(24/10/06) EU-milieubudget (LIFE+): EP geeft geen blanco cheque aan lidstaten

• 2006-10-24

Vandaag heeft het EP een rapport goedgekeurd over LIFE+, het financieringsinstrument voor het EU-milieubeleid. Het EP wil niet - zoals de Raad - de lidstaten en regio's laten beslissen over de besteding van de bulk van deze middelen. Dan zou er geen Europese meerwaarde meer zijn. Nu al telt dit budget minder dan één procent van de totale EU-middelen.

Het EP heeft vandaag gekozen voor een coherente Europese aanpak van beleidsthema's als milieubescherming, biodiversiteit en klimaatverandering. Het EP stelt zich inschikkelijk op en wil dat het programma zo snel mogelijk kan starten.

EU environmental budget (LIFE+)

Parliament opposes giving Member States a blank cheque



Following today's adoption of the report on LIFE+, the financing instrument for EU's environmental policy (1) , by an overwhelming majority of the European Parliament, rapporteur and Green MEP Marie Anne Isler Béguin said:

"The European Parliament has rejected a proposal by the Council to give Member States a blank cheque for environmental spending. Council had proposed delegating at least 80% of the environmental budget to national and sub-national level, which would have negated the European value of LIFE+ programmes. With environmental amounting to less than 1% of overall EU spending already, transferring the lion's share of this to Member States would be absurd.

"The Parliament has today called for a coherent approach to environmental spending to equip the EU with the means to achieve its goals for protecting the environment and biodiversity and combating climate change. From this basis, the Parliament is willing to work with the other institutions for a quick agreement of the regulation in conciliation. This will ensure the programme can start as soon as possible."

(1) LIFE+ will provide 1.9 billion euro for the next seven years (2007-13).