Council conclusions of 22 December 2003 on 2003 Environment Policy Review
Date: 2003-12-22
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU environmental policy, project evaluation

13.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 8/5

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 22 December 2003

on 2003 Environment Policy Review

(2004/C 8/04)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

(1) RECALLING the interest, already expressed in its conclusions
on 4 March 2002 and confirmed by the Spring European
Council in March 2003, for an annual environment report,
REITERATES the need to reflect the results of the EPR in the
analysis presented in the Spring Report;

(EPR),

in the light of

(2) TAKES NOTE of the communication from the Commission
‘2003
to the Council and the European Parliament
the
Environment Policy Review’
the EU environmental policy
new political context of
the EU Sustainable Development
since the adoption of
Strategy (SDS)
the EPR
could become a key instrument for the monitoring and
the
the 6th
Environment Action Programme (EAP) and should also
contribute to the Spring European Council and the SDS
i.a. by providing a good basis for the different
review,
Council
formations in reviewing the implementation of
sustainable development targets;

in 2001, and CONSIDERS that

implementation of

evaluation of

the

the EU environmental policy.

(3) CONSIDERS the EPR a first constructive attempt to outline a
general picture of
In
particular the Council LOOKS FORWARD to the forthcoming
communications of
the Commission on the WSSD
follow-up, the Environment Technology Action Plan, the
the Cardiff
stocktaking of
process,
including an analysis on how to relaunch this
process, all of which are planned for the beginning of
2004, as well as the 2004 SDS Review;

the national SDS and of

(4) NOTES with great concern the indications of the EPR that
negative trends since 2001, especially in areas such as
climate change, energy and transport as well as biodi-
versity, have not been reversed, and that further EU and
national measures are necessary in order to meet key EU
sustainable development targets. To this end, the Council
REAFFIRMS that the objectives set out in the 6th EAP should
be taken into account
in future financial perspective
reviews of Community financial instruments;

the Lisbon process with a

(5) RECONFIRMS the need to strengthen the environmental
view to
dimension of
achieving economic, social and environmental
renewal
and NOTES that the contribution of the environment to
the Lisbon goals merits further exploration; UNDERLINES
therefore the need to ensure a timely and coordinated
adoption of relevant communications by the Commission;

(6) UNDERLINES the need to further clarify, inter alia within the
2004 SDS Review,
the interaction between the Lisbon
strategy and the EU SDS and to actively implement the
Cardiff process and the 6th EAP, with a view to better
integrate the environmental protection requirements into
the broader framework of the Community policies and
promote the synergies between the respective pillars of
sustainable development;

to be the result of a
(7) CONSIDERS these conclusions
preliminary assessment of
taking into
account the report's value and complexity, will endeavour
to further examine its specific contents and to adopt more
detailed conclusions as a contribution to the preparation of
the 2004 Spring European Council.

the EPR and,