The European Parliament's Role in the Elaboration of the European Union's Environmental Policy in the Context of the Intergovernmental Conference

Abstract

The European Parliament has traditionally played an important role in the elaboration of European environmental policy and legislation. But environmental issues are becoming more and more complex, which raises the question whether the Parliament has the capacity, professionally, technically and institutionally, to tackle environmental issues in a necessarily much more integrated way. The perspective of the next Intergovernmental Conference in 1996 has led to reflections on how to improve the Treaty itself, so that environmental considerations and sustainable development conditions are taken into account, as well as on how to enhance the role of the Parliament in the decision-making process on the basis of the experience acquired in the last years with the implementation of the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty on the European Union.