Overview                                                              

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The Sixth Environment Action Programme , adopted in July 2002, sets out the EU's priorities for the period until 2010. Four areas are singled out for priority: Climate change, nature and biodiversity, environment and health and the management of natural resources and waste.

The precautionary principle as well as the polluter pays principle is at the heart of environmental policy in the EU. Through the use of various policy, market, institutional, financial and management instruments, the various legislative decisions are formulated and implemented throughout the community.  Public participation in environmental policy and decision making is also deemed as an important aspect which is taken into consideration.

The Aarhus Convention is another milestone that has influenced environmental policy making as well as its implementation in the EU.

The international convention is based upon three main pillars which define the manner in which environmental affairs are to be decided upon, policy formulated and legislation implemented. The three pillars are; public access to information about the environment, public participation in certain environmentally relevant decisions, and access to courts of law and tribunals in environmental matters.

The EC is a Party to the Convention since May 2005.

In 2003 two Directives concerning the first and second "pillars" of the Aarhus Convention were adopted; to be implemented in the national law of the EU Member States by the end of 2005:

• Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on public access to environmental information

• Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council providing for public participation

 As a means of implementing the convention, the Regulation (EC) N° 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies entered into force in 2006.

At the EU level, and focused more on businesses and industry there is the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) .

ITAdopted in 2004, the EU Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) aims to make eco-innovation more prominent throughout Europe. It covers a wide range of activities by focusing on the promotion of eco-innovation and the wider use of environmental technologies, with the aim of establishing European countries and industries as competitive forces around the world.

It covers many different type of activities promoting eco-innovation and the use of environmental technologies. The ETAP has nine actions that the European Commission and national and regional governments should commit to and implement. An essential part of the ETAP is getting from research to markets. It puts forward actions to attract more private and public investment for the development and demonstration of environmental technologies in line with the EU objective of 3% of GDP for research. The actions aim to improve the innovation process and to ensure the entry of innovative ideas and products successfully into markets.