WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1147/98 by Panayotis LAMBRIAS to the Commission. Environmental protection - IMPEL network
Date: 1998-04-24
Institutions: European Parliament, LAMBRIAS
Subjects: EU environmental policy, approximation of laws, environmental protection, information network

11.12.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 386/87

At the present stage of the deliberations on the MAI the Commission does not see any conflict between the
agreement, on the one hand, and the EC Treaty and the acquis communautaire, on the other hand.
The Commission intends to avoid such a conflict in the final text of the MAI. Therefore there is no need to
consider obtaining the opinion of the European court on the MAI at this stage.

(98/C 386/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1147/98

by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission

(24 April 1998)

Subject: Environmental protection › IMPEL network

What proposals has the Commission submitted for the reorganization and improvement of the IMPEL European
environment network and what stage has been reached in setting up national coordinating networks and linking
them to IMPEL via the national coordinating bodies?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 1998)

In its communication on implementing Community environmental law (1) which was adopted on 22 October
1996, the Commission recognised the need for co-ordination in matters of implementation of Community
environmental law not only at the level of the Community and the Member States but also within the Member
States themselves. It was acknowledged that the strengthening of existing networks such as IMPEL (the informal
Community network for the implementation and enforcement of environmental law) and the setting up of
national networks could help diminish the problems which arise from decentralised implementation and
enforcement of Community environmental legislation. Thus, it was stated that:

(cid:145)The Commission will consider the existing position of the informal IMPEL network as a useful instrument of co-
operation and capacity building and it will make proposals for improving, developing and reorganising its tasks.
It will encourage the creation of national co-ordination networks to be linked with IMPEL through the national
co-ordinators(cid:146).

Since the communication and the associated resolutions of the Council and the Parliament in June and May 1997
respectively, the role of IMPEL has become more and more prominent. Since May 1997 the network consists of
plenary meetings, two standing committees and ad hoc working groups for specific topics. Amongst its
achievements in 1997 was the adoption of a paper on minimum criteria for environmental inspections which
will form the basis of a Commission initiative in the near future. The Commission will give more information on
IMPEL(cid:146)s past activities and its 1998 work programme in its annual survey on the environment, which will be
published this summer.

The creation of national networks is very much a matter for the Member States themselves, given that it is up to
them to decide how best to organise their own internal inspections systems and mechanisms. So far as the
Commission is aware, IMPEL itself has not yet undertaken any specific work in this area, though it is known that
such networks do already exist in some Member States where inspecting tasks are shared between national,
regional and local authorities as, for example, in the Netherlands, and Member States with a federal system, like
Austria. The Commission was also informed that Italy is currently organising such a national network. Indeed,
representatives from regional and local
inspections authorities do participate in IMPEL meetings.
The Commission will raise the question of the development of such national networks at the next meeting of
the IMPEL plenary in December.

(1) COM(96) 500 final. .