SIXTEENTH REPORT
The European Scrutiny Committee has made further
progress in the matter referred to it and has agreed to the following
Report:—
INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INTO INTERNAL MARKET POLICY
(20819)
11393/99
—
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Draft report of the Internal Market Council to the Helsinki European
Council on the integration of environmental protection and sustainable
development into internal market policy.
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| Legal base:
| — |
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| Department: |
Trade and Industry
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| Basis of consideration:
| Minister's letter of 18 April 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| HC 23-vi (1999-2000), paragraph 4 (26 January 2000)
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| To be discussed in Council:
| June 2001 European Council
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| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important
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| Committee's decision:
| Not cleared; asked to be kept informed of progress
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Background
1.1 At the Vienna European Council in December
1998, the Internal Market Council (IMC) was one of the various
formations of the Council invited to submit reports on integrating
environmental and sustainable development concerns into their
specific policy area. The IMC presented its report to the Helsinki
European Council in December. We considered it on 26 January.
Amongst the questions we put to the Minister of State for Energy
and Competitiveness in Europe (the Rt. Hon. Helen Liddell) were
whether she was satisfied that the report met the requirement
placed on it as fully as it might, and whether it struck the right
balance between Internal Market considerations and those of environmental
protection, or whether it was too modest in its recommendations.
1.2 We also drew the Minister's attention
to our need to see reports of this importance, and for them to
be deposited in good time for us to consider them before they
are discussed in Council. In this case, the report was dated 5
October, was discussed in open debate in the IMC in October, but
was not deposited until 7 January 2000.
The Minister's letter
1.3 Now, some three months later, the Minister
has replied. She does not apologise for the delay, but says that
her Department will endeavour to submit Explanatory Memoranda
in good time for scrutiny in future.
1.4 The Minister emphasises that the report
was the beginning of a continuing process. The issue was "extremely
complex" and could have a widespread impact on regulatory
burdens on business and on government. She says that the Council's
initial survey did not reveal any instances where co-ordination
between Single Market and environmental or sustainable development
considerations had been inadequate. Indeed, she says, the IMC
makes an important contribution to sustainable development through
its advocacy of market-based approaches to economic policy, balanced
by regulatory action where necessary.
1.5 The Minister then points out that the
Single Market Scoreboard has proved a valuable tool for monitoring
implementation and enforcement. More work will be done, she says,
on developing indicators relevant to this particular exercise.
1.6 In her view, the Minister says, the
Presidency report went as far as it could at this stage. The Government
will be in a better position to draw conclusions about the effectiveness
of the process when more detailed plans in the form of comprehensive
strategies for the IMC and other Council formations are presented
to the European Council in June 2001. In the meantime, this process
"is making a valuable contribution to our wider aim of improving
the coherence and co-ordination of the work of all the formations
of the Council".
Conclusion
1.7 The Minister gives a positive picture
of the value of this work and we accept that it is making a contribution
to the wider aim to which she refers. She avoids a detailed answer
to our question of whether it struck the right balance between
Internal Market considerations and environmental considerations,
leaving the impression that this may remain a contentious issue.
1.8 We ask the Minister to report to
us again on progress, in particular on the development of specific
indicators in this area. Meanwhile, we shall not clear the document.
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