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Green Plans in Action: European Union: Management Strategies: Background
Overarching Environmental Plan of Thematic Strategies
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The seven Environmental Thematic Strategies include:
Air pollution
Prevention and Recycling of Waste
Protection and Conservation of the Marine Environment
Soil Degradation
Sustainable Use of Pesticides
Sustainable Use of Resources
Urban Environment
These Thematic Strategies represent the next generation of environmental policy. Rather than dealing with specific pollutants or economic activities they work with themes and are based on a stable policy framework of long-term environmental objectives reaching to 2020. Each theme promotes eco-innovation by use of the most cost effective and least burdensome appropriate instruments to reach EU policy goals of environmental sustainability. The Themes are an important contribution to better regulation by simplifying and clarifying existing legislation and proposing new laws when necessary.
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For more information on The Sixth Environment Action Programme
Life Cycle Analysis
For more information on Life Cycle Analysis:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ipp/lca.htm and
http://lca.jrc.it/
For more information on Waste Prevention and Recycling
Public Rights and Participation
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The first directive, or pillar, provides for the right of everyone to receive environmental information that is held by public authorities "Access to environmental information." This can include information on the state of the environment, but also on policies or measures taken, on the state of human health and safety where this can be affected by the state of the environment. Applicants are entitled to obtain this information within one month of the request and without having to say why they require it. In addition, the public authorities are obliged, under the Convention, to disseminate environmental information in their possession.
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The second directive, or pillar, provides for the right to "Public participation in environmental decision-making". Public authorities enable the affected parties and environmental non-governmental organizations to comment on proposals for projects affecting the environment, or plans and programs relating to the environment. These comments are to be taken into account in decision-making, and information is to be provided on the final decisions and the reasons for it.
Ecosystem Management
The ecosystem management approach has been adopted by the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (the Helsinki Commission-HELCOM) and the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic. In addition, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and European Commission wrote a report in 2005 as input for the European Marine Strategy (EMS). This report is for Member States and non-EU countries bordering regional seas shared by the Community to act as guidance for application of ecosystem management.
For more information see
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/marine.htm
www.helcom.fi
http://www.ospar.org/
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