Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community’ (COM(2003) 847 final - 2003/0333 (COD))
Date: 2004-04-28
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU environmental policy, codification of EU law, dangerous substance, water pollution

C 117/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.4.2004

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances
discharged into the aquatic environment of the Community’

(COM(2003) 847 final - 2003/0333 (COD))

(2004/C 117/03)

On 22 January 2004 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 175 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on pollution caused by certain dangerous substances discharged
into the aquatic environment of the Community’ (COM(2003) 847 final – 2003/0333 (COD)).

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for preparing
the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 5 April 2004. The rapporteur was
Ms Sánchez Miguel.

At its 408th plenary session of 28 and 29 April 2004 (meeting of 28 April), the European Economic and
Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 97 votes for, none against and one abstention.

1.

Introduction

2. General comments

1.1
The purpose of the proposal is to undertake a codifica-
tion of Council Directive 76/464/EEC of 4 May 1976 on pollu-
tion caused by certain dangerous substances discharged into
the aquatic environment of the Community (1). The new direc-
tive will supersede the various acts incorporated in it (2); the
proposal fully preserves the content of the acts being codified
and hence does no more than to bring them together with only
such formal amendments as are required by the codification
itself.

Brussels, 28 April 2004.

2.1
The Committee regards it as very useful to have all the
texts integrated into one directive. In the context of a People's
Europe, the Committee,
like the Commission, attaches great
importance to simplifying and clarifying Community law so as
to make it clearer and more accessible to ordinary citizens,
thus giving them new opportunities and the chance to make
use of the specific rights it gives them.

It has been ensured that this compilation of provisions
2.2
contains no changes of substance and serves only the purpose
of presenting Community law in a clear and transparent way.
The Committee expresses its total support for this objective
and, in the light of these guarantees, welcomes the proposal.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH

(1) Carried out

in accordance with the Communication from the
Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – Codifica-
tion of the acquis communautaire, COM(2001) 645 final.

(2) See Part A of Annex II of the proposal.