Sustainable territorial and local development

The Commission must not impose binding requirements for local authorities to adopt sectoral plans relating to environmental management and urban transport. That is the gist of CEMR's response to the Commission's communication "Towards a thematic strategy on the urban environment".

 

These requirements could cut across existing measures at the local level without providing added value, amongst others in the fields of sustainable development and urban environment.

 

CEMR thus urges the Commission to identify and evaluate the policies and plans already in place at the local level. Such cooperation would enable the EU to play an important role as a catalyst in this process.

 

The full position paper

 

Note : The 6th Action programme in the field of the environment defines the concept of "thematic strategy" as a new instrument to solve environmental problems. The 6th programme calls for the elaboration of seven thematic strategies : urban environment, marine environment, the air, soils, pesticides, natural resources and waste.