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Environment policy: general principles and basic framework

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Summary

This article provides an overview of European environment policy, discussing its legal basis, general principles, basic framework, international environmental cooperation, environmental impact assessment and public participation, implementation, enforcement and monitoring, and the role of the European Parliament. It includes information on multiannual Environment Action Programmes, horizontal strategies, the European Green Deal, the precautionary principle, the polluter pays principle, the Aarhus Convention, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the biodiversity strategy, the farm to fork strategy, and international environmental agreements.

Q&As

What are the general principles of European environment policy?
The general principles of European environment policy are precaution, prevention and rectifying pollution at source, and the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

What is the legal basis for EU action in environment policy?
The legal basis for EU action in environment policy is Articles 11 and 191 to 193 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

How does the European Parliament play a role in shaping EU environmental law?
The European Parliament plays a major role in shaping EU environmental law by dealing with legislation deriving from the circular economy action plan, climate change issues, and more. It has also recognised the need for improved implementation as a key priority and has made several recommendations for a more efficient implementation.

What are the objectives of the 8th European Environment Action Programme?
The objectives of the 8th European Environment Action Programme are to achieve the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target and climate neutrality by 2050, enhance adaptive capacity and strengthen resilience to climate change, advance towards a regenerative growth model, pursue a zero-pollution ambition, protect, preserve and restore biodiversity, and reduce environmental and climate pressures related to production and consumption.

What are the main elements of the European Green Deal?
The main elements of the European Green Deal are to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world, integrate environmental concerns into other EU policy areas, focus EU policies on making Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world, and make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides an in-depth look at European environment policy, from its origins, to its legal basis, to its current strategies, and more. It's very informative!

👎 This article is incredibly long and dense, making it difficult to read and comprehend.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the European Union's environment policy. It talks about the legal basis, origins and development, general principles, basic framework, implementation, enforcement and monitoring, and the role of the European Parliament.

Friend: Wow, that's really interesting. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, the article shows the importance of the European Union's environment policy and its commitment to protecting the environment through the principles of precaution, prevention and rectifying pollution at source. It also shows how the European Parliament plays a major role in shaping EU environmental law, and how the European Green Deal is the main driver of the EU's economic growth strategy. Additionally, the article outlines the need for improved implementation of environmental law in the Member States, as well as the importance of monitoring the state of the environment and the level of implementation of EU environmental law.

Action items

Research the European Green Deal and the European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy to understand their goals and objectives.
Learn more about the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Research the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) to understand how it monitors and reports on pollutants released into the environment.

Technical terms

Precautionary Principle: A risk management tool that may be invoked when there is scientific uncertainty about a suspected risk to human health or to the environment emanating from a certain action or policy.
Polluter Pays Principle: A principle that requires the costs of pollution to be borne by those who cause it.
Codecision Procedure: A legislative procedure in the European Union in which the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union must both agree on proposed legislation before it can become law.
Subsidiarity: A principle of European Union law that the EU should take action only if and insofar as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States.
Qualified Majority Voting: A voting system used by the Council of the European Union to adopt legislative acts.
Multiannual Environmental Action Programmes: A series of programmes set out by the European Commission to set out forthcoming legislative proposals and goals for EU environment policy.
Environmental Impact Assessment: A process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposed action before it is taken.
Strategic Environmental Assessment: A process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposed plan or programme before it is taken.
Aarhus Convention: A multilateral environmental agreement under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) which guarantees three rights to the public: public participation in environmental decision-making, access to environmental information held by public authorities, and the right of access to justice where the other two rights have been disregarded.
European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register: A register that provides key environmental data from more than 30,000 industrial facilities in the EU.