EU business lobbies for coherence in environmental policy

Presenting its views on the EU’s future priorities, the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE) gives particular attention to sustainable development.

Unice wants to see a framework for the EC’s environmental policy in order to avoid the current “carrousel which displaces the impact from water, air or waste”.

Such a framework should, says Unice, offer:

• more careful economic evaluation of environmental regulation
• more scope to companies’ own environmental initiatives
• more emphasis on partnership agreements between all stakeholders

Agenda for Promoting Sustainability agrees that business has a “commitment to take an increasing role in promoting sustainable development”, but states that consumer responsibilities must also be addressed. Unice believes that a change in consumer attitude is most pressing in the area of climate change.