plant will pay for itself in about 15 years. But the town is already paying 20 % less in heating bills for the public buildings connected to the local heating network. As well as benefiting the environment and urban development, this local government investment will also have a positive effect on its budget in the long term.

4.4. Alphen aan den Rijn (Netherlands): 'Ecolonia` town planning pilot project

Town planning must be regarded as the linchpin of urban environmental policy and a particularly important basis for sustainable environmental measures. An example is the model 'Ecolonia` estate in Alphen aan den Rijn in the Netherlands. The aim of this project was to build an estate with 101 dwellings that would meet certain energy-saving and environmental criteria both during construction and when in use. One aim of building this pilot housing estate was to save energy by reducing consumption and using renewable energy sources and modern heating and ventilation technology. New findings in the field of psychology were also taken into account in the environmental blueprint for the estate, so that, for example, pedestrians have 'priority` over cars. This integrated town planning approach resulted in 40 % lower gas consumption, 20 % lower water consumption and 10 % lower electricity consumption.

The 'Ecolonia` project is particularly complex, combining technical, functional, urban and conceptual approaches that require cooperation in very different areas. But the project thus gets to the core of urban environmental protection - town planning - a subject that raises many questions and is thus a problem that is on the agenda throughout Europe. In Alphen aan den Rijn it was only possible to realize the 'Ecolonia` project through cooperation between several ministries, the local authority, universities and interest groups. European Union support would thus be particularly welcome in the case of such complex urban planning projects.

4.5. Karlsruhe (Germany): trams on train lines

The 'Karlsruhe model` is a project to improve local public transport between Karlsruhe and the surrounding region within a radius of about 30 km. At the heart of this long-term project is a plan to link the city's tram lines with the tracks of the German railway system (Deutsche Bahn). This will bring several benefits:

- it will enable the tram network to be extended at low cost;

- more direct routes can be provided from the surrounding area to the city;

- lighter and more energy-saving tram carriages can be introduced in the outer areas;

- railway branch lines threatened with closure can be maintained.

In implementing these measures, an effort is being made to understand drivers' way of thinking with a view to winning them as new customers. More stops have been set up near to residential areas and there are to be more direct connections to the city centre. To reduce their likelihood of being held up in traffic, the trams are provided with tracks of their own as far as possible. Rapid transit systems have been installed at over 100 cross-roads with traffic lights in order to reduce unnecessary waiting. The timetable is passenger-friendly - easy to remember and with frequent services, all inner-city tram routes being served at 10-minute intervals throughout the day. The tram network is also being constantly extended in the city. A network of footpaths both complements and provides access to the tram network in and outside the city.

This project has had a substantial impact on passenger numbers. The number of passengers travelling on regional services provided by the Albtal Transport Company (AVG) increased from 10,1 million in 1986 to 23,4 million in 1992. An environmentally-friendly transport mix (walking, cycling and public transport) is used for 56 % of journeys. Since the opening of a new route to the small town of Bretten outside the city, initial counts indicated a passenger increase of 423 %, with a total 479 % increase expected over one year when higher passenger numbers at weekends are taken into account. A 33 % passenger increase has been observed in the trains that continue beyond Bretten, and the main road, which runs parallel to the railway, has been relieved of traffic jams. The instalment of four new stops in Bretten has considerably improved connections between residential areas, schools and certain businesses. Journey times from Bretten to the centre of Karlsruhe have been reduced by about 15 minutes one way.

Fares have fallen substantially, boosting the attractiveness of local public transport. Despite, or rather because of, the cheaper fares, net income from public transport in the Karlsruhe area has increased in the last few years to cover about 70 % of costs. But this percentage is likely to fall substantially in the future, given the big investment, interest payments and depreciation associated with the project.

4.6. Schkölen (Germany): straw-burning plant protects the climate and creates jobs

Following a Danish model, a straw-burning plant has been built in the town of Schkölen that heats houses and provides warm water via district heating pipes. The straw used for fuel is readily available, since Schkölen lies in a farming area. The introduction of biomass combustion technology, developed mainly in Denmark, has had a positive impact in Schkölen and the whole surrounding area. The equipment for the straw-burning plant and the heat distribution stations was initially obtained from Denmark. However, the installation work was carried out exclusively by small local firms whose businesses have expanded considerably to cater for long-term servicing work and installation of new connections for households. Additional private investment of DM 3 million has been generated. To be connected to the district heating network, dwellings had to be converted from an individual to a collective system of heating. This created permanent jobs for technicians. Long-term contracts were concluded with farms for supplying the straw-burning plant. The plant makes a substantial contribution to the protection of the climate, having enabled sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions to be reduced by 26 % and dust and carbon monoxide emissions by 25 %. As a renewable biomass, straw has a distinctly better environmental record than fossil fuels such as oil, coal or gas. About 1 kg of heating oil can be replaced by 2,5 kg of straw. Another environmental advantage is that straw burning releases exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide over one year as is removed from the atmosphere by plant growth and photosynthesis.

4.7. Kassel (Germany): city logistics

The introduction of city/town logistical systems can also provide opportunities for reducing traffic within cities and towns. The purpose of 'city logistics` is to manage traffic. The largest possible proportion of commercial traffic passing through towns and cities is to be consolidated and efficiently handled by means of specifically-targeted operations involving large and small distribution networks. Regional deliveries and deliveries originating from further afield, which are destined for town centres or smaller local shopping centres, could for example be collected at a single terminal situated on the outskirts of towns and cities for subsequent distribution - in accordance with the wishes of traders or customers - by one or more forwarding companies. The advantage of such a system of city logistics is that an equal - or even increased - quantity of goods can be forwarded with a reduced transport effort. Deliveries to central areas of towns are thus optimized; the distribution of goods into and out of city and town centres and within cities and towns as a whole is clearly improved. These measures also make a contribution towards maintaining and even strengthening local economies.

In the city of Kassel ten forwarding companies, which compete with one another for the bulk of goods deliveries in the central area of the city, have joined forces to form 'Kassel City Logistics`. A neutral service company now collects each day all consignments for the city centre from all the forwarding companies and groups them together in two deliveries (usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon), which means that all the consignments can be delivered on time and in accordance with all the wishes expressed by customers. As a result of this action, instead of as many as 20 vehicles used earlier, only two are used now. This is not only much less damaging to the environment but it is also cheaper.

4.8. Gothenburg (Sweden): city authorities bear environmental considerations in mind when making purchases

In 1990 the city authorities of Gothenburg decided that all purchases made by them in future must satisfy 'green` criteria. This means in practice that products are only to be purchased by the city authorities if the conditions under which they were produced and are used have the lowest possible harmful impact on the environment. Above all, products must have no damaging effect on the health of consumers, must be biologically degradable or capable of being recycled, must not require unnecessarily high inputs of energy and natural resources, and must take account of specific environmental considerations from the manufacturing stage onwards. Products which contain particular harmful chemical ingredients are banned. City offices use only paper which has been bleached without the use of chlorine.

These decisions taken by the city authorities have had a positive impact on the behaviour of producers and traders. As the city of Gothenburg only buys 'green` products, products which have a harmful effect on the environment have been withdrawn from tenders. Today all traders supplying the city of Gothenburg have to make an environmental declaration indicating how 'green` their products are. Initially there was little sympathy for the plan in the business world; a longer-term assessment shows, however, that the behaviour of the city of Gothenburg as a purchaser and consumer has had a beneficial effect in promoting 'green` methods of production. Products now meet the quality criteria set by the city authorities.

5. Conclusions

5.1. The small number of examples mentioned demonstrate the enormous importance to sustainable development of action by municipal authorities. The principle of thinking globally and acting locally can only really be implemented through action taken at local level by cities and towns. This is a direct expression of the principle of subsidiarity laid down in Article 3b of the EC Treaty. If we are to have environmentally sound development, also in the context of Agenda 21, cities and towns must be given a framework for action but must be able to decide for themselves to a great extent how to act within this framework. The EC Commission should seek in future to encourage cities and towns to take environmental policy initiatives and assume responsibility. Further, the legislation adopted should be seen as a minimum sets of rules allowing each country, region and local authority to go further than the minimum requirements. In the COR's view, it is vital that dynamic development of EU environmental protection is backed by a call for individual cities and towns to aim higher than the Community as a whole. It should also be stressed that it will only be possible to implement a sustainable urban policy if there is cooperation, based on partnership, between the EC Commission and cities and towns and between national and local levels.

5.2. Contrary to the view widely held, there is no conflict of interest in this context between environmental protection, economic progress and the maintenance and establishment of jobs; on the contrary, these goals can be mutually supportive through the effects of synergy. Long-term jobs can be created through measures taken by the EC Commission to promote environmentally sound action and research in the field of environmental technology. The environmental and economic development opportunities created in this way can lead to improvements in the quality of life in cities and towns. This will enable the public to have a more concrete perception of the EU as a positive factor.

5.3. By taking account of environmental considerations at the planning and implementation stages, cities and towns may in the long term make savings for the public purse. A key problem hampering all action by cities and towns in the field of environmental policy is frequently the inability to find advance or start-up funding. As a result, urban measures in support of sustainable and environmentally sound development frequently remain a pipedream.

5.4. There is thus a need for specifically-targeted and stronger EU support measures which make an effective contribution to the achievement of a sustainable, environmentally sound urban development policy. Attention should be paid, in particular, to the following key areas requiring aid:

- establishment of energy-saving blueprints, the development and use of renewable energy sources and of energy-saving investments in cities and towns;

- promotion of measures and modes of transport offering an alternative to the use of private cars, and of attractive links between cities and conurbations and the surrounding countryside, and promotion of measures to reduce delivery traffic in cities and towns (city logistics);

- promotion of integrated approaches to local policy aimed at sustainability, which takes equal account of policy areas such as care of the environment (e.g. Community eco-management and audit scheme), waste and water management, building and construction planning, biodiversity and local biodiversity action plans, noise reduction, social marginalization, sustainable economic development and citizen participation.

5.5. At the same time attention should be focused on the exchange of experience between cities and towns in the field of sustainable local policy. A number of activities in this field have been initiated by the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign, in the framework of which five networks of towns work together with the support of the European Commission. One of these initiatives is the Sustainable Cities and Towns Award which has now been awarded for the second time. Good practice is exchanged by means of the Local Sustainability Good Practice Database, which can be consulted via the Internet. It is very important that these initiatives be further developed and supported by the European Commission, and that the campaign continue to be funded on a regular basis.

5.6. A competition for sustainable European cities and towns, initiated by the European Union, would give an additional impetus to the exchange of experience between local authorities and would also provide recognition for outstanding local environment policy measures. A competition of this kind would not be perceived as competing with the existing activities of the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign, but rather as a useful complement, making it possible to take special account of regional situations. It follows from the recognition that the problems of conurbations may differ from those of the surrounding countryside and those of smaller cities and towns that policy efforts in these areas aimed at sustainability should not be directly compared in the context of a competition with the situation in large cities and conurbations.

5.7. In order to promote on-the-spot assessment of local activities, the competition could be judged by an independent body on behalf of the European Commission and with the active participation of local representatives. With a competition of this kind the European Commission could initiate a new approach to sustainability policy based on partnership, involving the Member States, the local authorities and private individuals. This kind of competition would lead to a specific exchange of information with the Commission and would go some way towards guaranteeing the necessary information feedback, making it easier to judge the effectiveness of support programmes. At the same time the recognition of outstanding examples of local environment policy would create a platform for an improved exchange between European cities and towns.

Brussels, 12 March 1998.

The Chairman of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

() COM(95) 624 final.

() OJ C 217, 6.8.1994, p. 10; OJ C 210, 14.8.1995, p. 53, 78 and 117; OJ C 100, 2.4.1996, p. 60, 65, 78, 115 and 124; OJ C 129, 2.5.1996, p. 36; OJ C 182, 24.6.1996, p. 7 and 12; OJ C 337, 11.11.1996, p. 4, 20 and 34; OJ C 34, 3.2.1997, p. 12, 22 and 30; OJ C 116, 14.4.1997, p. 74; OJ C 215, 16.7.1997, p. 44 and 50; OJ C 379, 15.12.1997, p. 11 and 63.

() Commission Communication (COM(97) 197 final).