European policy of sustainable development

The Political process of economic unification and of the Europe, which led in 1993 to the European Union, then in 2002, with the implementation of a economic Union and monetarist, with a common currency, the Euro, was accompanied, during the same time, of initiatives and measurements lawful, less spectacular, but not less important, on other sets of themes like the environment, or the Research and development, concerning directly with the Sustainable development.

This article proposes to release the great stages of this evolution towards a Sustainable development in the European Union.

History

See Some stakes on world sustainable development

Emergence of the environmental concerns in the Years 1970

One can date emergence from the environmental concern of the Années 1970, with both Oil crises of 1973 and 1979.

It is as during this time as the Sommet of the Earth of Stockholm of 1972 starts to make emerge formulas like that of Rene Dubos: “to think total, act local”.

It is also noted that it is in 1974 that an ecological candidate of sensitivity, Rene Dumont, presents himself for the first time to the presidential election in France. The creation of the first Department of the Environment in France goes back to January 1971.

Lastly, the curves of evolution of the ecological Empreinte provided by WWF make it possible to check a posteriori that it is well about the middle of the Années 1970 that the ecological Empreinte total of the Ground starts to exceed the biological capacity of our Planet to regenerate the Natural resources which the Humanité needs and until the future generations wait.

The European Single act - 1987

In 1987, one decides to accelerate the economic integration of the European Communities, by the European Single act. This one will take a whole of structuring decisions making it possible to unify the European Communities (the EEC, ECSC, Euratom), which will deeply impact the environmental policy of the Europe:

First of all, the Single act transfers from the Compétence S to the EEC in the three following fields:

environment,
the Research and development,
the foreign politics.

Then, it decides to institutionalize the meetings of the European Council, which will take place henceforth twice a year.

Treaty of Maastricht, the European Union - 1993: towards the Euro

The application of the Treated of Maastricht in 1993, resulted in to gather the actions of the European Union in three pillars. The implementation of a Single currency was done by the transition from the currency S main roads towards the Euro, starting from 1999, to succeed beginning 2002 with the economic Union and monetarist in the Euro area.

The stage of integration is important, because the environmental regulations start to appear in the EU law, which has a legal authenticity higher than that of the national laws of the Member States, under the terms of the Hiérarchie of the legal standards.

The environment appears in the septière considering of the Traité of Maastricht:

“GIVEN to promote economic progress and social their people, within the framework of the completion of the interior market and the reinforcement of cohesion and environmental protection, and to implement policies ensuring of parallel progress in economic integration and the other fields,”.

The Traité of Maastricht includes article 3 B mentioning the Principe of subsidiarity, while the Traité establishing the European Community (treated EC) includes this same principle in article 5. A more detailed protocol on this same principle was annexed to the Traité THIS, at the time of the signature of the Traité of Amsterdam in 1997.

Treated of Amsterdam - 1997

It is in the Traité of Amsterdam that the expression Sustainable development appears for the first time in a European treaty, in the seventh considering:

“GIVEN to promote economic progress and social their people, taking into account the principle of sustainable development and within the framework of the completion of the interior market, and the reinforcement of cohesion and environmental protection, and to implement policies ensuring of parallel progress in economic integration and the other fields,”

All the fields of the first Pilier of the European Union are very concerned by the objectives of Sustainable development. In this pillar, the Community Méthode applies, the decisions can be taken in the majority and either only unanimously.

The treaty of Amsterdam introduces article 16 into the Traité THIS, with the concept of Service of general economic interest. The concept of Service of general interest does not appear in the Traité THIS.

This treaty takes again the protocol on the principle of subsidiarity annexed to the Traité establishing the European Community the same year.

The Traité of Amsterdam was applied on January 1st 1999.

Strategy of Lisbon - 2000

In the continuation of the Single act and Treated of Maastricht, the Heads of State and European government decided in 2000, with the European Council of Lisbon, launching the European Union in a Stratégie of Société of information.

In December 2000, the Charter of the basic rights of the European Union, without constraining value on the legal level, mentions the principle of the Sustainable development (article 37 on environmental protection).

European Council of Gothenburg - 2001

It should be noticed that the following year, the European Council of Gothenburg (2001) confirmed this Stratégie while changing the name: one speaks rather about company of knowledge, or economy of knowledge.

It is a question moreover of integrating the objectives of Sustainable development in the Politique S of the Member States.

Implementation of the strategy

Data S necessary to piloting

The European directive 2003/98/CE of November 17th 2003 relates to the re-use of the Information S of the Public sector.

Some extracts of considering:

(3) The Digital contents plays a big role in this evolution

(4) The Public sector collects, produced, reproduces and diffuses a large range of information in a great number of fields, which it is about information social, economic, Géographique S, weather or tourist, of information on the companies, the Brevet S or teaching.

(5) It will be also essential to ensure a vast transborder geographic coverage.

Rights of exclusiveness: Considering N° 20 and article 11 mentions the right of exclusiveness, within the framework of Services of general economic interest (considering n° 20) or of Services of general interest (article 11).

Access to the directive 2003/98/CE:

On the site EUR/Lex

The Directive INSPIRES relates to the consistency of the Données geographical, in particular the Métadonnée S usable for the geographic coverage of the territory (see Dublin Core).

Decision-making process

The Sustainable development mainly relates to the first Pilier of the European Union, which functions according to the Community Méthode under the terms of the agreements signed since the Traité of Maastricht. The European commission thus has the monopoly of the Right to take initiatives.

It is estimated that the Community legislation accounts for approximately 60 to 70% of the new legislative texts in France. The Community legislation is essential compared to the National rights, under the terms of the principle of the Hiérarchie of the standards.

On the revision of the strategy decided with the European Council of June 2006:

See: Gate on the European strategy 2006 in favor of sustainable development

National strategies of sustainable development in the Member States

Each Member State is held to define a National strategy of sustainable development (SNDD).

In France , the Inter-ministerial committee for sustainable development (CIDD) is charged to define, to put in work this strategy, connection with a National council of sustainable development (CNDD), including/understanding representatives of the Civil society. In addition, each Ministère names a senior official of sustainable development (HFDD), charged to take care, in its field of Compétence, with the implementation of (SNDD).

This strategy is declined in the areas and all the Economic sectors or fields of action public (education,…).

Areas and municipalities

See: Gate areas and municipalities

Company S: Deliver green on the responsibility sociétale

Concerning the Undertaken S, the European commission published in July 2001 a green Book on the Responsabilité sociétale for the companies, giving a whole of guiding lines on the regulation to be applied by the companies in connection with the Sustainable development.

See: Gate undertaken

Environmental data

The European Agence of the environment implemented an environmental thesaurus of Donnée S for the development of the public policies: GEMET (EIONET).

On the data-processing level, this Thésaurus uses Métadonnée S. It is elaborate according to the guiding lines of the project MIReG (Management Information Resources for eGovernment), which aims to establish a Framework Métadonnée S for the Member States of the European Union.

See too

Chronology of the European Union
European Agency of the environment
socially responsible Environmental economics
Investment
General Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus

External bonds

European Gate devoted to sustainable development
green Book of the European commission on the eurocommerce
Financing of the European commission within the framework of the Sustainable development, following the partnership agreements between the European commission and the ACP Country (Agreement of Cotonou, 2000)
Ministry for Ecology, the Development and Installation durable (France)

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