Leadership
23. High level political leadership is clearly vital
in order to win over reluctant participants in the integration
process as we have found previously in assessing progress in implementing
the UK Government's objectives on greening government and sustainable
development.[18]
In the more complex structure of the EU, leadership needs to flow
from: the Council of Ministers in its various formations (the
Environment Council etc), the European Council, and from within
the Commission starting with its President; and also from the
Treaty provisions. Anita Pollack (Labour Member of the European
Parliament 1989-99) told us that there appeared to be a "lack
of real leadership" in the EU on environmental integration
since the end of the UK Presidency.[19]
24. As we have concluded from our studies of the
UK greening government initiative, high level political leadership
is vital to the success of this pan-administrative challenge.
Leadership in the EU context is more complex and must be pursued
through effective Treaty provisions, the European Council, the
Council of Ministers (in all its formations) and individual Member
States as well as the Commission. This would be supported
by assessment and regular reporting by the European Parliament
which could include European Parliament committees calling Commissioners
and Presidency Ministers to account across the board.
18 Second Report from the House of Commons Environmental
Audit Committee, The Greening Government Initiative, HC 517-I,
Session1997-98, p. xii, paragraph 10 Back
19 Ev
p. 6 Back
|
