Environment reports kept secret, says Ombudsman

Date: 22/03/01

THE EU's citizens' watchdog has attacked the European Commission for concealing independent reports on the environmental performance of member states.

Ombudsman Jacob Söderman upheld a complaint by green group Friends of the Earth after the Union executive refused to hand over the results of two environmental studies commissioned by the institution and carried out in the UK.

Full copies of the reports, concerning the UK's compliance with EU directives on waste and hazardous waste, were kept under wraps because the Commission said that to hand them out could prejudice subsequent infringement proceedings against the British government.

But Söderman this week dismissed that argument and told the Commission it must reconsider.

Friends of the Earth have welcomed the ruling. Peter Roderick, legal advisor for the group, said if the Commission keeps secret details of whether member states have broken EU law it makes it impossible to assess the institution's record as guardians of the treaties.

"The public needs to be able to see whether or not the Commission acts on the independent advice it gets," he said.

The EU citizens' watchdog has attacked the European Commission for concealing independent reports on the environmental performance of Member States.