21 Green infrastructure
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9436/13
COM(13) 249
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| Commission Communication: Green infrastructure (GI) — Enhancing Europe's Natural Capital
Staff Working Document
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| Legal base | —
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| Document originated | 6 May 2013
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| Deposited in Parliament | 16 May 2013
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| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 24 May 2013
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
21.1 The Resource Efficiency Roadmap[39]
highlighted the need to protect natural capital and give proper
value to ecosystem services as part of the drive to achieve sustainable
growth under the Europe 2020 strategy, and identified the role
which investment in green infrastructure can play in that process.
The Roadmap also stated that the Commission would draft a Communication
on this subject, and this document sets out its response to that
undertaking, and to the commitment it made in the EU Biodiversity
Strategy to 2020[40]
to develop a green infrastructure strategy.
The current document
21.2 The Commission describes green infrastructure as a successfully
tested tool for providing ecological, economic and social benefits
through natural solutions, which helps to avoid relying on expensive
"grey" infrastructure, and as being based on the principle
that the protection and enhancement of nature and natural processes
should be consciously integrated into planning and territorial
development. It suggests that green infrastructure can make a
significant contribution to the effective implementation of a
range of policies where objectives can be achieved, in whole or
in part, on nature-based solutions, and that such investment usually
produces a high return. In particular, it identifies the following
areas:
Regional policy
The Commission notes that green infrastructure is
specifically identified in its proposals for the Cohesion Fund
and the European Regional Development Fund as an investment priority,
particularly in urban environments, where it can deliver benefits
such as clean air and better water quality, as well as providing
a more attractive living environment.
Climate change and disaster risk management
The Commission observes that ecosystem-based strategies
are among the most widely applicable, economically viable and
effective tools for combating climate change, and that its recent
Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change[41]
explores the need for additional guidance on ensuring the full
mobilisation of such an approach, particularly in areas such as
agriculture and forestry, transport and energy. It also says
that green infrastructure investments are an integral part of
EU disaster risk management in that they can reduce the impact
of extreme weather events and natural disasters, such as floods.
Natural capital
The Commission recalls that its recent proposal for
an Environmental Action Programme to 2020[42]
pointed out that green infrastructure can play an important role
in protecting the EU's natural capital in a number of areas.
These include land and soil (where loss of land to development
and soil contamination remain significant problems, and where
the Commission has included "greening" aspects within
its proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy, and
will address environmental concerns in its forthcoming Forestry
Strategy); water policy (where integration of green infrastructure
considerations into river basin management can contribute to achieving
good water quality and reducing the impact of floods and droughts,
as well as contributing to the Strategy for Marine Spatial Planning
and Integrated Coastal Zone Management);[43]
and nature conservation (where green infrastructure has already
been put in place through the Natura 2000 network established
under the Habitats and Birds Directives).
21.3 Against this background, the Commission
suggests that the development of green infrastructure within the
EU is at a crossroads, with a large number of projects having
been carried out over the last 20 years, but with there now being
a need to optimise its functioning through the interconnection
of projects at the various levels through a clear, long-term commitment
from the EU to develop and deploy such infrastructure. It says
that this in turn will mean building upon the experience already
gained in various areas by making green infrastructure a standard
part of planning and development, which in turn requires the necessary
modalities to be established as soon as possible through the funding
mechanisms for 2014-20 in areas such as the Common Agricultural
Policy, the Cohesion Fund, the European Regional Development Fund,
Horizon 2020, the Connecting Europe Facility, the European Maritime
and Fisheries Fund, and the Financial Instrument for the Environment
(LIFE).
21.4 It suggests that this should be backed up
by ensuring the availability of consistent and reliable data,
which the Commission is seeking to achieve in the context of the
EU Biodiversity Strategy; by improving the knowledge base and
encouraging innovation, with Horizon 2020 and the European Regional
Development Fund being identified as potential sources of support;
and by providing financial support for green infrastructure projects,
where the Commission and the European Investment Bank are looking
at ways of helping to reduce the risk to private investors. The
Commission also highlights the potential contribution of EU-level
green infrastructure projects going beyond national boundaries,
analogous to the measures which have already been taken on a trans-European
(TEN) basis for transport and energy.
21.5 More specifically, the Commission says that,
within the context of existing legislation, policy instruments
and funding mechanisms, it will:
- develop by the end of 2013
technical guidance setting out how green infrastructure can be
implemented into the various policy areas from 2014-20, including
raising awareness among key stakeholder groups and promoting best
practice;
- consider how green infrastructure related innovation
can be financed through other EU instruments;
- review by 2015 the quality of data available
for decision-makers in relation to the deployment of green infrastructure,
and look to see how the present arrangements can be improved;
- assess what can be done in the context of Horizon
2020 to encourage innovative technologies and approaches for developing
green infrastructure;
- set up, in conjunction with the European Investment
Bank, an EU financing facility by 2014 to support those seeking
to develop green infrastructure projects; and
- carry out by the end of 2015 a study to assess
the opportunities for developing a TEN-G initiative, including
the costs and economic, social and environment benefits.
The Government's view
21.6 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 24 May
2013, the Minister for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs
(Mr Richard Benyon), describes the Strategy as a high-level enabling
framework, which avoids prescriptive detail, and recognises that
the implementation of green infrastructure measures will be undertaken
by Member States in ways appropriate to national circumstances,
and within the context of existing EU legislation, policy instruments
and funding mechanisms.
21.7 He also notes that the Strategy outlined
in the Communication has been developed following consideration
of a broad range of issues since 2011, to which the UK contributed,
and that it is broadly in line with the UK's views on the balance
between the roles of the Commission and Member State in developing
and implementing policy across Europe. He adds that, by its very
nature, it is important that green infrastructure should be seen
as applicable across a range of policy areas, and that the ability
for it to be funded from a range of existing EU financial mechanisms
should facilitate its implementation. He also says that consideration
of how those mechanisms can be used to promote green infrastructure
projects within the UK may be needed, for example through local
enterprise partnerships and local nature partnerships in England.
Similarly, links should be made with ongoing work to understand
and map ecosystem services.
21.8 The Minister comments that, although no
new EU Directives or Regulations are envisaged, it is not yet
clear what the reference to technical guidance might entail, and
that care will be needed to ensure that this does not become prescriptive
and thereby undermine the high-level nature of the Strategy.
Similarly, he says that, whilst exchange of good practice across
Europe should be welcomed, any development of a supporting IT
platform should be undertaken in a proportionate manner, using
or building on existing mechanisms as appropriate. Finally, he
suggests that the opportunity to use research frameworks such
as Horizon 2020 to develop knowledge and techniques, and the potential
to develop innovative finance mechanisms to support green infrastructure
projects should be welcomed, and that there may be merit in a
trans-European initiative (though he cautions that this would
have to be looked at in the context of appropriate national-level
implementation).
Conclusion
21.9 Although this Communication deals with a
subject of increasing interest, it is — as the Government
has observed — essentially a high level enabling framework,
which plays due regard to the role of Member States in this area.
Consequently, although we are drawing it to the attention of
the House, we do not think it raises any issues which require
further consideration at this stage, and accordingly we are clearing
it.
39 (33173) 14632/11: see HC 428-xlii 92010-12), chapter
17 (23 November 2011) Back
40
(32741) 9658/11: see HC 428-xxviii (2010-12), Chapter 7 (24 May
2011). Back
41
(34855) 8556/13: see HC 83-iii (2013-14), chapter 19 (21 May
2013). Back
42
(34482) 164998/12: see HC 86-xxvi (2012-13), chapter 13 (9 January
2013). Back
43
(34769) 7510/13: see HC 86-xxxix (2012-13), chapter 5 (24 April
2013). Back
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