WRITTEN QUESTION E-2686/96 by Carmen Díez de Rivera Icaza (PSE) to the Commission (15 October 1996)

Subject: Commission's rejection of a green GNP

In its publication on environmental indicators and green accounting (June 1996), the Commission concludes that a green GNP is not a priority.

1. Could the Commission explain which experts it consulted in taking such a decision?

2. Bearing in mind that, in October 1995, Parliament declared itself in favour of green accounting both in the Torres Marques report (Doc. A4-0175/95 ((OJ C 287, 30.10.1995, p. 110. ))) and in the Díez de Rivera resolution (Doc. A4-0209/95 ((OJ C 287, 30.10.1995, p. 115. ))), does the Commission now intend to ignore Parliament's vote?

3. Finally, bearing in mind that chapter 17 of the Fifth Action Programme on the Environment referred to 1999 as the date on which a green GNP would be implemented, does the Commission also intend to withdraw from its previous position on this matter?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (15 November 1996)

The document 'Environmental indicators and green accounting' contains an explanation of what a system of integrated economic and environmental accounting would entail, as proposed in the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on directions for the EU on environmental indicators and green national accounting. ((COM(94)670 final. )) Parliament examined this communication in October 1995 and delivered its conclusions in resolution A4-0209/95.

The work envisaged in the communication might ultimately lead to the development of a modified gross national product (GNP), a 'greened GNP', the calculation of which would take account of environmental damage and depletion of resources.

The Commission is currently seeking the most logical and efficient way to integrate environmental aspects into considerations which are, strictly speaking, economic. There are two main possibilities:

* an ad hoc procedure of modifying GNP at the macroeconomic level by estimating the overall depletion of resources and long-term damage to the environment. This approach does not, however, allow the environmental impact of different economic sectors to be quantified, which is an essential aspect of the environmental policy sketched out in the Fifth Environmental Action Programme; ((COM(94)453 final. ))

* logical methodology consisting of integrating environmental aspects at the national accounts level by developing environmental satellite accounts. This is an effective way of linking economic and environmental data at both global and sectoral level and fully reflects the concerns of the Fifth Action Programme.

Having long been divided, more and more economic and environmental statistics experts, in particular those of the 'London' group, are pronouncing themselves in favour of developing satellite accounts before calculating a modified GNP; without underestimating the importance of a 'green' GNP, the priority is rather to study the links between economic flows and environmental impact.

The Fifth Programme does not moreover set a date for implementing a 'green' GNP. It leaves this decision to the Member States. The Commission intends to encourage the development of the information structures needed for such a calculation.