19. 12.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/43 
Opinion on the the implementation of job-creating environmental measures 
A. LEGAL BASIS OF THE OPINION 
At its 202nd plenary session, held on 24 and 25 November 1982 the Committee 
decided to issue an opinion on the above topic on its own initiative, following a pro­
posal from its Bureau and in accordance with the fourth paragraph of Article 20 of its 
Rules of Procedure. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
210th plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the decision taken by the plenary 
session on 25 November 1982 to instruct the Section 
for Protection of the Environment, Public Health 
and Consumer Affairs to draw up an opinion on the 
implementation of job-creating environmental mea­
sures, 
Having regard to the information report adopted by 
the Section at its 70th meeting, held at La Rochelle 
on 17 September 1982, 1.2. These unemployment rates, reaching levels 
unknown in recent years, vary from Member State 
to Member State (figures drawn up by each Member 
State according to differing national definitions; 
February 1983): 
Ireland 
Netherlands 
Belgium 
United Kingdom 
Italy 
Denmark 
Germany 
France 
Greece 
Luxembourg 15,1 
14,5 
14,1 
12,4 
12,0 
10,7 
9,6 
9,2 
2,5 
1,6 
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Sec­
tion at its 76th meeting held on 12 July 1983, 
Having regard to the oral report made by the rap­
porteur, Mr De Grave, 
Having regard to the Committee's discussions on 
29 September at its 210th plenary session held on 28 
and 29 September 1983, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by 41 votes to two with eight abstentions: 1.3. The continuing common trend towards high 
and rising unemployment levels is a new feature. 
From mid-1979 to the end of 1982 unemployment 
rose by: 
Greece 
Netherlands 
Germany 
United Kindgom 
Denmark 
Luxembourg 
Ireland 
Belgium 
France 
Italy 133% 
132% 
122% 
121 % 
105%" 
104% 
64% 
53% 
49%o 
33% 
1. Introduction: the employment situation 
1.1. In February 1983, the unemployment rate in 
the Community was 10,9 %. In 12 years, the rate has 
risen from 2% to 11,1% (excluding Greece). In 
December 1982, 38,9 % of the unemployed (exclud­
ing Greece) were young people under the age of 25. 1.4. There are not enough internal and external 
outlets for products and services (final and inter­
mediate goods, services) to create jobs. Moreover, at 
the moment, the tertiary sector seems less able than 
in the past to offset net job reductions in other sec-
No C 341/44 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83 
tors, i. e. to discharge the role which industry employment for large numbers of workers leaving 
played in the 19th century, when it provided agriculture. 
(Percentages of the labour force employed in industry and services) 
Federal Republic of Germany 
United Kingdom 
Sweden 
Japan 
USA 
France Industry 
1955 
60 
49 
42 
24 
35 
37 1975 
45 
42 
37 
35 
28 
38 Services 
1955 
35 
46 
43 
35 
54 
35 1975 
46 
55 
56 
50 
70 
50 
employment policies have their own individual 
objectives; but what it does mean is that measures 
which 'kill two birds with one stone' deserve special 
attention and should be given priority. 
2.2. Inthisconnectionwemustlookbeyond'environ-
mental policy' (taken in its wide sense, and not 
just seen in terms of anti-pollution measures). A 
great many needs still remain to be satisfied in the 
area of improvements to the quality of life (help for 
and care of the elderly, young people and immi­
grants; housing conditions; town and country plan­
ning; leisure, etc.). History has shown us on many 
occasions that production and needs become more 
varied (e. g. successive development of the primary, 
secondary and tertiary sectors) as improved produc­
tivity releases labour in old-established sectors. With 
the exception of a number of specific sectors, parti­
cularly those linked with the increase in free time 
(leisure activities, do-it-yourself, etc.), these new 
needs are often difficult to meet financially and 
pose tricky problems for national budgets. Budgets 
— Community, national, local authority budgets — 
are unable to finance every scheme thought to be 
desirable from a human or social point of view. 
2.3. A policy of increasing the number of people 
employed in improving the environment and the 
quality of life must obviously take the structure of 
unemployment into consideration. Furthermore, the 
cost of unemployment falls directly on both workers 
and State budgets. An unemployed person often 
costs the State directly and indirectly almost as 
much as the pay of a worker. 
2.4. The non-budgetary costs of unemployment 
must also be given increasing consideration: the 
human cost, the social cost and the political cost. 1.5. Thus, as the FAST document says (p. 133), 
'the term "crisis" is fully justified for societies 
whose future and whose very credibility is placed in 
question, since they are based on an assumption of 
full employment which is no longer valid: the 
employment crisis will be the dominant influence 
on the 1980s, and will largely displace the "energy 
crisis" as central preoccupation ('). The problems of 
employment and work will, much more than in the 
past, be central to the elaboration of policies in the 
Member States of the Community over the coming 
years.... Many analyses, both local and global, car­
ried out by various European research centres, are in 
agreement in forecasting the persistence — and 
often the worsening — of unemployment over the 
short and medium term' (2). 
1.6. However, so many needs remain unsatisfied in 
the area of the environment and improving the 
quality of life, that it is impossible not to see a link 
with the employment situation. 
2. Employment and environment policy 
2.1. This opinion thus puts the following question: 
in an economy where there are many unsatisfied 
needs and a high level of unemployment, how can 
an environment policy contribute to growth and job 
creation? 
This does not of course mean that environmental 
policy has to be subordinated to employment 
policy, or vice versa, since both environmental and 
(') The employment crisis should not be seen as a 
reincarnation of the energy crisis. The mechanisms, 
actors, and rhythm over time are fundamentally differ­
ent, and tlie increased price of energy is certainly not, 
in the long term, a major cause of unemployment and 
of inflation. 
(2) The FAST programme — Results and recommen­
dations (Volume 1), December 1982. 
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/45 
2.5. Let us not forget that, apart from its human 
and social aspects, a policy aimed at improving the 
quality of life can often be economically beneficial 
by: 
— reducing absenteeism, job-related nervous com­
plaints, accidents, 
— improving job satisfaction, and thus motivation 
and occupational adaptation, 
— reducing costs and damage caused by pollution 
to companies, buildings, health, and other sec­
tors (need to purify water that is no longer suita­
ble for drinking, acid rain, sulphur dioxide, res­
piratory diseases, cleaning of beaches contami­
nated by oil, harm done to fish farming, tour­
ism, and so on), 
— protecting our cultural heritage, 
— reducing all sorts of costs generated by social 
maladjustment (drop-outs, drugs, alcoholism, 
unsuitability for work, etc.), 
— reducing insurance costs (claims, premiums). 
It would therefore be wrong to consider a policy to 
improve the quality of life as a luxury to be rele­
gated to the background at a time of recession. 
2.6. As with educational, research or investment 
expenditure, expenditure on schemes to improve the 
quality of life only begins to pay for itself in the 
long run, and only at a macro-economic level. The 
short-term financing of such schemes is often diffi­
cult. 
2.6. bis The 'polluter pays' principle and the adop­
tion of measures to limit polluting waste may mean 
that economic activities are moved to some non-
member countries. The Committee cannot accept a 
simple geographical transfer of the source of pollu­
tion, involving the loss of Community jobs and an 
increase in imports from non-member countries. 
This problem is linked to that of low-wage dump­
ing, a phenomenon which is already wellknown. 
The Committee urges the Commission to consider 
ways to avoid these negative effects. 2.7. To be a growth factor, an environmental 
improvement policy must fit in with a new supply 
an demand model that will ensure increased 
employment and well-being without speeding up 
the rate of inflation. In a service economy where 
trends in international trade seem unlikely to meet 
these requirements, new growth models, better 
geared to local potential, are needed. These should 
take into consideration (a) more qualitative factors, 
with less importance being attached to a rapid 
increase in the consumption of goods with a high 
raw-material and/or import content, and (b) the 
growth of economically and socially useful produc­
tive services. Widespread acceptance of this type of 
growth depends on a greater degree of equality 
among regions, and steps to provide the disadvan­
taged regions with a minimum stock of physical 
goods. This implies an increase in living standards 
in some regions and among some population 
groups. The higher social groups also seem to be 
more interested in quality orientated growth. 
2.8. Many countries, both inside and outside the 
Community, have amended their legislation to take 
account of the changed economic situation. 
2.9. At international level, the IUCN (Interna­
tional Union for the Conservation of Nature and 
Natural Resources), a non-governmental organ­
ization set up under the auspices of Unesco in 1948, 
has just launched a conservation programme of 
unprecedented scale and ambition. Some 450 gov­
ernmental agencies and conservation bodies in more 
than 100 countries have been asked to help draw up 
the programme. The World Conservation Strategy, 
as it is called, has been devised within the frame­
work of the United Nations environment pro­
gramme, which has provided financial support. The 
Programme itself is jointly supported by the United 
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and 
Unesco. 
2.10. The Strategy sets out to refute the view that 
(a) the conservation of nature and land is sufficent 
to protect the environment and (b) this very conser­
vation might be a bar to economic development. 
Rather, the strategy is based on the idea that growth 
is impossible in countries which do not at the same 
time conserve their natural resources. The Strategy 
therefore underlines the need for a policy that will 
reconcile conservation projects with development 
projects without waiting until the environment is 
threatened. 
No C 341 /46 Official Journal of 
3. Situation and Community level 
3.1. Although the Community has perhaps been 
rather slow in this field, three measures must be sin­
gled out for special mention. 
(a) The Commission has produced a very important 
survey C1). This came after a whole host of 
national initiatives from which a great deal has 
been learnt. The Commission survey proposes 
environment improvement programmes in both 
the private and public sectors, selected so as to 
take account of the local employment situation 
and implemented so as to have a sufficient 
spin-off effect on the economy. 
Such programmes could have the following 
effects: 
— direct effects: jobs are saved, 
— indirect effects: stimulation of trade 
between branches of the economy, 
— induced effects due to greater consumer 
spending by the workers who fill the extra 
jobs created, 
— better response to production needs. 
The survey suggests a number of possible pro­
jects which could be set up: 
— by the private sector (channelling of innova­
tion and investment towards protection of 
the environment and encouragement of 
employment), 
— by independent private bodies (often small 
projects), 
— by the public sector, via measures to pro­
mote employment and large-scale public 
projects. 
According to the Commission survey, the addi­
tional expenditure entailed by such programmes 
would have a multiplier effect on employment, 
but should not fuel inflation. 
The measures by independent private bodies 
would consist mainly of projects involving 
young people in non-technical work requiring 
little capital (improvement of public and private 
parks, etc.). The public projects, whose role European Communities 19. 12. 83 
would be crucial, would be partly carried out by 
private-sector subcontractors. They would have 
a multiplier effect on employment. 
The Commission survey proposes the following 
projects: 
— improvements to water distribution and 
purification systems; strengthening of dams 
and river banks; nature reserves, open 
spaces, forests, etc., 
— reclamation of derelict areas (towns, indus­
trial zones), 
— elimination of illegal dumping, 
— restoration of historic sites and monuments, 
— compilation and interpretation of environ­
ment data. 
(b) A draft Regulation on action by the Community 
relating to the environment (ACE). This draft 
has just been sent to the Council. 
The European Parliament has earmarked funds 
in the Community budget to finance a future 
environmental fund. In the light of this move 
and in accordance with the aims of the Com­
munity environment programme, the Commis­
sion has now proposed that certain specific pro­
jects be given financial support. 
The Commission is specifically concerned with 
projects relating to (a) development of 'clean' 
technologies which abate pollution and deple­
tion of natural resources, and (b) environmental 
conservation in areas of Community interest. 
In this context, the Committee would refer to its 
opinion of 27 April 1983 (2). 
(c) A programme of projects and pilot studies to 
combat poverty, in a context of unemployment. 
Member States have undertaken a series of pro­
jects aimed at developing vocational training, 
retraining, work experience and labour mobility, 
and at encouraging early retirement and 
(') Characteristics of a job-related environment pro­
gramme for the Community (1978). (2) OJ No C 176, 4. 7. 1983, p. 8. 
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/47 
creating socially useful jobs. The Community 
collaborates with Member States through its 
various financial instruments. 
The level of unemployment in the Community, 
and the large number of young people still look­
ing for their first job, represent a form of social 
exclusion which may have harmful cumulative 
effects in the long term. Moreover, a minority in 
the individual States is not covered by social 
security. 
It is for these reasons that an anti-poverty pro­
gramme was set up. 
This programme was allocated around 20 mil­
lion ECU between 1976 and 1980. 
A final report was published on 15 December 
1979. A group of pilot projects was supported 
and funded by the Community and the Member 
States. 
Raising the standard of living in the Com­
munity (Article 2 of the Treaty of Rome) is a 
qualitative as well as a quantitative matter. 
Some aspects of the above programme (housing 
rehabilitation for example) have a direct impact 
on the environment and have job-creating 
potential. 
A certain number of projects adopted a com­
munity development approach and made use 
of, or set up, a series of local measures, for 
example in the housing and environment sec­
tors. Several projects involved the building of 
new dwellings, while others involved improve­
ment of housing and the environment. The 
overall programme created between 300 and 400 
jobs, at a cost per job of 10 000 ECU per year. 
4. Conclusions: measures to be developed or under­
taken by the Community 
The Committee wishes to give the Commission 
some suggestions. These are not definite recommen­
dations, but rather guidelines to be examined, dis­
cussed and made more precise. This does not mean 
that they should not be discussed with a sense of 
urgency. Far from it. 
The aim of the economy is to satisfy needs. Needs 
in the field of environmental improvement and liv­
ing conditions are very great and have to be tackled 
with limited resources and in the light of the wor­
sening employment outlook. The matter therefore 
deserves the careful attention of the Commission. Furthermore, we must not forget the effect on the 
well-being of future generations. 
The Commission should hold ongoing in-depth 
talks on the matter with the 'social partners', the lat­
ter to be understood in the widest sense of the term, 
i.e. including federations of environmental protec­
tion organizations. 
The Committee proposes some guidelines more 
forcefully than others, because it has not always 
been able to study the full implications of concrete 
measures. 
It is up to the Commission to take on sufficient staff 
and provide itself with the investigative means 
needed to regularly submit practical proposals to 
Member State Governments for the adoption of 
measures which are likely to improve both the envi­
ronment and employment. 
Measures should be checked to ensure that: 
— they give priority to the problem groups on the 
labour market, 
— their financing does not produce any adverse 
employment effects elsewhere, 
— they do not adversely affect other priority tasks 
of the Community; if at all possible, they 
should be mutually supportive. 
A careful prior appraisal should be made of the 
effects of planned measures, and the results should 
be subsequently evaluated. 
If possible, a costs/benefits assessment embracing 
the non-financial aspects should be made of each 
proposal. However, it should be noted that assess­
ment of this sort is often very difficult. For example, 
how do we assess the value of conserving plants and 
animals from extinction, of safety in our cities, 
social harmony, etc.? 
The Committee feels that the Community should 
channel its action in five directions: 
4.1. Support for projects to improve the quality of life 
4.1.1. With Member State experts, the Commission 
should examine the measures being carried out at 
No C 341/48 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83 
national level to improve both employment and the 
environment (air, water, soil, noise, flora and fauna, 
landscape, etc.) and the quality of life (housing, psy­
cho-medico-social sector, and problems specific to 
certain categories of the population — young peo­
ple, immigrants, the elderly, those without resources, 
and so on); this has not yet been done. 
It is difficult to separate the strictly environmental 
aspects from the quality of life in a much wider 
sense. 
4.1.2. This comparative examination should bring 
out the strong and weak points in the experiences of 
individual countries, and allow an improvement in 
the action taken by Member States. 
4.1.3. The Commission could also recommend that 
Member States who have not already done so be 
invited to implement — subject to their budgetary 
constraints — a policy allocating job seekers to use­
ful projects. 
4.1.4. In addition to this exchange of information 
and invitation to expand national policies, the 
Commission could provide a financial incentive. 
Even a modest financial contribution in the form of 
support for pilot projects would be welcome. 
4.1.5. Support could well be given to pilot 
development projects which for instance (i) generate 
employment, (ii) are more integrated into the local 
environment, (iii) give preference to the use of local 
resources (alternative farming, biomass, hill farming, 
forestry), or (iv) are designed to preserve the envi­
ronment, especially in areas where the hydrological 
balance is deteriorating, etc. 
4.1.6. Considerable potential exists for urban and 
rural renewal (recreation areas), redevelopment of 
disused industrial sites, and protection or develop­
ment of beauty spots and monuments. Some 
improvement work also has great potential: sign­
posting, footpaths, cycle tracks, and so on. 
4.1.6. bis Particular consideration should be given 
to those goals which involve the restoration or remo­
delling of natural landscapes, with regard to their 
potential as recreation areas, habitats for endan­
gered animals and plants, or green belts to counter­
balance heavily-congested inner city areas. 4.1.7. The economic effects are important, and 
European financial resources should be more 
readily available for these purposes. 
4.2. Information and the effect of demonstration 
4.2.1. Simply making information available on 
what has already been achieved, both on a national 
scale and by local authorities, would be enough to 
overcome reticence and help the implementation of 
potential projects. The Committee therefore asks the 
Commission to encourage such a campaign to 
inform the general public and the authorities 
involved. This should be done in conjuction with 
the international organizations that concern them­
selves with local authorities. The Committee also 
feels that the Commission should assist education 
and training bodies. 
4.2.2. It is particularly necessary to provide con­
sumers with information and instil in them an aware­
ness of what is at stake so that consumer demand 
takes account of the environmental effects of pur­
chases, as well as the price. 
4.3. Medium-term economic policy 
4.3.1. The current economic situation is character­
ized by the high level of structural unemployment, 
balance-of-payments problems, the international 
competition suffered by a large section of industry, 
the non-satisfaction of certain types of potential 
demand, a low level of investment and internal 
demand, and low rates of production capacity utili­
zation in many sectors. 
4.3.2. As part of its medium-term economic policy, 
the Community should facilitate the structural 
changes needed to meet the present challenges, by 
equipping itself with the best tools for economic 
analysis. 
4.3.2. bis National accounts should cover the 
long-term effects of economic activity on the life of 
the community, so as to bring out both the positive 
and the negative repercussions on the environment 
and GNP in the long run. 
The main way to apply this principle is through the 
taxation of polluting activities. 
4.3.3. More rational management of natural 
resources should be a key component of a growth 
policy. A new approach is needed to the methods of 
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/49 
use of raw materials and energy and their networks, 
to recycling, the use of waste, the durability of 
goods, and so on. 
4.3.4. For example, one should test the overall 
impact on the economy of an improvement in 
quality and an increase in product durability, and of 
a policy favouring repairs or restoration (housing, 
cars, etc.) rather than discarding or destroying and 
replacing (favourable effect on (a) the level of 
imports and the trade deficit, (b) employment in ser­
vices and building, which are highly labour-inten­
sive and less exposed to international competition, 
(c) the reduction of waste and the cost of its dis­
posal, (d) savings in foreign exchange and raw 
materials, etc.). If economic models and national 
experience suggest that favourable results can be 
hoped for, one should consider the most appropriate 
ways of achieving these objectives and propose their 
introduction. 
The absence of any comparative analysis makes it 
difficult to establish whether the policies being pur­
sued are the best. However, the restoration of old 
buildings, beauty spots, etc. offers almost unlimited 
employment potential. Many jobs in all regions 
could also be created if repairs were carried out by 
small local firms on semi-durable goods such as cars 
which are only partly built in the Community (with 
fewer and fewer jobs). 
4.3.5. Other measures may be employed to 
improve the urban and rural environment: 
— the use of 'clean' technology resources, 
— product use and waste policy: 
— collection and recycling of waste, 
— toxic and dangerous waste, 
— measures to reduce the volume of waste and 
hence the cost of processing, 
— prevention of illegal dumping. 
4.3.6. In the field of energy, RUE (the rational use 
of energy) should be promoted in tandem with 
industrial and town planning policies, transport poli­
cies, policies for new and existing housing, land-use 
policy, and so on. 4.4. Develop the environment industry 
4.4.1. According to the FAST document (page 13) 
the environment industry probably accounts for 
1,25% of the GDP and provides 1 300 000 jobs. 
4.4.2. The document goes on: 'the annual cost of 
these activities is lower than the annual cost of the 
damage that would be caused by the pollution they 
control. Consequently they can be regarded as justi­
fied both ecologically and economically. This fact is 
insufficiently reflected in the environmental policies 
of European countries ('). 
4.4.3. The Community is already a major exporter 
in this area. Its position should be strengthened. 
4.4.4. It should be noted in this connection that 
Member States are major exporters in those sectors 
where the fight against pollution dates back a long 
time, and is well-established (e.g. water treatment in 
France); Member States have remained importers 
when tougher local legislation has led third coun­
tries to develop such processes as the removal of 
sulphur from smoke in the United States and Japan, 
instrumental pollution control and information con­
trol (microprocessor). 
4.4.5. The fight against pollution can thus help 
encourage technical innovation. The export of Euro­
pean technological systems can help create new 
jobs. 
4.5. Inclusion of environmental and employment 
concerns in Community policies 
4.5.1. The common agricultural policy, research 
policy, transport policy, social policy, energy policy, 
economic policy, and so on, can have repercussions 
on employment and the environment. 
4.5.2. Measures in the farming sector and some 
infrastructure projects are directly linked to environ­
mental policy (impact studies). 
4.5.3. In various earlier opinions, the Committee 
has deplored the Community's failure to adopt a 
(') The FAST programme — Summaries of the 36 
research projects (Volume 2), December 1982. 
No C 341/50 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83 
forestry policy, despite the fact that the Community 
has a considerable trade deficit in this area, second 
only to that for oil products. Jobs could be created 
in both the forestry and the processing sector. the main importer of high technology anti-pollution 
material such as purification plants, air filters, insu­
lating materials, measuring instruments, smoke 
de-dusting equipment and apparatus for the treat­
ment of waste. 
4.5.4. While pursuing their own individual aims, 
the various Community policies and financial 
instruments could make a greater contribution to the 
furtherance of the aims outlined in this opinion. 
4.5.5. Thus, among the criteria used for imple­
menting projects (ERDF, EDF, etc.) there should be 
an evaluation in terms of the environment and 
employment. This would preclude situations where 
aid for example is given for deforestation, only for 
aid to be requested for reafforestation a few years 
later, as recently happened with an ACP country. 
4.5.6. Lastly, research and development policy 
should aim to improve the Community's position in 
the field of clean technologies and new materials 
(e.g. nitrogen fixation, urban noise-abatement 
materials). The Community is unfortunately already 5. The Committee is confident that the Commis­
sion will examine these proposals, and do its utmost 
to ensure that the potential of environment policy to 
help growth is not neglected. Like all Community 
policies, an improvement in living and working con­
ditions (internal and external environment) can and 
must help reduce the disturbing level of unemploy­
ment. 
6. While addressing this opinion to the Council 
and the Commission, the Committee wishes to 
make a serious appeal to the latter and to Member 
State governments: 
— to work jointly towards the rapid implementa­
tion of concrete measures to improve the environ­
ment and employment, 
— to draw up medium and long-term objectives to 
avert the dangers currently threatening our 
society. 
Done at Brussels, 29 September 1983. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois CEYRAC 
APPENDIX 
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee 
— Rejected amendment: 
The following amendment, tabled in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, was rejected by the 
Committee during plenary session discussions: 
Page 16 
Point 4.1.3 to read as follows: 
'The Commission shouid also encourage those Member States who have not yet done so to 
draw up medium-term programmes for improving the environment and the quality of life, 
with definite goals and deadlines for individual areas. These programmes should promote 
forward-looking investment, and guide national measures on job-creation and public pro­
jects in general. The Commission could also recommend that Member States who have not 
19.12.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/51 
already done so be invited (subject to their budgetary constraints) to recruit job-seekers for 
projects under these programmes, provided this does not jeopardize existing jobs (e.g. selec­
tive collection of waste for recycling, lay-out, restoration and maintenance of green areas, 
parks, play-areas, nature and landscape conservation areas, restoration of the natural course 
of streams and rivers, recurvation, systematic large-scale surveys of air, water and soil pol­
lution, care of the needy, conservation of monuments, and so on).' 
Reasons 
Concrete goals for improving the environment and the quality of life should be laid down in 
order to provide guidance for both the private sector and the national authorities. 
Voting 
For: 3, against: 36, abstentions: 7. 
Opinion on the communication from the Commission to the Council on structures and 
procedures for the common policy in the field of science and technology containing draft 
Council Decisions dealing with 
I. Structures and procedures for the common policy in the field of science and 
technology 
II. Structures and procedures for the management and coordination of Community 
research development and demonstration activities 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 7 April 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
210th plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, Having regard to the request made by the Council 
of the European Communities on 7 April 1983 for 
an opinion on the draft Council Decisions dealing 
on the one hand with structures and procedures for 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro- the common policy in the field of science and tech-
pean Economic Community, and in particular nology, and on the other with structures and proce-
Article 198 thereof, dures for the management and coordination of