European Parliament, environmental policy

European Council (2008) Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy, amending and subsequently repealing council directives 82/176/EEC, 83/513/EEC, 84/156/ EEC, 84/491/EEC, 86/280/EEC and amending directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Official Journal of the European Communities... 

A native of London, England, Bernard Miller lived and worked in twenty different nations over a period of thirty years. Travel and adventure shaped his life and work as an employee of the United Nations, the European Parliament and the European Union. In the following narrative he comments on the environmental health policies he has seen in action in various countries. Those comments are inspiring but bittersweet to me, because the U.S. compares so unfavorably. 

The European Parliament has set out where it believes EC policy should focus in tackling the environmental and health problems posed by PVC. In a resolution adopted in April, it called for a phase-out of lead and cadmium stabilisers, legislation to ensure the separate collection of discarded PVC products, and a complex strategy for substitution of PVC based on life-cycle comparisons with competing products. 

EU (2008). Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 estabhshing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy. Directive 2008/56/EC. 

Commission of the European Communities. 2000. Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Environmental Quality Standards in the field of water policy and amending Directive 2000/60/EC. 

On 2 October 2002, the EC published a Communication to the Council of the EU and the European Parliament entitled Towards a strategy to protect and conserve the marine environment (COM (2002) 539), which sets out objectives and related actions (European Commission, 2004a). The Commission Communication represents the first Step in the incremental development of the European Marine Strategy for the protection and conservation of the marine environment. The Environment Council Conclusions of 4 March 2003 welcomed the Commission Communication, endorsed the approach and the outline of its objectives and requested an ambitious Strategy by 2005. Currently a proposal for a directive establishing a Framework for Community Action in the field of Marine Environmental Policy (Marine Strategy Directive or MSD) is on the table awaiting final approval by the parliament and the Commission (European Commission, 2005). 

According to a proposal of 21 June 2007 for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy and amending Directive 2000/60/EC, Member States may opt to apply EQS for sediment and/or biota instead of those laid down in Annex I, Part A, in certain categories of surface waters, (for the actual state of discussions, see Foerstner, 2008)... 

Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, Integrated Product Policy Building on Environmental Life-Cycle Thinking, Commission of the European Communities, June 2003 ENDS, The wheels of integrated product policy grind slow, July 2003, 342, 28. 

On 23 October 2000, the Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy or, in short, the EU Water Framework Directive (or even shorter the WFD) was adopted. There is a list of so-called priority substances within WFD. For substances on the list of priority substances an Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) have to be developed. The EQS sets the limit on the concentrations allowed in EU water bodies. Three active substances (ethinylestradiol, estradiol, and diclofenac) were included on the so-called Watch List in 2013 to be further evaluated for a potential future inclusion on the List of Priority Substances. 

The European Parliament and the Council have estabhshed a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, known as the Water Framework Directive. The Drinking Water Directive relates specifically to water intended for human consumption For example, in the United Kingdom the Water Quality Regulations prescribe maximum values for substances that affect wholesomeness and the Drinking Water Inspectorate polices the water companies. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for lap and pubhc water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). 

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