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The Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community 2002-2012
The Global Assessment
The Global Assessment COM(1999) 543 is an overall review of the results of 5th Environment Action Programme. The report concludes that further efforts need to be undertaken in integrating environmental objectives into other policy areas and that stakeholders and citizens have to become more involved. The Global Assessment is available in pdf format by clicking the language icons below; ~120K, except el ~2,000K).
The Global Assessment was prepared at the time of the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty, which has put sustainable development and integration of environment into other policies at the core of the missions of the EU. It was intended to provide a platform for debating and preparing a strategy for improving Europe’s environment during next decade, including the preparations of a new environment action programme.
The Global Assessment is also a direct response to the European Parliament and Council’s request in the review of the Fifth Environment Action Programme (available in pdf format by clicking the language icons below; ~90K):
"At the end of the Programme, the Commission will submit to the European Parliament and the Council a global assessment of the implementation of the Programme, giving special attention to any revision and updating of objectives and priorities which may be required, and accompanied, where appropriate, by proposals for the priority objectives and measures that will be necessary beyond the year 2000." (Article 1)
As a follow up to the Commission’s strategy on integration, the Vienna European Council in December 1998 concluded that:
"The European Council will review overall progress on integrating environment and sustainable development at its meeting in Helsinki in order to link the sectoral strategies developed by the various formations of the Council; a co-ordinated report on indicators presented by the Commission and the global assessment of the 5th Environment Action Programme." (Article 61)
The Global Assessment was based on a large number of consultations with stakeholders. The Commission adopted it on 24 November 1999 and presented it to the Helsinki Summit in December 1999 together with a report on integration and a report on indicators for an overall review of progress on integrating environment and sustainable development in Europe.
A supporting document, "Key developments in the implementation of the 5th Environment Action Programme" (pdf ~260K), describes the main achievements of the past few years in relation to the key objectives and targets in the 5EAP and its review.
At the Helsinki European Council the Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable development and to integration as the key means to achieve it. They requested proposals for a new environment action programme and a EU strategy for sustainable development:
The European Council takes note of the Global Assessment of the 5th Environmental Action Programme and the Report on Environmental and Integration Indicators presented by the Commission and invites the Commission to prepare by the end of 2000 a proposal for the 6th Environmental Action Programme.
The Commission is invited to prepare a proposal for a long-term strategy dovetailing policies for economically, socially and ecologically sustainable development to be presented to the European Council in June 2001. This strategy will also serve as a Community input for the ten year review of the Rio Process scheduled for 2002 (articles 49-50).
The Communication is based on substantial consultations with key stakeholders and key policy areas on European level. The text has taken into account stakeholders’ responses to a questionnaire in late 1998 and the substantial discussion at a two-day conference in early February 1999: