WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2538/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. The environment and sustainable development
Date: 1996-10-08
Institutions: AMADEO, European Parliament
Subjects: Council of the European Union, EC Decision, EU programme, European Parliament, action programme, codecision procedure, development policy, environmental policy, proposal (EU)













EUR-Lex - 91996E2538 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91996E2538

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2538/96 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. The environment and sustainable development  


Official Journal C 091 , 20/03/1997 P. 0012 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-2538/96 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (8 October 1996)Subject: The environment and sustainable developmentThe programme outlined by the Commission in the proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision on the review of the European Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable development 'Towards Sustainability' (COM(95)0647) ((OJ C 140, 11.5.1996, p. 5. )) provides a comprehensive list of measures at Community level. Both the proposal as a whole and the Commission's choice of priorities are to be commended.Would the Commission not agree, however, that it should expand on the programme as far as possible by establishing clear deadlines and objectives for its main points, both because of the need to give all participants greater certainty with regard to the programming arrangements and for reasons relating to the political structure of the proposal itself?Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (13 November 1996)The fifth action programme ((COM(94) 453 final. )) is essentially targeted towards the year 2000, but provision was made for a comprehensive review of its strategy to be carried out before the end of 1995. In the resolutions of the Parliament and the Council a review was explicitly requested. This review was carried out during 1995 and resulted in a progress report, an updated state of the environment report published by the European environment agency, and the proposal for a decision by Parliament and Council on the review, which the Honourable Member cites.The prime objective of the proposal for a decision is to give a renewed political impulse to the implementation of the fifth action programme and to progress on sustainable development by refocussing priority actions within the existing programme towards key areas where the Community should take the initiative to overcome obstacles to implementation as identified in the progress report. It is however recognized that the success of the programme also depends on the active participation of public authorities, public and private enterprise, and the general public, both citizens and consumers.It was not the intention half way into the lifetime of the programme to revise it or to propose a new programme. As far as the Commission is concerned, the objectives, the targets for 2000 and the deadlines included in the original programme are still valid. In putting forward a proposal for a decision, the Commission intended that its adoption by Council and Parliament under the co-decision procedure would ensure firstly a new commitment to the strategy set out in the original programme and secondly agreement on priorities on how to achieve this. In line with Article 130s.3 of the EC Treaty the Council (and where applicable the Parliament) will decide on the specific measures to implement the programme. The Commission will put these proposals forward in due course.