The European Environment Agency looks forward to a fruitful year
The European Environment Agency (EEA) looks forward to making further progress this year under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, which has put environment and better sustainable development (together with employment and enlargement) at the centre of its priorities for the first time, according to EEA Executive Director Mr Jiménez-Beltrán. In a New Year message the EEA boss outlines the areas where the agency made most progress last year. These include: the consolidation of a routine reporting system; restructuring the EEA Internet site for the reference centre; and developments in data and information processing, resulting in the improvement of EIONET (the European information and observation network). In addition, the agency achieved formal agreement on the extension of its remit to cover the 13 EU applicant countries. 'This will extend the number of member countries of the agency and consolidate the agency's pan-European vocation,' reports Mr Jiménez-Beltrán.'[...] 2001 will be full of challenges for the environmental (and sustainable development) policies and for the information to support development and efficient implementation,' he continues. 'The Stockholm summit in March will take stock of the EU progress in the social and economic dimension of (sustainable) development on the basis of the first trial of the so-called 'structural indicator' package or criteria of socio-economic convergence, or scoreboard; and the June Gothenburg summit, devoted to sustainable development as Göran Persson has confirmed, will review progress on integration/sustainability of 11 [...] sectoral policies and deal with EC proposals for EU sustainable development strategy including monitoring mechanisms.' In addition, Mr Jiménez-Beltrán predicts the European Commission will present the environmental pillar of sustainable development under the Sixth environmental action programme to the Council and the European Parliament early this year in time to be agreed before the Gothenburg summit.' 'The policy prospects are good for 2001,' concludes Mr Jiménez-Beltrán. 'It looks like 2001 will be the year for major things to happen.'