WRITTEN QUESTION E-0308/02

by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(11 February 2002)

Subject: Community programme of environmental education at school

The consequences and impact of contemporary environmental problems such as global warming meteorological disruptions or atmospheric pollution respect neither frontiers nor generations.

While the effect of these environmental disasters is felt indiscriminately by entire populations, direct responsibility can nevertheless be traced to a western tradition of industrial policies and sociological attitudes which either disregard or are unaware of ecological hazards.

In the past, the European Union has frequently been able to provide a joint response to major issues affecting the world.

Does the Commission agree that prevention is better than cure and that a Community policy of environmental protection and education would in the final analysis inevitably prove less expensive than the total cost of environmental disasters and planetary cataclysms?

Does it not consider it indispensable and a matter of priority to widen the scope of its activities in step with the increasing concerns being felt by the Community and the dangers affecting it, incorporating a common environmental education programme at school within the education systems and curricula of the Member States and applicant countries?

Is it desirable to introduce education initiatives at Community level to forge and distil for future generations a basic sense of responsibility among European citizens with regard to the environment?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(22 March 2002)

In the sixth Environmental Action Programme of the Community, the Commission has indicated five strategic approaches to meeting the environmental objectives for 2001-2010. These are all preventive instruments aimed at protecting the environment rather than to cure. One way to bring about improvements to the environment is by helping people to make environmentally friendly choices. Individual citizens, as well as business, make daily decisions that directly or indirectly impact the environment. Better quality and easily accessible information on the environment and on practical matters will help shape opinions and thus decisions.

Environmental education and awareness raising activities will be essential to this process. The Union will continue to promote good practice and share ideas for improving young people's access to environmental information. The education systems and school curricula remain, however, the responsibility of Member States and applicant countries.

The Commission already supports a number of projects, where young people learn about the environment in the school, as volunteers or in youth projects. The theme of environment is frequently dealt with in projects financed by the Community action programmes Socrates (in the field of education) and Youth. Both programmes, which are administered by the Directorate General (DG) Education and Culture, are open for participation also by applicant countries.

In addition, DG Environment has recently developed several learning tools to improve the environmental awareness among young people. The new website Environment for Young Europeans(1) contains, for example, suggestions of school-class activities in addition to games and quiz for individual learning. DG Environment has also taken into consideration environmental education and the involvement of young people in its calls for proposals aimed at supporting awareness raising projects and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/youth/news_en.html.