| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2017) 63 final (03.02.17) |
| Publication Date | 03/02/2017 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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More than 75% of European citizens find EU environmental legislation necessary for protecting the environment in their country, and nearly 80% agree that the EU institutions should be able to check that environmental legislation is being applied correctly in their country. The EU's environmental policy and legislation bring undeniable benefits: they protect, preserve and improve the environment for present and future generations, and preserve the quality of life of EU citizens. Weak implementation generates high societal, economic and environmental costs and it creates an uneven playing field for businesses. The importance of the correct implementation of the EU's environmental acquis is also reflected in the Seventh Environmental Action Programme. In May 2016, the Commission launched the Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), a two-year cycle of analysis and dialogue to improve the implementation of existing EU environmental policy and legislation. The EIR complements ongoing implementation efforts such as ensuring compliance and infringement procedures. It offers a coherent framework to tackle common implementation challenges and will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This Communication is accompanied by an Annex and 28 EIR country reports [listed below]. These describe the main challenges and opportunities on environmental implementation for each Member State, based on the distance between the EU legal obligations and policy agreements and the reality on the ground. The factual information included in the reports has been verified with the Member States. The Communication also identifies challenges that are common to several Member States and provides preliminary findings on possible root causes of implementation gaps. Addressing these challenges will help remove obstacles to implementation, focus investments, reduce the number of legal procedures against Member States, create green jobs and, most of all, contribute to a better quality of life. Tackling structural challenges requires a holistic approach across sectors, beyond the environmental policy community, through technical cooperation but also political involvement. The EIR offers a new opportunity to raise attention to the remaining environmental implementation gaps among all key national and local players as well as among the Council, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee. Country Reports Austria |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2017:063:FIN |
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| Subject Categories | Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
