Press Release: First Environment Policy Review highlights need to speed up reforms to better protect the environment and promote sustainable development

The European Commission adopted its first Environment Policy Review on 2 December 2003. The main purpose of the Review is to report on developments since 2001 and highlight current priority issues in the EU and national environmental policies. The Review emphasises the need to speed up the pace of reforms to improve the state of the environment in Europe and internationally. The key message is the necessity to achieve a decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures in line with sustainable development. The Review will become a central Commission instrument to regularly follow up and review EU environmental policy, address major implementation gaps and identify new policy challenges.