COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 27.05.1998 
COM(1998) 333 final 
Communication from the Commission to the European Council 
PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEGRATION 
A strategy for Integrating Environment into EU Policies 
Cardiff-June 1998 

Communication from the Commission to the European Council 
PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEGRATION 
A strategy for Integrating Environment into EU Policies 
Cardiff-June 1998 
Contents 
Page 
Executive Summary and Recommendations 3 
The Challenge of Integration of the Environment into Other Policies 5 
Developing Procedures to ensure Integration of the Environment 
into other Policies 6 
Guidelines for a Partnership for Integration 6 
Integrating the Environment into individual policy areas 7 
• Agenda 2000 g 
• Climate change 9 
Conclusions 10 
Executive summary and the recommendations 
This Communication is the Commission's response to the request by the Luxembourg 
European Council for the submission of a strategy to implement the requirements of 
Article 6 of the consolidated EC-Treaty. This article requires that environmental 
protection is integrated into the definition and implementation of all Community 
policies and activities, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable 
development, established as a Community objective in Article 2 of the Treaty. 
The achievement of a healthy environment for the citizens of today and securing 
sustainable development for our children is rightly one of the Community's stated 
objectives. The Community also has responsibility to contribute to, and indeed 
provide leadership for, the resolution of global environmental issues. The progress we 
are making by classic environmental regulation will not be sufficient on its own. 
Most of our environmental problems have their origins in current practices in sectors 
such as agriculture, transport, energy and industry and we must look to these areas for 
their solution. Attention must also be given to our unsustainable consumption 
patterns. This is the vision behind article 6 in the Treaty - environmental integration as 
a positive instrument for progress. New technologies and management practices can 
provide the answer to some of these problems. Our policies must encourage their 
development and application. 
The realisation of this vision, and indeed a credible response to the legal obligation of 
the Treaty requires that the Community equips itself with the necessary tools. 
Adherence to the integration requirement is in principle subject to judicial control by 
the European Court of Justice as is the case with the subsidiarity principle. The 
intention of this document is however to develop some practical steps towards 
implementing the integration principle in the daily work of the Community 
institutions. The main thrust of such a strategy is to some extent a break with our 
traditional sectoral decision making. Such an approach, across the sectors, can only 
come about by Heads of State and Government assuming responsibility. 
The European Council is invited to: 
• declare its firm commitment to ensuring that article 6 of the Treaty will be 
rapidly implemented in practice. 
• recognise that this is a joint responsibility and accordingly promote a 
Partnership between the Council, Parliament and Commission for 
integration of the environment into other community policies based on the 
guidelines set out below. 
® recognise the importance of the environmental dimension in the decisions 
which are soon to be taken in the context of both Agenda 2000 and the 
Community strategy for implementing the Kyoto Protocol and accordingly to 
ask the Council to use these as test cases for the application of the proposed 
guidelines. In addition, to commit itself to review the integration of the 
environmental dimension in the Agenda 2000 proposals at their meeting in 
December 1998 and progress on the Kyoto follow-up at one of their meetings 
in 1999. 
• launch discussions between the Council, Parliament and Commission on the 
development of mechanisms for ensuring the follow up of this initiative, 
which should include provision for joint review of progress. 
The Challenge of Integration of Environment into other Policies 
The traditional approach of environmental regulation has contributed to progress, but 
it is increasingly recognised that it does not provide answers to all of the problems we 
are facing. The latest report from the European Environment Agency shows how the 
European Community has successfully worked for the benefit of the environment. 
However, the report demonstrates that further effort is required to improve 
environmental quality and above all it highlights the need to reverse worrying trends 
in many areas, mostly linked to unsustainable economic activity. 
The concern for the environment, both at local and global level, is just one of a 
number of major challenges the Community is facing. Alongside concerns for 
continuing high levels of unemployment, social exclusion and the need to prepare the 
Community for the accession of the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, this 
concern for the environment has motivated the re-enforcement of the social and 
economic as well as environmental provisions by the Treaty of Amsterdam. The 
Community needs to demonstrate its commitment to respond to the concerns of its 
citizens by pursuing urgently these objectives. 
The need for integration of environment into other policies at all levels has been 
recognised for some time. The objective was introduced initially in the Single 
European Act and received a priority in the 5th Environmental Action Programme. 
While progress has been made much remains to be achieved. The Amsterdam Treaty 
has given this process new impetus by promoting the importance of the integration 
principle in the Treaty. 
The real challenge facing the Community is to find a way of developing action which 
meets all of its objectives in an integrated way. This is the challenge of sustainable 
development, a concept too often perceived as purely environmental, but which brings 
together concerns for social and economic development alongside protection of the 
environment. The current pattern of economic development too often entails conflicts 
between development and environment; this cannot be permitted to continue. Policies 
that result in environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources are 
unlikely to be a sound basis for sustainable economic development. 
The development of new technologies and practices shows that we have the know-
how to find solutions to some of these problems. Solutions which are frequently 
shown not only to be cost effective for industries concerned but also generating 
broader benefits to the economy through the creation of value added and employment, 
thus generating a genuine double dividend. However achieving the desired results will 
require more far reaching behavioural and policy changes in many sectors of society. 
Implementation of the Treaty objectives requires, therefore, that we introduce an 
approach to Community policy making based on the recognition that all policies must 
contribute to sustainable development. 
Developing Procedures to ensure Integration of Environment into 
other Policies 
The implementation of this approach requires a strong commitment from all 
Community institutions. As recently stressed by the European Consultative Forum on 
the Environment and Sustainable Development integration and shared responsibility 
must also be fully reflected in the way the European Commission and other 
institutions of the European Union organise their work. The Commission in the way it 
formulates its proposals and the Council and Parliament in the process of decision 
making. 
Too often in the past attempts to establish horizontal principles have resulted in 
bureaucratic and mechanistic requirements which have failed to deliver. We must not 
repeat this in the case of environmental integration. Therefore procedures adopted 
must be seen to be logical, practical and meaningful to all concerned. This is the 
philosophy underlying the approach proposed in this document. 
In order to be able to measure our achievements and to adjust the adopted policies, as 
required, we will need a system of regular monitoring and review. This should be 
based on the identification of indicators against which progress can be monitored. In 
certain cases the setting of quantifiable targets could be helpful. Over time bench­
marking could be seen as a useful tool in order to progress towards best-practice. 
The following guidelines are proposed as the basis for A Partnership for Integration: 
Guidelines for A Partnership for Integration of Environment into 
other policies 
• The Commission should ensure that all key policy initiatives integrate 
concern for environment. A detailed environmental assessment and a 
description of how the results of such assessment have been incorporated 
should accompany all key proposals where an important environmental 
effect is expected. The Commission should refine its methodology for such 
assessments. 
• The Commission should undertake reviews of existing policies and on that 
basis prepare strategies for action in key sectors. These should include the 
identification of policy and performance indicators and, where justified, 
indicative targets as a basis for monitoring. 
• The Council should prepare a report for the Vienna European Council on 
previous experience and best practices in the Member States of integrating 
environmental requirements into other policies as a basis for the development 
of improved Community procedures. 
• The Council should in key policy areas identify a set of priority actions for 
the incorporation of environmental requirements and foresee effective 
mechanisms for monitoring their implementation. 
• The Council should undertake to ensure that environmental requirements 
are explicitly reflected in its decisions on new proposals. It should, moreover, 
commit itself to review its current organisational arrangements to ensure 
effective implementation of this integration strategy. 
• The European Council should periodically review environmental integration 
into key sectoral policies. 
• The Parliament should review its current organisational arrangements to 
ensure that in its decision making it takes account of the need to integrate 
environment into other policies. 
• The Parliament should identify priorities for integrating environment into 
key policy areas. 
• The Council, Parliament and Commission should jointly discuss the 
development of mechanisms for implementing these guidelines and for 
monitoring their implementation. 
Integrating Environment into Individual Policy Areas 
Fully integrating environment into other policy areas is a long term challenge 
requiring a step by step approach which builds on experience. This will eventually 
require consideration of its implications in all policy areas. However, in the first 
instance, the Commission considers that priority should be given to two important and 
urgent policy packages - Agenda 2000 and the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol 
where decisions have to be taken in the near future: 
1. Agenda 2000 is a high priority issue, with concrete Commission legislative 
proposals on the table for decision, governing a major proportion of the 
Community budget and setting the framework for the future enlargement. 
2. The European Union has made a binding commitment in the Kyoto Protocol. The 
implementation of this commitment has now to be prepared. This will require 
significant policy shifts and involvement of a wide range of policy areas. 
Although the two packages are different in nature the guidelines set out above are 
sufficiently flexible and robust to accommodate both examples. They can thus serve 
as test cases for the implementation of the proposed guidelines. 
Agenda 2000 
The Agenda 2000 package includes proposals for the reform of the agriculture and 
cohesion policies and for a package of pre-accession assistance for the countries of 
Central and Eastern Europe. The Commission has made special efforts to ensure that 
environmental requirements are fully reflected in each of these proposals. 
The key environmental components of these proposals are listed below: 
Cohesion Policy: 
• Under the proposed new Structural Funds Regulations, environmental protection 
and improvement are established as objectives to ensure that the funds in future 
make a contribution to sustainable development. 
• Enhanced support is provided for projects of particular environmental importance. 
The presence of a degraded environment will be considered as one of the criteria 
for defining eligible urban areas within objective 2 regions. 
• The Commission will appraise Regional Development Plans to determine whether 
they are consistent with environmental protection requirements. 
• There will be a more systematic scrutiny of projects over 50 MECU in particular 
with regard to their environmental impact. 
• Member States shall put in place a partnership involving environmental bodies in 
order to integrate environmental protection requirements in Structural Fund 
intervention programmes. 
Agriculture: 
• The proposals for the reform of the CAP imply an additional move away from 
price support towards direct payments. This will provide benefits for the 
environment as well as enhancing economic efficiency. Less distorted prices lead 
to more balanced use of polluting inputs and to less intensive use of sensitive land. 
• Member States have to further ensure that environmental requirements are 
complied with and can make, where relevant, direct payments conditional for such 
provisions. In the future direct payments will be substantially increased as 
proportion of the EU agricultural budget. 
A rural development programme will emerge as a new pillar in the CAP. A 
substantial proportion of the funds will be reserved for action with direct 
environmental benefits. Other projects under this programme should be compatible 
with the environmental objectives. 
Enlargement: 
• Candidate countries are in the process of drawing up realistic national 
programmes including long-term strategies for gradual effective alignment to the 
EU environmental acquis and some have begun to implement these;. 
The reinforced pre-accession strategy gives a high priority to investment for 
environmental improvements and developing the administrative structures for 
implementation and enforcement of EU environmental law. 
Increased financial resources, such as PHARE, ISPA and the agricultural facility 
will assist the candidate countries in mobilising further finance for environmental 
protection. 
In its Agenda 2000 package the Commission has tried to find the right balance 
between the needs of the sectors concerned and-the improvement of the environment 
and the achievement of sustainable development. The Commission considers that the 
above mentioned provisions are important elements of the proposals made. 
Maintaining the right balance in the package, when adopted, will be critical to 
progress in the integration of environment into these policy areas. 
Climate Change - meeting our Kyoto commitments 
There can be no better example of the essential need for integrating environmental 
concerns into other policies than the case of climate change. The Protocol to the 
Climate Change Convention agreed in Kyoto has set an ambitious target for reduction 
of greenhouse gases by the time frame 2008-2012. Fulfilment of this commitment, 
and recognition that subsequent further reductions will be necessary, must become a 
primary consideration in the framing of all key policy areas. 
This will require significant changes in for example energy and energy use policies. In 
the field of transport current trends in road and air transport are of particular concern. 
Their continuation will prejudice the ability of the Community to fulfil its 
commitment. 
The Commission is currently preparing a Communication which will outline its initial 
ideas on the shape of the overall Community strategy for achievement of this 
commitment. This will subsequently require translation into initiatives in all key areas 
such as Energy, Transport, Industry and Agriculture. 
The development and decisions on policy elements and measures for such strategies 
demands a close dialogue and co-operation between Environment Ministers and 
Ministers for several other policy areas. The British Presidency has pioneered this 
process by introducing joint environment and transport councils. Further collaboration 
of this kind may be helpful in the establishment by each sectoral Council of the 
initiatives required to implement our international commitments from Kyoto. 
Conclusion 
Integration of environmental considerations into other policies is no longer an option 
but an obligation. The guidelines set out above represent an important step in 
responding to this challenge. This is not however a one off exercise and we will have 
to keep the process under review and adapt it on the basis of experience. 
While we have focused initially on two urgent matters - Agenda 2000 and our Kyoto 
commitments - it is clear that the principle of integration also implies other policy 
areas. It will therefore be of importance, as outlined in the proposed Guidelines, to 
develop strategies in respect of other policy areas. Subjects such as the single market 
and industry, development and trade policies, tourism, fisheries and taxation are 
examples which should be given early attention. Progress has already been made in 
some of these areas which will provide a useful basis for further policy development. 
A strong commitment from the European Council is needed to carry forward this 
process and to monitor its ongoing success. 
10 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(98) 333 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 03 05 14 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-98-366-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-36972-1 
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