Environment: implementation of the Community law, minimal criteria for inspections

The committee adopted the recommendation for second reading (codecision procedure) by Caroline JACKSON (EPP/ED, UK) amending the Council's common position. The committee reinstated Parliament's main demand at first reading, namely, that the instrument governing environmental inspections should be a directive rather than a recommendation. It argued that the adoption of a directive would mean that Member States would be under a legal obligation to set up such inspection systems and not merely to think about doing so. Financial penalties could also be imposed where necessary. The committee felt that it would be undesirable for the EU to enlarge without having on the statute book a clear legal definition via a directive of what national environmental inspectorates are required to do in order to enforce EU law. Most of the other amendments were designed to adapt the text so that it had the binding force of a directive. One amendment also sought to encourage the coordination of inspections and inspection services between the Member States in order to avoid "environmental dumping". �