EU Environmental Policies and Priorities Related to Agenda 2000

Jesper Jörgensen, Principle Administrator, DG XI (Enlargement Unit)
European Commission, DG XI.A4.
200, rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
Email: jesper.jorgensen@dg11.cec.be

INTRODUCTION

For his presentation, Mr. Jörgensen summarised the EU's opinions on the required accession strategies for Central and East European countries in the environment field, especially the challenges faced in legal approximation and the harmonisation of institutions and infrastructure, priority setting and the associated costs. In particular, he drew upon "Agenda 2000" and the "Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the Candidate Countries in Central and Eastern Europe on Accession Strategies for Environment: Meeting the Challenge of Enlargement with the Candidate Countries in Central and Eastern Europe" (COM document (98) 294). The full text to these documents can be found under: http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg1a/agenda2000/ andhttp://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg11/docum/98294sm.htm and is briefly introduced below.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL APPROXIMATION PROCESS

In the forthcoming enlargement of the Union, the environmental dimension will present greater challenges than in any previous accession. This relates both to the sheer scale of past environmental liabilities and the gap in the level of environmental protection in Central and Eastern Europe compared with the situation in the EU. On the other hand, the candidate countries also possess vast areas of untouched nature which contribute considerably to biological diversity in the whole of Europe. To keep these assets and at the same time to develop and manage an economically and environmentally sustainable framework, is the major challenge ahead.

The cornerstone for such a framework is the environmental acquis of the European Union. However, as recognized in the Commission's Agenda 2000, full compliance with the environmental acquis will probably only be achievable in the long term for all candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Against this background, Agenda 2000 proposed that a special strategy for the adoption and implementation of the environmental acquis should be set up and combined with a reinforced Community pre-accession assistance strategy where investment for adoption of the environmental acquis is one of the priorities:

In partnership with the Union, realistic, national, long-term strategies for gradual effective alignment should be drawn up and start being implemented in all applicant countries before accession, in particular for tackling water and air pollution. These strategies should identify key priority areas and objectives to be fulfilled by the dates of accession as well as timetables for further full compliance; ensuing obligations should be incorporated in the accession treaties. All new investments should comply with the acquis.

Important domestic and foreign financial resources, in particular from the private sector, will have to be mobilised in support of these strategies. The Union will be able to make only a partial contribution. (See COM(97)2000 Vol 1 p.65)

This special strategy for the environmental approximation calls for special measures and consideration both in the candidate countries and in the Community. The aim of the Communication is to examine, in view of the indications in Agenda 2000 some of the practical considerations which the Commission believes that the candidate countries should take into account when further developing their national strategies for achieving full compliance with the environmental acquis. This examination does not prejudge the allocation of the future pre-accession facilities.

The Communication falls within the Union's reinforced pre-accession strategy. It aims to complement the Accession Partnerships, and to provide assistance to the candidate countries in the refinement of their National Programmes for the Adoption of the Acquis. It does not in any way prejudge the accession negotiations, or the scope and duration of any transitional arrangements that might be the result of these negotiations.

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