Environment

One-minute summary

Pollution does not respect national borders, and EU countries are highly interdependent. Unilateral action is next to useless, but by acting together, EU countries continue to make a real difference to the quality of the environment in which we all live.

Today, 80% of UK law on the environment is decided together with our neighbouring countries at European level. EU initiatives are responsible for:

• tough new recycling laws - not just domestic rubbish but industrial by-products, electrical waste and old cars;
• clean air legislation;
• clean beaches and rivers legislation;
• eliminating dangerous chemicals in consumer goods;
• compulsory labelling for genetically modified foods;
• many other environmental issues.

Labour views

• European Parliamentary Labour Party: "EU environment law is a clear winner."
• Linda McAvan MEP: "This is just the latest achievement in Europe's clean-up camp."
• UK Government: "We want to work with our EU partners to show progress on the EU's existing Kyoto Protocol targets."

Other views

• European Movement: "Since the early 1970's European legislation has been setting environmental standards to increase awareness of the environmental issues that we face."
• UK Independence Party: "Surely, you can see what the global elite (controllers of the EU-nexus) are afraid of? That's right – our, and our children's heritage – an independent, democratic, energy-rich, defensible nation-state! We must stop them destroying it and us!"

Reference materials

• European Commission on the environment: A summary of EU policy and latest news.

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