HOW EU IS WORKING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: 500 LAWS ALREADY IMPLEMENTED

NOVEMBER 17:

One of the many questions I often have is:

What has the EU done to improve the environment over the years?

It is evident that densely populated and highly industrialised countries like the member states of the European Union do not only have an interest in protecting the environment, but that they also will do something about it.  Programmes to protect the environment started in different countries at different times. And from the mid 1960ies joint initiatives were also taken at EU level. In 1967 it started with a directive on labelling of dangerous chemicals. But it was only from November 1973 that EU activities really started in this important area.  At that moment the first EU Action programme for protection of the environment was adopted and put into action.  It happened as a follow-up to the United Nations environment conference in Stockholm the year before. And it was during the first Danish EU presidency that the programme was adopted.

From 1987 protection of the environment was directly included in the EU Treaties – in the Single Act about creation of the single market.

The purpose of EU’s activities was described as follows:

  • Preservation, protecting and improving the quality of the environment
  • Protecting public health
  • Prudent and rational utilization of natural resources
  • Promoting measures at international level to deal with regional and worldwide environmental problems, in particular combating climate change.

Until now ( 2020 ) altogether 7 EU Action Programmes on Protection of the Environment have been adopted and implemented in the EU. The present one runs from 2014-20.  The result is that by now about 500 EU directives and regulations have been agreed.   This means that the European Union now has the highest standards in environmental protection in the world.

The EU Commission has in October 2020 presented a proposal for the 8th Action Programme on Environment.  It will run until 2030 and will be an important part of EU’s GREEN DEAL programme.

EU has also been in the forefront in the preparations of the UN Climate Agreement adopted in Paris a few years ago.

Though most of EU’s environmental protection has been done through legislation a number of support programme have also been put in place. Programmes which with financial means support activities promoting the priority actions of the EU.  One such programme is LIFE.  Another one is NATURA 2000,  in which about 26.000 areas of nature with special importance are interlinked in joint efforts to ensure their protection. They cover about 20 % of the total area of the EU.



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