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Resolution on the EU environmental implementation review (EIR)

2017/2705(RSP)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety on the European Union Environmental Implementation Review (EIR).

Members recalled that the weak and defective implementation of strong EU environmental legislation is a long-standing problem, and that these implementation gaps threaten sustainable development, have adverse trans-boundary impacts on the environment and human health and entail important socio-economic costs.

Importance and context of EIR: Parliament welcomed the Commission’s initiative to introduce an EIR. It called for a more proactive role to be played by the Commission in monitoring the implementation of environmental legislation and policy, and act decisively in cases of breach.

The Commission was invited to ensure that the EIR covers in future important areas such as climate change, energy efficiency measures and energy savings and chemicals and industrial emissions, as well as key issues such as hormone and medicine residues in waste water, surface water and groundwater and their effects on drinking water, human health, biodiversity and the (aquatic) environment.

In addition, a closer link between the EIR and the European Semester would be beneficial to the coherence of the Union's action.

Improving legislation: the resolution stressed that the implementation of environmental legislation could be improved by better integrating it into other policy areas as well as through the systematic application of the precautionary principle.

Parliament called for:

  • addressing the lack of administrative capacity and governance through the establishment of partnerships between public authorities;
  • using market instruments by the Member States, including a fiscal policy based on the polluter pays principle;
  • improving the exchange of good practices and peer review;
  • informing the public and raising their awareness, increasing the participation of civil society and strengthening public mobilisation and education in environmental policy;
  • bolstering compliance assurance, including by means of improving and stepping up efforts in implementing the Environmental Liability Directive;
  • putting forward a new legislative proposal on minimum standards for access to judicial review, and proposing the revision of the Aarhus Regulation implementing the Convention in relation to Union action;
  • ensuring that the Commission, the competent authorities in the Member States and the relevant stakeholders participate fully in the EIR;
  • improving data collection and availability of information, dissemination of good practice and participation of citizens and local authorities.

Lastly, Parliament urged that the issue of implementation should feature as a recurring item in trio-presidency priorities and programmes, that it be discussed at the Environment Council at least once a year, perhaps through dedicated Implementation Council.