The European Parliament adopted by 472 votes to 81, with 21 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020: "Living well, within the limits of our planet".
Parliament adopted its position at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of a compromise negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council.
The 7th Environment Action Programme proposed in November 2012 identified nine priority objectives to be reached by 2020. The amendments adopted in plenary focused in particular on the following points:
- to agree and implement an EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change, including the integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management considerations into key Union policy initiatives and sectors;
- to adopt the agreement of a climate and energy framework for 2030;
- to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services and to restore at least 15 % of degraded ecosystems;
- to ensure that water quality objectives are adequately supported by source-based policy measures;
- to urgently increase efforts, inter alia, to ensure that healthy fish stocks are achieved, reduce the headline target for marine litter, complete the Natura 2000 network of marine protected areas, and ensure that coastal zones are managed sustainably;
- to develop a renewed EU strategy for forests, including sustainable forest management;
- to further develop the approach set out in the Eco-innovation Action Plan;
- to develop training programmes geared towards green jobs;
- to increase efforts to reach existing targets and reviewing approaches to green public procurement;
- to raise awareness and understanding of waste policy and to stimulate a change in behaviour;
- to improve outdoor air pollution, moving closer to WHO recommended levels;
- to continue implementing REACH in order to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment;
- to monitor the implementation of EU legislation on the sustainable use of biocides and pesticides;
- to improve the way knowledge about implementation is collected and disseminated to help the general public and environment professionals fully understand the purpose and benefit of Union environment legislation;
- to improve the knowledge base and ensure that the evidence underpinning policy-making, including cases where the precautionary principle has been invoked, can be better understood at all levels;
- to ensure that the public and private sector funding for environment and climate-related expenditure is increased in order to secure investment;
- to improve environmental integration and policy coherence implementing the Directive on the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive and Environmental Impact Assessment Directive;
- to enhance the sustainability of the Union's cities.
The EU should also further intensify its contribution to initiatives that facilitate the transition towards an inclusive and green economy at international level.