European Parliament resolution on environment policy and sustainable development: preparing for the Gothenburg European Council (2000/2322(INI))
Date: 2001-05-31
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European Council, ecology, environmental policy, environmental protection, sustainable development

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29.
Stresses that environmental taxes and levies can only be worthwhile and effective if they are emis-
sion-related, fiscally neutral for members of the public and levied on a uniform basis throughout the EU;

Believes that environmental criteria should be integrated into economic activity, for instance when

30.
drawing up ecological balance sheets and analysing cost-effectiveness;

31.
Calls, when the broad economic policy guidelines are drawn up, for an objective assessment of the
efficiency of environmental measures, not least in the light of the Community strategy for sustainable
development, and on consequences for employment; calls for binding indicators to be laid down;

32.
Draws attention to the major importance of cultivating public awareness, which can be done by
means of education, training and public information measures and by ensuring that public decision-mak-
ing processes are open, by providing information and by giving the public good opportunities for par-
ticipation in decisions on specific economic activities which have a major impact on the environment;

33.
Considers that the communication also suffers from one important omission: the definition of
sustainable development which, ever since the Brundtland report of 1987 on environment and devel-
opment has been defined as (cid:145)any development that meets the needs of the present, starting with those of
the poorest without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs(cid:146). The com-
munication omits to mention the condition relating to social environmental equity;

Urges the parliaments and governments of the Member States to shoulder their responsibility and
34.
implement existing European environmental directives as effectively as possible and, within the foreseeable
future, take the most necessary measures to promote the ecological compatibility of economic devel-
opment in a gradual but significantly perceptible manner;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European

35.
Environment Agency and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

11. Environment policy and sustainable development

A5-0171/2001

European Parliament resolution on environment policy and sustainable development: preparing
for the Gothenburg European Council (2000/2322(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Fifth Environment Action Programme (1) of policy and action to the environment

and sustainable development (1992-1999) (cid:145)Towards sustainability(cid:146),

(cid:129) having regard to the progress report from the Commission on the implementation of the European
Community programme of policy and action in relation to the environment and sustainable devel-
opment (cid:145)Towards sustainability(cid:146) (COM(1995) 624),

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 20 October 1998 on the communication from the Commission to
the Council and the European Parliament on a European Community biodiversity strategy
(COM(1998) 42) (2),

(cid:129) having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament,
the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled (cid:145)Directions towards
sustainable agriculture(cid:146) (COM(1999) 22) (3) and the communication from the Commission to the Coun-
cil and the European Parliament entitled (cid:145)Indicators for the integration of environmental concerns into
the common agricultural policy(cid:146) (COM(2000) 20),

(1) OJ C 138, 17.5.1993, p. 1.
(2) OJ C 341, 9.11.1998, p. 41.
(3) OJ C 173, 19.6.1999, p. 2.

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(cid:129) having regard to Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste (1),

(cid:129) having regard to the EU water framework directive (Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of
water policy) (2),

(cid:129) having regard to Agenda 2000 on agriculture and basic environmental protection requirements, where
Member States are required to take appropriate environmental measures in view of the agricultural
land used or the production concerned,

(cid:129) having regard to Agenda 2000 on the Structural Funds, where environmental protection and improve-
ment are now included among the objectives of the Structural Funds and regional development stra-
tegies, designed by Member States, must contribute to both the further building up of environmental
considerations into priority sectors such as transport, energy agriculture, industry and tourism,

(cid:129) having regard to the forthcoming Decision of the European Parliament and the Council on a Com-
munity framework for cooperation to promote sustainable urban development (1999/0233(COD),

(cid:129) having regard to the White Paper on a strategy for a future chemicals policy (COM(2001) 88),

(cid:129) having regard to the Green Paper on integrated product policy (COM(2001) 68),

(cid:129) having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parlia-
ment (cid:129) Ten years after Rio: preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002
(COM(2001) 53),

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy

and the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A5-0171/2001),

A. whereas the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 regards (cid:145)environmental

integration(cid:146) as a key principle as
enshrined in Article 6 of the EC Treaty, which specifically requires that (cid:145)environmental protection
requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Community policies
and activities referred to in Article 3, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development(cid:146);
whereas the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 reflects all three dimensions of sustainability in Article 2 of
the EC Treaty which defines the paramount objectives of the Union,

B. whereas the Cardiff European Council (June 1998) called upon all formations of the Council to estab-
lish their own strategies for achieving environmental integration and sustainable development within
their respective policy areas,

C. whereas the Helsinki European Council (December 1999) brought forth a process aimed at defining
global strategies in favour of environmental integration and sustainable development and the Commis-
sion was invited to present a long-term strategy including economic, social and environmental aspects
for the Gothenburg Council in June 2001,

D. whereas the Lisbon Strategy will have to ensure environmental mainstreaming by integrating the

environmental dimension in the policies involved,

E. whereas the Commission has drawn up a consultation paper on sustainable development,

F. whereas at the Earth Summit in 1992, governments agreed that the main challenge for industrialised

countries is to change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption,

(1) OJ L 194, 25.7.1975, p. 39.
(2) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000, p. 1.

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G. whereas, ten years after the Rio Summit, we have not succeeded in halting the unsustainable trends, of

which climate change is one of the most pronounced,

H. whereas in certain areas EU policies do not contribute sufficiently to the practical introduction of
sustainable development, and the conditions for granting European subsidies must take more account
of this dimension,

I. whereas sustainable development is a matter of solidarity between generations,

J. whereas poverty and environmental degradation frequently go hand in hand, so that sustainable devel-

opment is a matter of solidarity between developed and developing countries,

K. whereas the Commission has not taken account of the global aspect in its consultation paper,

L. whereas we need a different form of growth, based on responsible and efficient use of natural
resources, on respect for the environment, on modes of production that comply with the imperative
requirements of public health and consumer safety and protection, and the (cid:145)polluter pays(cid:146) and pre-
cautionary principles must be the fundamental guidelines,

M. whereas the precautionary principle must be affirmed as the principle governing public policies in

incomplete information,

N. whereas sustainable development stimulates the creation of new jobs, e.g. in research and development

in the energy sector aimed at developing more efficient technologies,

O. whereas lifelong learning is necessary to give people the chance to adapt to changes in the labour

market,

P. whereas specific targets, tools, monitoring systems and follow-up are needed if sustainable devel-
opment is to be achieved; whereas the Helsinki European Council has specifically asked for a regular
monitoring, evaluation and follow-up mechanism,

Q. whereas the Commission has taken the economic dimension as the point of departure for its consul-

tation paper,

R. whereas the Commission has chosen to address the strategy at Presidential level,

S. whereas the Commission has chosen to focus on six topics, namely:

(cid:129) public health,

(cid:129) climate change and clean energy,

(cid:129) management of natural resources,

(cid:129) poverty and social exclusion,

(cid:129) demography and ageing,

(cid:129) mobility, land use and territorial development,

T. whereas the Cardiff process, whereby environmental aspects are integrated into other policy areas, is a
fundamental part of the sustainable development strategy, and the strategy must at the same time be
the driving force behind further integration,

U. whereas the strategy should set out medium- and long-term targets,

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V. whereas the aim is not to create new processes but to coordinate existing processes with the aim of

developing a coherent policy,

W. whereas the Union(cid:146)s sustainable development strategy must be compatible with the Lisbon strategy as

far as the social and economic dimension is concerned,

1. Welcomes the Commission(cid:146)s consultation paper for the preparation of a European Union strategy for
sustainable development but regrets that due to lack of time the European Parliament is left out of its
discussion and will have no possibility to comment on the specific proposals of the Sustainable Devel-
opment Strategy, in time for the Gothenburg European Council;

2. Welcomes the fact that the Commission has addressed sustainable development at the Presidential
level, as the sustainable development strategy is entirely dependent on the importance which the political
leadership attaches to it;

3.
Considers that the strategy must be the result of an open process involving the citizens of Europe
and that it is especially important that the strategy makes it clear what the benefits are for ordinary
citizens and different stakeholders;

4.
Furthermore, considers that, in order to enable citizens to be adequately informed and involved in
this and other policy processing, the Aarhus convention on access to information, public participation and
access to justice in environmental matters, should be fully implemented;

Asks the Commission to heighten the awareness of European consumers and the public as to the

5.
ecological and social impacts of their consumption patterns;

Stresses that the environmental dimension must be the point of departure for any sustainable devel-

6.
opment strategy and that the Sixth Environmental Action Programme forms the basis;

7.
Considers that global responsibility must be a key feature of the strategy, which must make an
important contribution to the Rio +10 Summit to be held in Johannesburg in 2002; underlines the
importance of a thorough public debate on the global dimension of sustainable development, involving
the civil society but also national parliaments and the European Parliament to prepare the EU contribution
at the Rio+10 conference; considers therefore that the Commission should present its Communication on
(cid:145)How the Union should contribute to sustainable global development(cid:146) by the end of 2001;

8.
Notes that it is essential for a global strategy of sustainability that the social and economic problems
of the developing countries should also be addressed; notes that it is just as important in this connection to
combat poverty and secure access to education and medical care for all people as to launch programmes
to reduce or cancel debts;

9.
Calls for specific targets to be set for reversing unsustainable trends and for such targets to be
measurable; takes the view that the targets must be consistent with the provisions of the Sixth Environ-
mental Action Programme, in particular those concerning climate change and ozone, to which the Union
has already committed itself; considers that the strategy should extend over a generation, e.g. a 25-year
period, and that five-yearly reviews could provide the opportunity for detailed analyses;

10. Welcomes the work on developing indicators for meaningful progress towards integration by the
Commission and relevant institutions such as the EEA and Eurostat; considers that indicators and targets
must be used for the follow-up and review of the sustainable development agenda established in Gothen-
burg; takes the view that the ecological footprint should become a useful indicator for the SDS;

11.
Calls for equal rights for the environment in institutional terms, with the Council of Ministers of the
Environment setting up a committee on an equal footing with the Council of Ministers of Economic and
Financial Affairs and the Council of Ministers of Employment and Social Affairs to concentrate on pre-
parations for the spring Council meetings and for a decision to set up that committee to be taken in
Gothenburg;

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12.
Takes the view that the European Council should set up a (cid:145)Sustainability Council(cid:146) which should
meet every spring to revise short-term priorities and sustainability indicators; considers that the require-
ments for the implementation of this (cid:145)enhanced(cid:146) Lisbon strategy should be integrated in the EU enlarge-
ment strategy and that the sustainability indicators should be used by the Commission for its regular
reports on the candidate countries;

13.
Takes the view that an independent (cid:145)Sustainability Council(cid:146) also should be established to fulfil the
Helsinki European Council mandate of monitoring, evaluation and follow-up on the basis of political
priorities and sustainability indicators; this consultation body should reflect the different stakeholder inter-
ests in the European Union and the accession countries and report regularly to Council and Parliament;

Notes that the Cardiff process has been instrumental in supporting new environmental integration

14.
in the CEC, Member States as well as the Council;

Notes that the Cardiff process should continue as a separate key vehicle to deliver Article 6 of the
15.
EC Treaty and that the sustainable development strategy must provide momentum for the continuing
work;

Calls on the Council to develop a standard set of guidelines for the proper evaluation, follow-up and

16.
monitoring of the Cardiff process and the sustainable development process;

Notes that the current Cardiff process lacks a vision and urges that capacity be developed within the

17.
European institutions to coordinate the creation of a vision to support the Cardiff process;

18.
Calls for the broad economic policy guidelines to fully incorporate the objectives of environmental
integration, making use of a reliable set of indicators that is yet to be developed; considers that the multi-
lateral surveillance process, including the annual structural and economic report, should involve an assess-
ment of the efficiency of economic instruments in achieving their environmental objectives;

Notes that the basis for improving the Lisbon structural indicators, reflecting the economic, social
19.
and ecological dimensions of sustainability,
is given by the indicators of the European Environmental
Agency, The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Eurostat and
the European Central Bank. Their monitoring should be integrated for the regular synthesis reporting to
the spring European Councils and be the basis for regular reports on the candidate countries;

20.
Calls on the Commission and the European Council to define and outline (cid:129) in the context of the
EU Sustainable Development strategy (cid:129) the most urgent needs for reform of existing EU policies and set
up a time frame and general aims for these reforms (e.g. CAP, Common Fisheries Policies, Structural Funds)
during the Gothenburg European Council;

Urges the Commission and the European Council to agree on some concrete first steps which can
21.
be easily and immediately put into practice (cid:129) such as sustainability criteria for for public procurement (cid:129)
to illustrate the vision of the Sustainable Development Strategy to the general public and to make the EU
contribution at the Rio+10 conference more credible;

22.
Calls for the greening of the economy, by environmental tax reform, the removal of subsidies to
environmentally harmful activities, introduction of financial incentives for environmentally friendly activ-
ities, by using public procurement explicitly for environmental and social purposes, by the introduction of
environmental liability and producers responsibility;demands specifically for EU public procurement rules
environmental and social criteria, which should be properly audited;

Calls on the Commission to further develop the Union(cid:146)s environmental management and audit

23.
schemes;

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Notes that active participation of science and industry is essential for the long-term preservation of

24.
intact ecosystems;

Takes the view that only products and processes permitted within the Union should be permitted

25.
for export;

26.
Considers that the EU should continue to work for greater legal clarity on the relationship between
WTO rules and trade measures taken pursuant to Multilateral Environmental Agreements. The two legal
systems must play a mutually supportive role in favour of sustainable development and the trade system
must be able to support the global environmental cooperation. In accordance with the Council Resolution,
adopted on the 4 December 2000, the EU should also work for the recognition of the Precautionary
Principle in the WTO and make sure that it is applied in a predictable, transparent, non-discriminatory
way, based on objective and scientific criteria;

27.
Stresses that a strategy for sustainable development must clearly affirm that it sets itself the task of
reforming the World Trade Organisation so as to subordinate its activities to the objectives of sustainable
development and international commitments to protect the environment;

28.
Asks the Commission to promote corporate social responsibility in European companies and to set
up a framework to green domestic and overseas investments by EU companies and financial institutions;

29.
Establishes that sustainable development encompasses environmental, social and economic dimen-
sions; stresses that there is no contradiction but a genuine complementarity between the objectives of
creating jobs, economic development and sustainable development strategies; considers that such devel-
opment can play an important role in creating new models and methods of production; reiterates that
the local economy has a vital role to play in reducing transport requirements, maintaining social cohesion,
reducing imports and assisting in the development of more flexible working patterns and therefore urges
the Council and the Commission to maintain the value of the budget line for local employment initiatives;

30.
Underlines the significance of measures to promote and encourage quality of life including the
development of more and better jobs; stresses in this context the importance of the Social Agenda as an
element in a Sustainable Development Strategy; emphasizes that a resource efficient sustainable economy
also means enabling people to work efficiently through effective consultation and participation in the
work-place, reduced working hours and good quality work in safe working conditions supported by an
effective system of social security; calls for rapid progress to be made on the initial steps taken in this
direction at the Stockholm Summit;

31.
Requires that the environmental dimension be considered in all training programmes funded by the
EU through the ESF and Community initiatives such as EQUAL; requests that in the indicators used to
arrive at qualitative assessments of educational attainment in the EU, the role of education in environ-
mental factors should be included as this provides the basis for an environmentally aware society;

32.
Considers that specific vocational qualifications corresponding to new and updated job profiles
should be developed and that assistance should be given in adapting existing ones; considers that a wide
range of training programmes for new skills, such as organic farming and urban maintenance, should be
developed;

Stresses the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to poverty and social exclusion;
33.
maintains that social inclusion is an essential element of sustainable development and that a minimum
income and the ability to have access to essential services of general interest are key elements in such
development; therefore requires that these factors are taken into consideration in any further liberalisation
of services of general interest;

34.
Calls on the Commission to review the Common Agricultural Policy in 2002 with the aim of
bringing about consumer-centred sustainable farming that produces safe food and remotivates the agricul-
tural community which has a fundamental role to play both from a food point of view and from the point
of view of rural development;

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35.
Takes the view that environmental concerns, species conservation and the prevention of overfishing
must be included amongst the goals of the common fisheries policy and that this could be done when the
policy is reviewed in 2002; considers that a coherent policy is also needed to prevent pollution of the sea;

Notes the need for the coordination of environment and energy policy and takes the view that, in

36.
the long term, energy policy must be drawn up at Community level;

Considers it essential that the topic of (cid:145)Sustainable Food Supply(cid:146) should be added to the six funda-

37.
mental topics of the European strategy for sustainable development proposed by the Commission;

Calls on the Commission to complete the European climate change programme as soon as possible

38.
and implement emissions trading for the Union;

39.
Notes that non-renewable raw materials are being plundered and that without an economical use of
these resources global environmental problems will soon be insoluble; takes the view that renewable
energy sources should therefore be encouraged, with a view to meeting a target of 12 % of energy from
renewable sources by 2010 and 50 % by 2040;

Calls upon the Commission to come with proposals for programmes and regulation which aim to
40.
increase the resource and energy efficiency of production and consumption by a factor of 4 by 2010 and
by a factor 10 by 2025;

Considers that the aim should be to replace, within ten years, the motor vehicles currently on the
41.
roads with motor vehicles that all conform at least to the environmental standard which the best vehicles
now meet and to stimulate competition amongst vehicle manufacturers and energy companies in the
switch from fossil fuels to renewable fuels in new motor vehicles;

42.
Considers that the aim should be to realise stabilisation of total distances in terms of mileage of
motorised transport, while realising a transition to an access oriented approach with optimised land-use
planning, application of clean and intelligent technologies and support for regionally and locally oriented
production and consumption patters where applicable;

Calls for a change in transport policy to reduce long-distance transports on road along with an

43.
increase in investments in public transports and rail systems;

44.
Takes the view that a new single system based on the precautionary and substitution principles
should be developed for the testing, evaluation and risk management of new and existing chemicals sub-
stances, and that they should be tested by 2012; considers that a separate strategy for pesticides is also
necessary and that the goal must be to eliminate gradually the use of chemicals (e.g. those which are
persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic) on their own or in other products, so that the environment can be
rid of these substances as far as possible by 2020;

Takes the view that safeguarding biological diversity must be an objective as regards all forms of

45.
land use;

Calls on the Commission to involve non-governmental organisations more closely in developing

46.
sustainability strategies and therefore to consult them comprehensively;

47.
Takes the view that the Gothenburg European Council should establish an agenda for sustainable
development; considers that the challenge is to integrate and coordinate processes, so that they all aim in
the same direction, not to create new ones; considers that, in order to have a real impact, the strategy must
be made concrete and the European Council should continue to lead the ensuing process;

Calls on the Gothenburg European Council to identify a Summit during the Danish Presidency in

48.
2002 to follow up the Cardiff integration process;

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Requests that adequate budgetary means be made avaliable for actions implementing the future

49.
sustainable development strategy and the Cardiff environmental integration process;

Calls for the introduction of a binding environmental impact assessment for all decisions and legis-

50.
lative proposals by the European Commission and publication of the results;

51. Will regularly monitor the progress in the implementation of sustainability in EU policies, i.e. invol-
ving each parliamentary committee in a yearly sustainability assessment exercise on the policies on which
it is competent for;

Instructs its President to review Parliament(cid:146)s own methods of working with a view to devising

52.
working practices which promote sustainable development;

53.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

12. Commission: EURES activity report 1998-1999: (cid:145)Towards an integrated Euro-

pean labour market: the contribution of EURES(cid:146)

A5-0169/2001

European Parliament resolution on the Commission(cid:146)s EURES activity report 1998-1999 entitled
(cid:145)Towards an integrated European labour market: the contribution of EURES(cid:146) (COM(2000) 607 (cid:129)
C5-0104/2001 (cid:129) 2001/2053(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission report (COM(2000) 607 (cid:129) C5-0104/2001),

(cid:129) having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding adopted by the directors of the EEA public

employment services on the development of EURES services,

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication setting out (cid:145)An action plan for free movement of

workers(cid:146) (COM(1997) 586),

(cid:129) having regard to the Commission communication to the Council entitled (cid:145)New European Labour Mar-

kets, Open to All, with Access for All(cid:146) (COM(2001) 116),

(cid:129) having regard to Presidency conclusions 12 to 15, which were adopted at the Stockholm European

Council of 23/24 March 2001,

(cid:129) having regard to Articles 39 and 40 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to Article 251 of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to Article 299(2) of the EC Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 13 April 2000 on the communication from the Commission to the

European Parliament and the Council: The Strategy for Europe(cid:146)s Internal Market (1),

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A5-0169/2001),

A. whereas the Commission(cid:146)s report on EURES in 1998 and 1999 amounts more to pure description
than critical review in the proper sense and whereas future reports would be greatly improved if:

(cid:129) they set out an exhaustive factual basis for the conclusions as a whole and the main assessments,

(cid:129) they gave comprehensible reasons for the changes in the priorities that had been or were to be

pursued,

(1) OJ C 40, 7.2.2001, p. 465.