EC’s 7th EAP: lots of green air, but no action
The European Commission's proposal for the seventh environmental action programme (7th EAP) to 2020, which is titled "Living well, within the limits of our planet" and was announced on 29 November, sets out nine objectives:
a) to protect, conserve and enhance the Union’s natural capital;
b) to turn the Union into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy;
c) to safeguard the Union's citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and wellbeing;
d) to maximise the benefits of the Union's environment legislation;
e) to improve the evidence base for environment policy;
f) to secure investment for environment and climate policy and get the prices right;
g) to improve environmental integration and policy coherence;
h) to enhance the sustainability of the Union's cities;
i) to increase the Union’s effectiveness in confronting regional and global environmental challenges.
According to the EC, “[t]he Programme sets out a framework to support the achievement of these objectives through, inter alia, better implementation of EU environment law, state of the art science, securing the necessary investments in support of environment and climate change policy, and improving the way that environmental concerns and requirements are reflected in other policies.”
The Commission’s proposal was received with scepticism from environmental NGOs, particularly as it replaces the 6th EAP, which failed to achieve many of its objectives. According to WWF’s European Policy Office, “WWF has analysed this proposal and is unsatisfied as it mainly repeats previous commitments rather than setting a clear roadmap with targets and timetables to reach by 2020 as requested by the Environment Council.”
Sources: Commission’s proposal, WWF EPO