Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - 2006 Environment Policy Review {SEC(2007) 487}
Date: 2007-04-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, biodiversity, climate change, innovation, natural resources, sustainable development

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 30.4.2007 
COM(2007) 195 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

2006 Environment Policy Review 

{SEC(2007) 487} 

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INTRODUCTION 

In 2006, the EU's long term environment policy framework was consolidated with adoption of 
its revised Sustainable Development Strategy and the REACH regulation. It has solid popular 
support  with  72%1  of  citizens  in  favour  of  more  decision-making  at  EU  level  on 
environmental protection. Four main sets of issues broadly defined the year. 

•  The volatile oil and gas prices, fear of supply disruption, and the climate change impact of 
energy use, led to calls for an integrated EU energy policy and increased interest in energy 
efficiency and renewables. The Stern review on climate change confirmed that the costs of 
inaction far outweigh the costs of taking timely action. 

•  The  Biodiversity  Communication  and  the  EU  Action  Plan  to  2010  and  beyond  were 

designed to speed up implementation of biodiversity measures. 

•  Adoption  of  the  last  three  of  the  seven  Thematic  Strategies  -  on  Urban  Environment,  on 
Soil Protection and on Pesticides - will streamline and simplify the framework for future 
action. 

•  The  new  reporting  cycle  for  the  Lisbon  Strategy  showed  that  the  Member  States 
increasingly  accept  that  resource  efficiency,  climate  change,  and  biodiversity  loss  are 
closely linked to growth and jobs. 

This  Review  describes  EU  environment  policy  during  2006.  First,  it  summarises  the  main 
policy developments for the four priorities of the 6th Environment Action Programme. It then 
examines  Better  Regulation  initiatives,  which  make  it  simpler  for  business  to  comply,  and 
easier for Member States to implement, while enhancing environmental standards. 

The  policies  described  were  accompanied  by  active  international  outreach,  including 
important  progress  on  preparing  Bulgaria  and  Romania  for  EU  membership  and  integrating 
environment  into  the  EC's  external  policies.  The  Commission  proposed  a  long-term 
Environment  Strategy2  to  address  the  continuing  degradation  of  the  Mediterranean 
environment through more effective cooperation. It also presented a proposal for a Thematic 
Programme  for  Environment  and  the  Sustainable  Management  of  Natural  Resources, 
including Energy3. 

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2006 Eurobarometer 
COM(2006)475 
COM (2006) 20 

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ACHIEVEMENTS, TRENDS AND OUTLOOK IN THE 6TH EAP PRIORITY AREAS 

Climate change 

Highlights 

2006 was a year of heated debate on the EU’s increasing dependency on imported oil and gas, 
on  rising  energy  prices,  and  on  instruments  to  tackle  climate  change.  The  link  between 
climate and energy policies was strengthened and promising agreements were made with the 
main emerging economies.  

Under the second phase of the EU Climate Change Programme, the Commission adopted 
several proposals, e.g. on including air transport  in  the  EU Emissions Trading Scheme; and 
work  progressed  on  reviewing  the  approach  towards  reducing  CO2  emissions  from  cars;  a 
communication  with  a  possible  legislative  proposal  on  Carbon  Capture  and  Storage;  and 
policy options for adaptation to the impacts of climate change. 

The  mid-term  review  of  the  Transport  White  Paper4  confirmed  that  protection  of  the 
environment is one of the main objectives of transport policy. 

Early in 2006, the first compliance cycle of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme ended. Over 
10 000 energy-intensive installations – representing almost half of Europe's CO2 emissions - 
had  to  report  their  emissions  for  2005.  In  April  the  allowance  price  dropped  because  data 
showed lower emissions than expected resulting in a surplus of allowances. In June Member 
States had to notify their National Allocation Plan (NAP) for 2008-2012, the second trading 
period, explaining how they will allocate emission allowances to industry. In November the 
Commission  adopted  Decisions  on  10  NAPs,  reducing  the  average  amount  of  emissions 
proposed by the Member States by almost 7%. 

Internationally  the  EU  played  a  leading  role,  at  meetings  related  to  the  UNFCCC  and  the 
Kyoto  Protocol  progress  was  made  on:  a  5  years  work  programme  for  climate  adaptation, 
promotion  of  the  global  energy  efficiency  and  renewable  energy  fund  (GEEREF),  and 
governance  principles  for  the  adaptation  fund.  The  EU  set  up  bilateral  agreements  on 
climate change with key third countries like China and engaged in a bilateral dialogue with 
other  key  partners.  Member  States  are  investing  heavily  in  emission  reduction  projects  in 
developing countries. 

Energy efficiency and renewable energy can do much to achieve the aims of the European 
Energy  Strategy5  i.e.  sustainable  development,  security  of  supply,  and  competitiveness.  In 
October  the  Commission  proposed  an  Action  Plan6  to  reduce  energy  use  by  20%  by  2020 
compared to business as usual. In early 2007, the Commission proposed an integrated energy 
and climate change package7 for a new Energy Policy for Europe. The Member States are 
asked to agree to a 30% reduction target in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 (compared to 
1990), if  other  industrialised  countries  commit to similarly ambitious targets.  All developed 
countries need to make this kind of effort in order to limit global warming to an increase of 2° 
Celsius.  Until  an  agreement  is  reached  the  Commission  has  proposed  a  unilateral  EU  20% 

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COM(2006)314 
COM(2006)105 
COM(2006)545 
COM(2007)1, COM(2007)2 

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reduction.  The  package  also  includes  ideas  for  enhancing  cooperation  between  the  EU  and 
developing countries, particularly on adaptation through a "Global Climate Policy Alliance"8. 

New Findings 

•  The most recent data for EU-15 emissions show a decrease of only 0.9% since 1990, while 
EU-10 emissions remain 31.9% below base year levels. EU-10 emissions are projected to 
increase  but  will  still  be  12%  below  1990  by  2010.9  Although,  with  the  measures  in  the 
pipeline,  the  use  of  Kyoto  mechanisms  and  carbon  sinks,  the  EU-15  should  achieve  its 
Kyoto target by 2010, additional efforts will be needed for the post-Kyoto period. We must 
agree on new ambitious long-term targets.10 

•  Increasingly frequent  forest fires in North Eastern Europe  might  be the primary cause of 
carbon particle pollution in the Arctic, speeding up the melting of glaciers and sea ice.11 

•  The  negative  impacts  of  droughts  at  EU  level  have  increased  a  lot  in  the  last  30  years. 
Annual  average  costs  doubled  between  1976-1990  and  1991-2006  to  reach  5.3  billion 
€/year in 2001-2006.12 

•  The physical impacts and costs of sea-level rise in the EU are projected to cause significant 
damage. Adaptation to sea level rise could reduce total costs in the medium term by 7 to 
50% and in the long term by more than 70%.13 

Outlook for 2007 

The Commission will: 

•  present  a  proposal  to  improve  the  functioning  of  the  Emissions  Trading  Scheme 

Directive for the third commitment period starting in 2013. 

•  propose  a  regulatory  framework  to  promote  Carbon  Capture  and  Geological  Storage 

technologies. 

•  launch a broad consultation with a Green Paper on Adaptation to Climate Change. 

•  present a decision on a Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund aimed at 

transition and developing countries and territories. 

•  issue a Communication on water scarcity and droughts to examine the need for action at 

EU level. 

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Council document 15164/04 based on COM(2003)85 
EEA Tech report No 6/2006. 
COM(2006)658 
Journal of Geophysical Research, vol.111, 2006 
DG Environment (2006), Water scarcity and droughts, 1st Interim report 
http://peseta.jrc.es  

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Nature and biodiversity 

Highlights 

The overall EU biodiversity policy framework is largely in place. However, biodiversity loss 
continues at an unprecedented rate. Consequently, some two thirds of the world's ecosystem 
services  are  in  decline  -  services  which  are  vital  for  prosperity  and  wellbeing.  Significant 
efforts  are  required  to  meet  the  targets  of  halting  biodiversity  loss  in  the  EU  by  2010,  and 
significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss worldwide by 2010. 

The Communication  on Biodiversity14 shows how to meet these targets  and foster longer-
term  recovery.  It  sets  priority  objectives,  targets  and  key  supporting  measures  in  an  EU 
Action  Plan  and  calls  for  better  integration  of  biodiversity  and  ecosystem  services  into 
sectoral and horizontal policies. Biodiversity was the theme of Green Week in 2006. 
Natura 2000  now  covers  almost  17%  of  EU-25  land  area  and  140 000  km2  of  marine  area. 
Significant  progress  has  been  made  in  implementing  EU  nature  protection  legislation  in  the 
new Member States but large gaps remain.  The  Commission  adopted  an  EU Forest Action 
Plan15 to support and enhance sustainable forest management and the multifunctional role of 
forests, including through biodiversity measures and a European Forest Monitoring system. 

Political  agreement  was  reached  in  the  Council  on  the  future  Marine  Strategy  Directive, 
which will allow the EU to restore the ecological health of its oceans and seas. 

The Commission adopted a Thematic Strategy on Soil Protection, including a proposal for a 
Framework  Directive16  setting  a  common  EU  framework  for  action  to  preserve,  protect  and 
restore rapidly deteriorating soils. It leaves Member States flexibility to implement it in a way 
which fits local situations best. 

The  2nd  Global  Biodiversity  Outlook  is  a  first  thorough  assessment,  and  shows  that 
biodiversity  loss  continues  apace,  according  to  trends  in  nearly  all  the  Convention  on 
Biological Diversity (CBD) indicators, putting achievement of the Millennium Development 
Goals at risk. It concludes that the global 2010 target to significantly reduce the rate of loss is 
a considerable challenge and greater efforts are needed, although the decisions taken at the 8th 
Conference of the Parties in March provide solid guidance. 

The  Paris  Conference  on  "Integrating  biodiversity  into  European  development  cooperation" 
underlined the essential contribution of ecosystem services to human wellbeing, particularly 
for  the  poor,  and  established  that  conservation,  sustainable  use  of  and  equitable  sharing  of 
benefits from biodiversity are core development issues. 
The  3rd  meeting  under  the  Cartagena  Protocol  on  Biosafety  agreed  on  documentation  to 
identify  GMOs  in  international  shipments  of agricultural  commodities.  This  decision  makes 
the Protocol fully operational. 

To  combat  illegal  logging  and  related  trade,  the  EU  launched  negotiations  with  Malaysia, 
Indonesia  and  Ghana  for  the  first  series  of  bilateral  Voluntary  Partnership  Agreements  on 
Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). 

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COM(2006)216 
COM(2006)302 
COM(2006)231 

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New Findings 

•  Ecosystem  damage  in  the  EU  causes  severe  losses,  e.g.  forest  fires  in  Portugal  cause 

annual primary production losses of some €300 million. 17 

•  A  number  of  papers  highlighted  the  growing  threat  to  biodiversity  posed  by  climate 
change, e.g. in the form of mass extinctions of European plant species,18 and warned that 
evolution will not be able to prevent it.19 

•  Many European ecosystems and species continue to decline, but some species targeted by 
conservation  action  are  recovering.20  The  growth  of  artificial  surfaces  along  Europe's 
coasts is damaging coastal ecosystems.21 

•  Human-dominated  marine  ecosystems  are  losing  populations  and  species  faster,  with 
largely unknown consequences.22 Several species of deep-sea fish have seriously declined 
over the past few decades due to fishing practices.23 

Outlook for 2007: 

•  The  Commission  will  finalise  the  Marine  Guidelines  for  the  implementation  of  Natura 

2000 in the marine environment. 

•  Under  the  CBD,  negotiations  will  continue  on  international  rules  on  access  to  genetic 

resources and benefit-sharing. 

•  The  14th  Conference  of  the  Parties  to  the  Convention  on  International  Trade  in 
Endangered Species will be used to consider the listing of new species for trade controls. 

•  The  Commission  will  present  additional  FLEGT  options  to  combat  illegal  logging  and 
keep  illegally  harvested  timber  off  the  EU  market  and  will  start  negotiating  bilateral 
Voluntary Partnership Agreements with more countries. 

•  The Commission will present a proposal for a common position on commercial whaling 
and will do more work on the feasibility of further legislation on trade in seal products. 

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IEEP (2006) Value of biodiversity 
Thuiller, W. et al. (2005) Climate change threats to plant diversity in Europe 
Parmesan, C. (2006) Ecological and evolutionary responses to recent climate change 
EEA report 5/2006 
EEA report 6/2006 
Science (2006) 314, 787-790 
UN (2006) The Impacts of Fishing on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems 

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Environment and health 

Highlights 

Good data is essential for good health protection policies. Under the 2004-2010 Environment 
and Health Action Plan, the Commission prepared launch of an EU pilot project on Human 
Biomonitoring  in  close  cooperation  with  Member  States.  The  Commission  reviewed  the 
information  and  monitoring  systems  in  place  and  presented  the  Environment  and  Health 
Information Review and Implementation Plan.24 Although methods for estimating impacts 
of the environment on human health require further development, the indications are that the 
known impact of the environment on health is limited in the context of European public health 
as a whole. 

Every  year  370 000  people  in  Europe  die  prematurely  from  diseases  linked  to  air  pollution. 
The Commission is therefore preparing to revise the National Emission Ceilings Directive, 
setting ceilings to apply from 2020 for the four substances already regulated, and possibly for 
primary emissions of PM2.5 too. In 2006 negotiations continued with Council and Parliament 
on the proposed Air Quality Framework Directive. 

The  regulatory  restructuring  of  water  legislation  was  further  completed  by  adoption  of  the 
new Bathing Water and Groundwater Directives. 

The  Commission  adopted  a  Thematic  Strategy  on  the  Sustainable  Use  of  Pesticides,25 
focusing on plant protection products, which may be extended to biocides. Measures include 
national action plans, training, and bans or limits on the use of pesticides in specific areas. 

Under the Mercury Strategy, the Commission adopted proposals for a Directive26 restricting 
the use of mercury in certain devices and for a Regulation27 on the banning of exports from 
the EU and safe storage of mercury. 

New Findings 

•  In  the  Netherlands,  rough  estimates  indicate  that  2-5%  of  all  diseases  may  be  due  to  air 
pollution, noise, radon, total natural UV, and dampness in houses. This percentage would 
increase if the more uncertain effects of PM exposure were included.28 

•  Nanotechnologies  are  expected  to  boost  innovation  and  competitiveness  and  may  offer 
novel solutions to environmental problems, nevertheless it is important that any potential 
environmental  and  health  impacts  arising  from  the  use  of  nanomaterials  are  understood, 
assessed and managed. 

Outlook for 2007: 

•  REACH enters into force, and the Commission will be helping with implementation and 

preparing the start of the EU Chemicals Agency. 

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SEC(2006)1461 
COM(2006)327 
COM(2006)69 
COM(2006)636 
RIVM (2005)  

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•  The Commission will present a mid-term review of the Environment and Health Action 

Plan. 

•  The  Commission  will  present  a  new  proposal  to  revise  the  National  Emission  Ceilings 
Directive  and  review  existing  legislation  on  industrial  emissions.  A  Community 
Implementation Plan on Persistent Organic Pollutants will also be presented. 

•  The  Commission  will  present  a  proposal  to  revise  the  Directive  on  the  protection  of 
laboratory  animals  to  update  animal  protection  and  establish  a  level  playing-field  for 
industry and researchers. 

•  The EU will pursue an international binding agreement on further international action on 

mercury within the UNEP framework. 

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Resource use 

Highlights 

Resources are the backbone of the economy, but increasing global demand puts ever greater 
pressure on the environment. Improving resource efficiency and making our production and 
consumption  patterns  more  sustainable  will  deliver  environmental  benefits  while  improving 
our economic performance and competitiveness. 

The Commission made progress implementing the Thematic Strategy for Sustainable Use 
of  Natural  Resources  by  initiating  the  European  Environmental  Data  Centre  on  natural 
resources, an International Panel to provide scientific advice and a High Level Forum to guide 
the development of national measures. 

In  June  the  Environment  Council  supported  the  long-term  vision  of  the  Thematic  Strategy 
on  Waste  Prevention  and  Recycling  to  become  a  “European  recycling  society”.  Key 
elements of the Strategy are embodied in the Commission proposal for a Directive on waste, 
notably the life-cycle approach and proposals to put waste prevention policies into effect and 
work  towards  common  recycling  standards.  The  proposal  is  currently  being  discussed  in 
Council and Parliament. Further measures to implement the Strategy are a Communication on 
industrial by-products and waste, the preparation of criteria for when specific waste flows are 
recycled and stop being waste, and improvement of the knowledge base. 

The  RoHS  (Restriction  of  the  use  of  certain  Hazardous  Substances)  and  WEEE  (Waste 
Electrical  and  Electronic  Equipment)  Directives  are  designed  to  tackle  the  fast-growing 
stream of waste electrical an electronic equipment. WEEE tackles the management of waste 
by  setting  targets  for  separate  collection,  recovery  and  recycling.  RoHS  requires  the 
substitution of some  hazardous  substances in new  equipment  put  on  the  market  after  1  July 
2006. The Directive on End-of-Life Vehicles and the Packaging Directive contain a similar 
heavy  metal  ban.  A  new  Battery  Directive  has  been  adopted  that  bans  mercury  in  all 
batteries, and cadmium in most portable ones. 

The  unsafe  dismantling  of  ships  is  globally  a  pressing  environmental,  economic  and  social 
issue. Often ships are dismantled on beaches in Asia under poor conditions where workers are 
killed or injured by accidents or are exposed to toxic substances. Water and soil pollution in 
these coastal areas affects natural habitats and fishing grounds. The Commission has started to 
develop  an  EU  Strategy  for  Ship  Dismantling  that  focuses  on  safety  and  care  for  the 
environment. 

New Findings 

•  The criminal dumping of hazardous waste in the Ivory Coast in 2006 showed that several 
Member States are not properly enforcing EU waste shipment rules, especially in seaports. 
During 2005, inspections showed high rates of illegal waste shipments, sometimes as high 
as 48%. 

•  The food and drink, private transport, and housing sectors together account for 70–80% of 

the environmental impact of consumption from cradle to grave.29 

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IPTS (2006) Environmental Impact of Products 

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Outlook for 2007 

The Commission will: 

•  draw  up  a  Green  Paper  towards  an  Action  Plan  on  Sustainable  Consumption  and 
Production, building on instruments such as integrated product policy and including eco-
label, environmental management schemes, resource and waste policies, and innovation. 

•  develop  measures  on  greening  of  industrial  policy  drawing  on  elements  such  as  the 
internal  market,  EuP-Directive,  lead  markets  and  other  support  for  eco-innovation  and 
international cooperation. 

•  propose  voluntary  EU-wide  targets  for  Green  Public  Procurement  and  give  further 

guidance to the Member States on their national action plans. 

•  report  on  implementation  of  the  Environmental  Technologies  Action  Plan  (ETAP), 

covering first results of cooperation with Member States. 

•  support  the  take-up  of  environmental  technologies  and  eco-innovation  through  the  EU 
Competitiveness  and  Innovation  Framework  Programme  and  the  7th  Framework 
Programme for Research, Technological development and Demonstration activities. 

•  launch  initiatives  to  reinforce  implementation  of  the  waste  shipment  regulation  and  the 

Directive on port reception facilities, including legislative proposals where needed. 

•  present a Green Paper on Ship Dismantling. 

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ENVIRONMENT POLICY AND BETTER REGULATION 

Highlights 

Using better regulation for better implementation and environmental results 

Environment policy has already delivered good environmental results, but more effective and 
easier implementation will make them even better. An important aspect of better regulation is 
to ensure that the administrative requirements to  provide information imposed in legislation 
are proportionate to what is necessary for proper enforcement. 

While the administrative costs of environment legislation represent only a small fraction of all 
the benefits that arise from it, unnecessary costs hinder good implementation and need to be 
tackled. 

in  EU 
Therefore, 
environmental policy-making, aiming to improve the design of existing and future legislation. 

to  apply  better  regulation  principles 

the  Commission  continues 

Simplification 

In  2006  the  Commission  continued  reviewing  legislation  such  as  the  RoHS,  WEEE  and 
IPPC (Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control) Directives as part of the Simplification 
Rolling Programme.30 Part of the new programme31 is the proposal for revision of the Waste 
Framework Directive32. Its adoption would merge three existing Directives and clarify some 
key, but poorly implemented, legislation. 

The  Commission  proposed  a  Directive  to  protect  surface  water33  from  pollution  -  setting 
limits  for  41  dangerous  substances  –  which  repeals  five  Directives  and  removes  reporting 
requirements.  It  also  started  detailed  reviews  to  simplify  and  improve  the  EMAS  (EU  Eco-
Management and Auditing System) and Ecolabel (product) schemes by exploring links with 
other legislation and making them more attractive to smaller firms. 

The  REACH  legislation  (Registration,  Evaluation  and  Authorisation  of  Chemicals)  was 
adopted in December 2006. It will replace 40 existing legal acts, create a single system for all 
chemical substances, and introduce a new Chemicals Agency. 

Designing new policies 

Environment  policy  has  pioneered  many  ways  of  designing  effective  and  cost-efficient  new 
policies  that  have  now  become  standard  practice.  One  example  is  impact  assessment;  the 
Commission  is  required  to  assess  the  economic,  social  and  environmental  impacts  of  all  its 
major  policy  proposals. Environment  policy  produced  more  than  20  Impact  Assessments  – 
around an eighth of the Commission's total. 

The impact assessment process improves the selection of policy instruments. For instance, the 
Directive  establishing  an  EU  INfrastructure  for  Spatial  InfoRmation  (INSPIRE),  on  which 

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COM(2005)535 
COM(2006)690 
COM(2005)667 
COM(2006)397 

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political agreement was reached in 2006, was based on an option that delivered broadly the 
same  benefits  but  was  25%  cheaper  than  the  initial  option  considered.  The  new  Impact 
Assessment  Board  set  up  by  the  Commission  controls  the  quality  of  its  draft  impact 
assessments. 

Application of legislation 

The  environment  can  only  be  well  protected  if  Member  States  implement  the  legislation 
properly. At the end of 2006, there were 420 infringement cases on environment legislation. 
The  Commission  continues  to  improve  the  handling  of  these  cases.  The  Commission  also 
works  closely  with  stakeholders  to  identify  possible  difficulties,  e.g.  in  2006  with  the 
REACH regulation. Similar efforts were made with the Environmental Liability Directive 
and the Water Framework Directive, where cross-border issues make a common approach 
essential. Also the GreenEnforce informal network of nature and forestry practitioners was 
set up to strengthen dialogue on implementation. 

New Findings 

•  Some  studies  show  that,  for  cases  analysed,  the  costs  of  EU  environment  legislation  are 
often  overestimated  compared  to  the  costs  actually  incurred,  most  likely  because  of 
underestimation of the innovation induced by the policy and other factors.34  

•  Environment legislation imposes around 4% of the administrative costs to business of all 

legislation originating at local, national and international level.35 

•  EU  emission  standards  are  becoming  world  standards,  e.g.  more  than  3  billion  people  in 

Asia benefit from vehicles meeting EU vehicle emission standards.36 

•  The  European  car  fleet  is  2-3  times  more  fuel  efficient  than  the  US  car  fleet,  in  part 
technological 

taxes  which  have  supported 

important 

fuel 

because  of  higher 
improvements.37  

Outlook for 2007 

The Commission will: 

•  table  a  Communication  on  a  Shared  Environmental  Information  System,  linked  with 
INSPIRE.  The  system  will  ensure  availability  of  information  while  cutting  unnecessary 
reporting and monitoring. 

•  issue a Green Paper on market-based instruments for environment and energy related 
policy  purposes.  It  will  look  at  possible  elements  for  the  planned  review  of  the  Energy 
Taxation Directive and at options for further use of economic instruments in different areas 
of environmental policy38. 

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IVM (2006), DEFRA (2006)  
Estimate based on findings from DK, NL and UK, see also COM(2006)691 
International Council on Clean Transportation 
EEA report 1/2006 
COM(2007) 140 final 

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•  revise  Community  guidelines  on  State  aid  for  environmental  protection  to  adapt  the 
rules  to  challenges  in  environment  policy.  To  simplify  the  assessment  certain  less 
distortional  environmental  State  aid  could  be  included  in  the  revised  Block  Exemption 
Regulation. 

•  table  a  Compliance  Assistance  Programme  to  help  small  and  medium  enterprises  to 

comply with environmental requirements. 

•  present a Communication on the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive. 

•  together with the European Environment Agency launch the Water Information System 

for Europe to improve the availability and quality of water data. 

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CONCLUSIONS 

The Commission strives continuously to improve the way environment policy is designed and 
implemented.  The  policies  are  now  largely  in  place  and  suitable  for  a  more  streamlined 
regulatory approach, while maintaining a high level of protection. 

Climate change is at the top of the political agenda. The Commission will further develop its 
proposals  to  transform  the  EU  into  a  low-carbon  economy  and  achieve  longer-term  CO2 
reduction  targets  within  the  EU  and  globally.  But  even  if  emissions  are  reduced,  the  likely 
effects  of  climate  change  must  be  anticipated  and  actions  taken  to  minimise  damage.  The 
Commission will therefore launch a debate on an EU adaptation policy. 

Curtailing  the  loss  of  biodiversity  is  also  a  top  priority.  Important  measures  have  been 
proposed, and  now need to be implemented. Internationally, particular emphasis will be put 
on sustainable forest management and fighting illegal logging and associated trade. 

Consumption  and  production  patterns  need  to  be  more  sustainable.  The  Commission  will 
propose  ways  of  promoting  energy  efficiency,  eco-design,  eco-innovation  and  clean 
technologies.  There  will  be  more  effort  to  improve  implementation  of  environmental 
legislation. 

Environment challenges now permeate all policy areas. Continuing attention should be paid to 
how sectoral policies interact with and impact on the environment. Ensuring an open global 
market for environmental technologies, investment and expertise is an example of how other 
policy  areas  can  contribute.  Working  with  our  international  partners  bilaterally  and  through 
multilateral  action  is  essential  to  preserve  our  common  resources  and  life  support  systems. 
Environment needs the commitment of us all. 

EN 

14 

   EN