Member States' failure to implement environmental legislation is costing the EU around €50bn each year in health and environmental clean-up costs, the European Commission stated in a recent Communication.
The Communication on better implementation of EU environmental law seeks to emphasise the benefits of green laws, stating that fully implementing EU legislation would not only cost industry €72bn less than ignoring the rules, but also generate an additional 400,000 jobs.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said, "EU law is not an invention from Brussels; it is democratically adopted by all Member States and the Parliament for the benefit of citizens. Our environment is protected by some 200 pieces of well established law, but all too often they are not properly applied. This doesn't just harm the environment - it also damages human health, leads to uncertainty for industry, and undermines the Single Market. In a time of crisis, these are costs we cannot afford."
The Commission goes on to say poor implementation is often exacerbated by a lack of accurate information on environmental issues and patchy monitoring efforts. It suggests Member States can improve the effectiveness of their response to actual or potential problems by stepping up inspections and surveillance, allowing greater access to justice in environmental matters, and building knowledge sharing between countries and agencies.
The communication will now be passed over to the European Parliament, Member State ministers and the public, with the outcomes forming part of the forthcoming 7th Environment Action Programme.
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