EU Official Stresses Difficulties in Environmental Protection
Ljubljana, 21 September
While the EU has done a lot through its environment legislation in the past 30 years, it still faces the problems of balancing various policies in the field, especially among environmentalists and businesses, Nicholas Hanley of the European Commission's Directorate General for the Environment has said.
Hanley said on Thursday that the Commission's initiatives in the field often encounter resistance by business people, however, the latter's arguments mainly prove unsubstantiated, especially as regards costs. At the same time he admitted that the industry was becoming increasingly aware of the long-term effects of environmental protection and is increasingly implementing greener technologies. Hanley, visiting Ljubljana for the 46th general assembly of the Union of EU capitals also presented the EU's sixth action programme on the environment. The document, adopted five years ago and valid for the 2002-2012 period, focuses on measures to combat climate change, preserve biotic diversity, ensure a healthy environment and efficient management of resources and waste.