Content:
(1) The effect of EU enlargement on the environment (overview by Martin Rocholl, Director Friends of the Earth Europe)
(2) Case study Czech Republic: what will the EU membership mean to our air, water and countryside (by Hnuti Duha, FoE Czech Republic)? |
(1) The effect of EU enlargement on the environment
EU environmental legislation will improve the environment
Every year several tens of thousands of people die a premature death in the accession countries because of air pollution, which had begun to reach catastrophic levels during the communist regimes. When the EU-legislation for clean air is fully implemented in these countries, at least 15.000 people less will die from air pollution every year according to an independent study commissioned by the European Commission(1). This is only one, of many possible examples, where stricter EU legislation in the new member states will lead to an improved environmental quality. EU legislation will also lead to better drinking water quality, cleaner rivers and bathing waters and improved waste management.
Implementation must not be delayed
However environmentalists will not be able to lean back and relax. One problem results from the transition periods, which the accession countries were granted for the implementation and enforcement of the EU environmental legislation. While partly justified (because implementation will need large investments over many years), environmental organisations will have to watch carefully that these adjustment periods are not misused - to gain short term economic advantages, by delaying the implementation of urgently needed environmental measures. Equally dangerous, is the argumentation that the EU will need a pause in passing new environmental legislation, until the accession countries have caught up. Worst still, some even argue that one should replace binding legislation altogether with voluntary agreements. Considering the urgent problems of toxic chemicals or climate change - to name just 2 examples - such an approach would be totally unacceptable and would lead to large scale environmental destruction, endanger the health of Europe's citizens and prevent urgently needed innovation. Fast implementation of the EU environmental legislation also makes economic sense. Studies estimate that the reduction of air and water pollution result in considerable economic benefits because billions of costs - for example for health-care or clean up - are avoided. Since pollution is crossing borders, old member states will benefit largely as well.(2)
EU policies are not sustainable
Another problem results from the fact that the current EU environmental legislation is still very classical, with emission limits and end-of-pipe technology. An overarching environmental policy that integrates environmental concerns into all policies from the beginning is still in its very early stages. The enlargement will put a spotlight on these deficiencies.
Transport: While most of the cars in the new member states will soon have a catalyser and obey strict emission limits, road traffic will increase enormously. This is because the EU lacks a sustainable transport policy, which tries to reduce unnecessary transport and promote public transport. In the end, this might lead to more air pollution and environmental destruction, even though each car or truck is cleaner.
Waste: While waste management will improve, the total amount of household waste will increase drastically, because of the lack of a waste-prevention strategy.
Agriculture: While the EU accession will enable higher support for organic agriculture and other environmentally friendly farming practices in the new member states, the bulk of subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy together with market pressures, will lead to more chemical-spraying and fertilisation of fields. The EU will thus contribute to more air and water pollution from agriculture and a huge loss of farm wildlife.
Regional Policy: Structural and Cohesion Funds are another area of EU policy, which is not yet sustainable. Without further reform, billions of Euros will continue to be wasted in environmentally damaging projects. It will be key for the environment of the new members states, exactly how these enormous amounts of money are used: for further large-scale highway projects or public transport; for additional coal- or atomic power plants or for energy saving and energy efficiency.(3)
Democracy and participation of Civil Society
The development of the young democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and especially the participation of civil society in all decision making processes is another highly important subject – not only for the environment. As part of the monitoring activities on Pre-Accession Funds, FoE Slovakia was, for example, able to discover a case of corruption. The European Commission reacted promptly and withdrew the money. For Friends of the Earth, participation of civil society is a key element in our project "Billions for Sustainability?" which monitors and influences the use of EU funds, with the aim to make these funds most beneficial for people and the environment(4). In another project of Friends of the Earth Europe, aimed at making the implementation of the Common Agriculture Policy in the Accession Countries benefit people and the environment, a stronger influence of civil society on decision making of their national governments just as much as in Brussels is equally important(5).
Enlargement: a step backwards for EU environmental policy?
Representatives of the environmental organisations in Brussels are often asked, if the enlargement of the European Union will result in steps backwards for the environment. It is definitely too early to come to a conclusion now. Much will depend on who is going to be elected for the European parliament. In light of the difficult economic situation (in all EU-25 countries), one must fear that old fashion development models are coming up again which were abandoned many years ago as insufficient. More and more often we hear the false argument that first the economy must grow and afterwards one could look at the environment again. This would be a very costly and inefficient method, since it is much cheaper to consider the environment from the very beginning. A renewed, intense sustainability debate will be needed in the EU-25.
A welcome to the new member states
Environmentalist - just as all other European citizens - should welcome the new EU member states despite the potential problems and challenges. All in all, the chances are good that the environment in Europe will improve through enlargement. This will benefit all citizens. In addition, the accession countries are bringing an incredible gift to the European Union: large areas of well-preserved nature, beautiful landscape and high biodiversity
(many species already extinct in the EU-15). To make sure that this gift is valued and kept is to be the common task of the environmental organisations in all EU countries. This will need a forward-looking environmental policy, which influences all areas of EU politics. Friends of the Earth Europe, with member groups in almost all the old and new member states of the EU, will take up this challenge. Our experience with well-informed, open-minded and highly qualified and engaged representatives of environmental organisations in the accession countries makes us look with hope to the future.
Contact: Dr. Martin Rocholl, Director, Friends of the Earth Europe, Rue Blanche, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium,
Tel.: +32-2-542-0183, switchboard: -0180, Fax: +32-2-537-5596
E-mail: martin.rocholl@foeeurope.org
Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and fair societies and for the protection of the environment, unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.
For further analysis see: http://www.foeeurope.org/activities/accession/index.htm
(2) Czech Republic: what will the EU membership mean to our air,
water and countryside? (Case Study)
EU membership will both help and damage the Czech environment. We will see - and have already seen - clear progress in some areas such as laws that make our air and rivers cleaner. But EU membership will also mean more toxic pesticides in our agriculture and more lorries on our roads. Democracy will also suffer, as there will be more distant decision-making, but gains will be made at the same time from the comparatively more open governance of the EU. Whether we will prevent potential losses, depends on the future actions of policymakers in EU and member states.
The enlargement debate however, was a big failure of both the national and European political leaders. Instead of focusing on the 'big idea' of the European Union and its vision for our democracy and clean environment, they have limited the discussion on a boring technical debate about money and implementation of laws - extremely uninspiring for the general public.
Environmental gains
Green laws especially will gain from EU membership. The EU has been the key driver for progress in Czech environmental legislation over the past six or seven years. High environmental standards in, for example, air pollution and nature conservation will improve our health and quality of life. We can count on this trend continuing after membership.
- European air quality standards adopted into Czech legislation in 2001 will save between 1,000 and 2,200 lives every year in this country alone, an European Commission report estimates.(6)
- European nature conservation directives will strengthen the protection of some of the best gems of the Czech natural heritage, including peat bogs and the primeval forests of Sumava National Park, orchid meadows in
the White Carpathians
and remaining floodplain forests along some rivers, as well as vital populations of lynx, beaver, white-tailed eagle and other endangered species.
- EU water quality laws will prevent environmental damage equivalent to between - 1.6 and 2.5 billion, another Commission report has showed.(7)
- EU structural and cohesion funds might mean more money for renewable energy, waste recycling, cleaner rivers and similar green projects - if they are better spent than has been the case thus far.
Environmental loss
But along with gains there will be clear losses, however some of them could be checked if the EU changes its policies in transport, agriculture and other areas. They require urgent action from policymakers in both the current EU-15 member states and new accession countries.
- As a natural transit country in the middle of Europe, the Czech Republic can easily become another Austria, suffering from heavy pollution from criss-crossing lorries. The Commission estimates a rapid increase of lorry transit in the Czech Republic by 40 per cent after the accession.
- Also, via EU the Czech Republic will become more integrated into the global economy with resulting increase in long-distance transport, corporate power and unchecked trade.
- Pesticide consumption in the Czech Republic is relatively low compared to some EU-15 countries, but has steadily increased over the last ten years and is at the highest level now since 1992.(8) There are fears that outdated CAP subsidies will mean more money to spend for Czech farmers without much environmental constraints - this will lead to increased spending on pesticides and fertilisers.(9) This would mean that pesticide spraying would skyrocket once more.
- The EU may help to protect some Czech nature on paper, but in reality pay for its damage with taxpayer money. For example, a Commission official indicated that the EU might cover a substantial part of the costs of the Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal: a monstrous - 10 billion project which would destroy hundreds of kilometres of unique natural rivers and floodplain forests and meadows in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Poland and Germany. The EU will also finance - partly via the European Investment Bank - the controversial Prague-Dresden motorway across the Ceske Stredohori Protected Landscape Area (once described as "the most beautiful landscape in the world" by Alexander von Humboldt) and a Natura 2000 site in Krusne Hory (Erzgebirge).
Hnuti DUHA/Friends of the Earth Czech Republic.
For more information please visit http://www.hnutiduha.cz
For further analysis on enlargement and environment from the perspective of different FoEE campaigns (e.g. Trade, Environment and Sustainability) and from FoE groups from other
(1) The benefits of compliance with the environmental acquis, ECOTEC Research and Consulting, July 2001. (DGENV service contract B7-8110 / 2000/159960 / MAR / H1)
(2) The total economic benefit from implementing environmental legislation for the 10 new member states together is estimated between 8 and 40 billion Euro per year. In addition, old member states will benefit by approximately 6 billion Euro per year because of the reduction of trans-boundary pollution. (Source: The benefits of compliance with the environmental acquis, ECOTEC Research and Consulting, July 2001.)
(3) The energy consumption per capita in the accession countries is almost as high as in the EU-15, while the GDP is considerably lower. This shows the enormous potential for increasing energy efficiency.
(4) "Billions for Sustainability?" is a joint project of Friends of the Earth Europe and the CEE Bankwatch Network.
For more details see: http://www.foeeurope.org/activities/Enlargement/index.htm
(5) For more information on Friends of the Earth Europe's activities on agriculture and enlargement see: http://www.foeeurope.org/agriculture/index.htm
(6) ' The benefits of compliance with the environmental acquis for the candidate countries, Part B: Air quality directives', Ecotec for European Commission DG Environment, Birmingham/Brussels 2001
(7) ' The benefits of compliance with the environmental acquis for the candidate countries, Part C: Water quality directives', Ecotec for European Commission DG Environment, Birmingham/Brussels 2001
(8) State of the environment report 2002, Ministry of Environment, Prague 2003
(9) 'Agriculture and the environment in the EU accession countries: implications of applying the EU common agricultural policy. Environmental issue report No 37', European Environmental Agency, Copenhagen 2004
