The European Commission launched a public consultation with the aim at gathering views with regard to the priority objectives that the EU has to follow the EU until 2020 on the environmental action policy.

The public consultation on the 7th EU Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP) intends to gather views from the citizens regarding the priority objectives to be pursued up until 2020. For example, one of the action implemented so far has been Life Programme, whose proposal for its review was presented by the Commission last December. In particular and according to the European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik, the Commission would like to hear where it can have the biggest impact, and how, for improving the quality of our environment.

According to the Commission, the 7th EAP should provide an overarching, coherent framework for these strategic initiatives, setting out priority objectives and showing clearly how environment policy can contribute to green growth and deliver better health and well-being. In particular, the 7th EAP should improve the implementation and enforcement of EU environmental rules in order to deliver better environmental outcomes, making sure that other EU policies also deliver on climate and environment objectives, having access to sound evidence and the latest scientific knowledge as a basis for environmental policy-making and implementation, and filling significant policy gaps, where justified by the latest scientific information and in line with the precautionary approach.

The contributions to the public consultation could be made until 1 June. So far, the Commission has adopted a number of strategic initiatives on environment policy – the Resource Efficiency Roadmap, the 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and a Communication on improving the implementation of EU law.