Brussels, 29/1/03) Eight European organisations have sent President
Prodi a letter yesterday highlighting a number of serious concerns they
have with proposals produced inside the Commission for the new EU
Constitution. They in particular reacted to the Working Document of
Commission Services published on the 4th December, also
referred to a the Penelope Document.
The eight organisations include the European Environmental Bureau (EEB),
Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of Nature
International, the European Federation for Transport and Environment,
BirdLife International and Climate Network Europe.
They summarized their concerns as follows:
- "We are alarmed by the potential deterioration of the
requirement of "environmental policy integration" in your
proposals as compared with the current European Community Treaty.
- We are concerned about the determination of environmental policy
as "flanking policy". We fear this might lead to a serious
weakening of the EU role in environmental protection.
- We are also concerned about the disappearance of the objective of
"improving the quality of the environment" in different
places.
- We insist there should be no weakening whatsoever of the
sustainable development concept as compared with the current
Community Treaty.
- We applaud the attempt to reformulate the agriculture chapter but
we are deeply disappointed that this appeared to be the only
sectoral policy where integration of environmental, public health
and nature interests appears.
- Also in its external policies, the EU should take sustainable
development as it main objective, and explicitly include the concept
of solidarity in its policies. We are very much concerned with the
disappearance of the "coherence" requirement for external
policies.
- We are positive about the Commission’s intentions to make the
decision making procedures in the EU more consistent and
transparent, strengthening the role of the European Parliament, but
reject the too powerful role of the Commission in the proposals.
- We are disappointed however, about the lack of clear proposals on
"participatory democracy.
- And we insist on the dismantling of the Euratom Treaty, and reduce
the role of the EU related to nuclear energy to essential tasks
related to health and environment."
Further Contacts: John Hontelez, Secretary General EEB, tel.
02-289.1090
Hontelez@eeb.org
The letter to the Commission can be downloaded here: Letter
