Press releases
18.December 2002 - 00:00
Parliament endorses new legislation expanding citizens' rights to environmental information
(Strasbourg, 18 December 2002) Parliament voted today to approve the agreement hammered out by the Parliament-Council Conciliation Committee on a new directive that will give the public easier access to information on environmental matters held by public authorities and will improve the quality of the information supplied.
The new law, steered through Parliament by rapporteur Eija Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED, Finland), meets many of Parliament's requirements in strengthening the rights of citizens seeking information from national, regional or local authorities on, for example, the contamination of a river, a new building project or the destruction of a wildlife habitat.
In the conciliation negotiations on this new directive on public access to environmental information, the first of three designed to align EU law with the UN 1998 Aarhus Convention on information, decision-making and redress in environmental matters, Parliament's delegation, led by Charlotte Cederschiöld (EPP-ED, Sweden), succeeded in making its provisions tougher than the Convention itself.
As a result, public officials will be obliged actively to assist citizens seeking information. Where documents are withheld under the exemptions allowed in the directive they will have to be listed. Moreover, contact details and dates for the completion of documents will have to be provided when draft or internal documents are withheld.
Parliament has also succeeded in introducing quality standards to ensure that information supplied by the Member States is up-to-date, accurate and reliable and a provision encouraging the use of IT in providing information. In addition, the contamination of the food chain is included in the definition of environmental information.
On the issue of fees, Parliament and Council have agreed that, as a starting point, information should be provided for free but that charges, limited to "a reasonable amount", may be levied. A market-based charge can be made for information provided on a commercial basis.
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on public access to Environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC
Conciliation Committee
Chair of European Parliament delegation: Charlotte Cederschiöld (EPP-ED, Sweden)
Chair of Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy: Caroline Jackson, EPP-Ed, UK)
Rapporteur: Eija-Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED, Finland)
Report (A5-0435/2002) –
The joint text containing the new legislation is posted on Parliament's web site http://www.europarl.eu.int/plenary/default_en.htm
under Activities; Plenary sessions; Joint texts approved by the Conciliation Committee
Le projet commun contenant la nouvelle législation est publié sur le site Internet du Parlement Européen sous : Activités; Séances plénières; Projets communs adoptés par le Comité de Conciliation
(Strasbourg, 18 December 2002) Parliament voted today to approve the agreement hammered out by the Parliament-Council Conciliation Committee on a new directive that will give the public easier access to information on environmental matters held by public authorities and will improve the quality of the information supplied.
The new law, steered through Parliament by rapporteur Eija Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED, Finland), meets many of Parliament's requirements in strengthening the rights of citizens seeking information from national, regional or local authorities on, for example, the contamination of a river, a new building project or the destruction of a wildlife habitat.
In the conciliation negotiations on this new directive on public access to environmental information, the first of three designed to align EU law with the UN 1998 Aarhus Convention on information, decision-making and redress in environmental matters, Parliament's delegation, led by Charlotte Cederschiöld (EPP-ED, Sweden), succeeded in making its provisions tougher than the Convention itself.
As a result, public officials will be obliged actively to assist citizens seeking information. Where documents are withheld under the exemptions allowed in the directive they will have to be listed. Moreover, contact details and dates for the completion of documents will have to be provided when draft or internal documents are withheld.
Parliament has also succeeded in introducing quality standards to ensure that information supplied by the Member States is up-to-date, accurate and reliable and a provision encouraging the use of IT in providing information. In addition, the contamination of the food chain is included in the definition of environmental information.
On the issue of fees, Parliament and Council have agreed that, as a starting point, information should be provided for free but that charges, limited to "a reasonable amount", may be levied. A market-based charge can be made for information provided on a commercial basis.
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on public access to Environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC
Conciliation Committee
Chair of European Parliament delegation: Charlotte Cederschiöld (EPP-ED, Sweden)
Chair of Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy: Caroline Jackson, EPP-Ed, UK)
Rapporteur: Eija-Riitta Korhola (EPP-ED, Finland)
Report (A5-0435/2002) –
The joint text containing the new legislation is posted on Parliament's web site http://www.europarl.eu.int/plenary/default_en.htm
under Activities; Plenary sessions; Joint texts approved by the Conciliation Committee
Le projet commun contenant la nouvelle législation est publié sur le site Internet du Parlement Européen sous : Activités; Séances plénières; Projets communs adoptés par le Comité de Conciliation