Environment

According to Article 6 of the EC Treaty, environmental protection is a horizontal issue that must permeate all areas of EC policies. It cannot be separated from social and economic factors. The European Council in Gothenburg therefore adopted a Sustainable Development Strategy that adds a new dimension to the Lisbon Process for employment, economic reform and social cohesion in the areas of climate change, sustainable transport, and natural resources. Its implementation will be monitored annually on the basis of extended indicators. In addition to other factors, the balance between economic growth and pressure on natural resources and the environment is to be measured, and balance indicators are to be worked out for key areas like energy, agriculture and transport. The Commission was also required to present a document on sustainable development in the global context.

The Swedish presidency inaugurated intensive negotiations on the Sixth Environment Action Programme as a framework for the Community's environmental policy until 2010. The priority areas are climate change, nature and biodiversity, environment and health (including quality of life), natural resources and waste. The programme is intended to encourage the horizontal extension of environmental factors into all aspects of policy, and to promote sustainable development throughout the Community before and after enlargement.

The abandonment of nuclear energy is the aim of Austria's responsible environmental policy within the EU. Until that is achieved, the first priority is to draft common European safety standards. Austria managed to obtain recognition of this standpoint at the European Council in Laeken, which concluded that a high degree of nuclear safety must be guaranteed, and stressed that the protection and safety of nuclear power stations must be supervised. It called for regular reports by the nuclear energy experts of the member countries. This procedure is the first step towards a high degree of guaranteed nuclear safety within the European Union.