Fourth Report of Session 2013-14 - European Scrutiny Committee Contents


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

Legal base
Document originated6 May 2013
Deposited in Parliament16 May 2013
DepartmentEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs
Basis of considerationEM of 24 May 2013
Previous Committee ReportNone
To be discussed in CouncilNo date set
Committee's assessmentPolitically important
Committee's decisionCleared

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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