Environment committee firm on marine strategy law

2404, 09/10/07

Member states must ensure their seas meet legally binding "good environmental status" criteria by 2017, the European parliament's environment committee said on Tuesday. The second reading vote on an EU framework marine environment directive defies ministerial insistence on a non-binding aspirational goal by 2021 (EED 18/12/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22284).

MEPs backed anew many suggestions from their first reading to substantially strengthen the directive. They called for a network of marine protected areas to be set up by 2012 and for the Baltic Sea to be a pilot area for implementing the new directive.

Member states that share marine zones must develop regional action plans to tackle pollution, they said, and the European commission should have more power to scrutinise the measures proposed (EED 15/11/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22051). In their amendments MEPs did reflect member state concerns that measures to tackle marine pollution should be subject to a cost-benefit analysis.

Greenpeace accused the committee of succumbing to industry pressure by scrapping references in the definition of "good environmental status" to halting oil releases from drilling platforms and eliminating pollution from shipping.

Follow-up: European parliament environment committee http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm, tel: +32 2 284 2111, plus Greenpeace reaction http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/press-centre/press-releases2/EP-ENVI-vote-071009.

 ENDS Europe Daily is Europe's leading environmental news service. A free trial is available by clicking on the following link:http://www.endseuropedaily.com/web/helcom.