EU environment legislation 'slow or incomplete', says review 

The review outlines a number of successes, including the implementation of the REACH legislation on chemicals, the biggest piece of legislation the EU has ever undertaken, and the establishment of a European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). 

Furthermore, an Environmental Liability Directive, designed to prevent significant environmental damage and to address the question of payment and responsibility in the event of serious industrial accident, was adopted in April 2007 (EurActiv 30/04/07). 

The Commission also praised the ambition of the energy and climate change package, which aims to turn the EU into a low-carbon economy (see our LinksDossier) and was endorsed by the Council in March 2007. It has now been transformed into policy proposals by the EU executive. 

The Commission further welcomed the fact that its LIFE+ financial instrument to support environmental and nature conservation projects in the EU and in some accession countries was given an increased budget of some €2.14 billion for the 2007-2013 period. 

However, it expressed concern that the EU target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010 may not be achieved, saying further efforts to step up full implementation of its Biodiversity Action Plan would be taken. 

The slow take-up by national governments of measures taken at EU level is a strong source of concern in other areas too, with Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas lamenting that the "implementation of EU environment legislation is lagging behind". 

To address this implementation issue, the Commission has notably proposed to update a 1996 law on industrial pollution (EurActiv 08/01/08). The aim is to ensure that existing rules on industrial emissions are better complied with after a review revealed that only 50% of industrial installations in the EU complied with existing legislation. 

Alluding to the end-of-term changeover in the Commission and Parliament next year, he called for governments to "take advantage of the relatively light legislative calendar in 2009 to advance on these issues".

Highlighting the pressures of growing populations and consequent growing demands of consumption, the review calls for a "cleaner, leaner and smarter" economy. The Commission will put forward an Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy to tackle the issues that have not yet been addressed.