Commission adopts working paper on integrating environmental concerns in policy decisions
EU policies need to integrate environmental considerations more effectively and the current system of Environment and Integration Indicators must be improved, says a working paper recently adopted by the European Commission. The report, 'From Cardiff to Helsinki and beyond' assesses the different sectoral Council's strategies for protecting the environment. It will contribute towards discussions at the forthcoming Environment Council in Helsinki this December, which will review overall progress on the integration of environmental concerns and sustainable development into Community policies. Work on the report began after the European Council met in Cardiff (June 1998) - and later in Vienna and Cologne. The Council asked the sectoral councils to report on how they take account of environmental objectives in their work. The report now concludes that these councils have made encouraging first steps but that further efforts are needed. Commenting on the working paper, the European Commissioner for Environment, Margot Wallström said: 'In the Commission we have established mechanisms for making sure that our proposals are good for the environment. We will soon review these mechanisms to see whether we can strengthen them. However, it is important that the other institutions and especially the Council consider what they can do to take account of environmental concerns across different policy areas. The present set of Council reports is only a first step and some are better than others. I hope that the Helsinki Summit will seriously consider the Council reports and give further guidance on how to move forward'.