While the ongoing difficulties in the eurozone and the new problems generated by the global economic and financial crises have dominated the headlines and the political agenda in recent years, environmental issues, such as climate change, the unsustainable use of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems, remain crucial. One cannot wait until the economic and financial crises are over before tackling these environmental challenges. These crises are mutually interlinked and therefore must be addressed at the same time. Since the economy and the environment go hand in hand, a stable future prosperity and renewed growth do not come without a green transition of the economy. Future growth has to be low-carbon and resource efficient if a prosperous world for current and future generations is to be secured.

The European Commission has recently published a proposal for a new Environment Action Programme (EAP) (COM (2012) 710), specifically aimed at ensuring that the European Union (EU) addresses the environmental challenges, while at the same time stimulating sustainable growth, creating new jobs and setting the EU on a path to becoming a better and healthier place to live in – all within the limits of the planet.

EAPs have guided the development of the EU environment policy since the early 1970s. They presented a systematic approach for tackling environmental problems, reflecting fundamental elements of contemporary thinking and problem perceptions. They have set ambitions and targets, identified priority areas of work and, progressively, also elaborated on the need to integrate environmental objectives and conditions into other policies.

Entitled, ‘Living well, within the limits of the planet’, the proposed programme – the seventh of its kind – will replace the sixth EAP which expired in July 2012, and is said to provide EU value-added by:

–        providing a strategic framework for environmental policy in the EU up to 2020;

–        ensuring complementarity and coherence;

–        ensuring predictability and a level playing field; and

–        stimulating action at all levels of governance.

The Commission identifies three thematic priority objectives on which the EU and its member states need to focus their efforts up to 2020:

–        protecting, conserving and enhancing the EU’s natural capital;

–        turning the EU into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy; and

–        safeguarding the Union’s citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and wellbeing.

But how will the EU get there? The thematic priorities are supported by an enabling framework with four further priority objectives which will:

–        promote better implementation of EU environmental law;

–        improve the scientific evidence base for environment;

–        secure the necessary investments in support of environment and climate change policy; and

–        improve the way environmental concerns and requirements are reflected in other policies.

Adding to these objectives, the programme also aims at:

–        enhancing the sustainability of EU cities; and

–        improving the EU’s effectiveness in confronting regional and global environmental challenges.

To give a clear direction and focus to the Programme, the Commission also sets out its long-term vision for the environment in 2050: “In 2050, we live well, within the planet’s ecological limits. Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed in ways that enhance our society’s resilience. Our low carbon growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a global sustainable economy.”

In the drafting process of this proposal, the Commission drew on the vast amount of work in this area and also considered input from the other EU institutions and a wide range of stakeholders at EU and national levels, including responses to a public consultation on the future programme launched by the Commission between 12 March and 1 June 2012. In this context, on 30 May 2012, the Malta-EU Steering & Action Committee (MEUSAC), together with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and the Ministry for Tourism, Culture and the Environment, organised a consultation session for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), business associations, constituted bodies and other interested parties in order to receive feedback from the Maltese stakeholders in the process of formulating the Maltese government’s position, in this regard. A pertinent point that came up from the discussion was the fact that EU policy should not attempt to harmonise everything; but should rather seek to create conditions for the attainment of common goals and the implementation of a common legislative framework with sufficient emphasis on mainstreaming environment into other policies and not only on the development of new legislation.

The Commission’s proposal will be considered through the ordinary legislative procedure by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Once agreed, the new EAP will come into force. Further information is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/index.htm

Francine Caruana is an executive on EU policy and legislation within Meusac