Directorate-General for the Environment
The General Directorate Environment ( DG Environment for short ) is a Directorate General of the European Commission and was founded with the aim of protecting, preserving and improving the environment in Europe for present and future generations. Its focus is on the first four and currently (as of June 2019) three areas: nature and biodiversity , natural resources and waste , the environment and resources and, until February 2010, climate change , which has been outsourced to a separate department General Directorate for Climate Policy .
history
The Environment Directorate-General was originally a subdivision of the Industry Directorate-General and started its work in 1973 with five employees. The General Management now reports to more than 500 employees. The Commissioner for the Environment is currently Karmenu Vella , and Director General Environment has been Daniel Calleja Crespo since 2015 .
tasks
In order to achieve its objectives, the Environment Directorate-General draws up political strategies (e.g. the EU biodiversity strategy ) and legal provisions (e.g. Natura 2000 ) for environmental protection that serve to maintain and improve the quality of life. These guarantee u. a .:
- the protection of natural habitats
- keeping air and water clean
- proper waste disposal
- dealing with global challenges, in particular with climate change and the conservation of biological diversity on an international level
- to support European companies in their efforts to achieve greater sustainability
- integrating environmental concerns into other EU policies
- promoting growth in the EU that meets the economic, social and environmental needs of EU citizens as well as those of future generations.
In addition, the Environment Directorate-General ensures that the Member States correctly apply existing Community environmental law . Her current mandate includes monitoring more than 200 environmental laws that are in force at European level. To this end, it supports the member states in implementing the legislation and investigates complaints from EU citizens and non-governmental organizations. The Commission has the power to take legal action if it suspects a breach of European environmental law. DG Environment also represents the European Union at international conferences on environmental issues, such as: B. at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
See also
- European Union environmental policy
- European Environment Agency
- European Union Environment Action Program
- Water information system for Europe
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c European Union (Ed.) (2010): DG Environment (PDF; 289 kB). Retrieved February 13, 2012.
- ↑ a b European Union (Ed.) (2002): General Directorate Environment - Information Brochure ( Memento of the original from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 226 kB). Retrieved February 13, 2012.
- ^ Official website of the Directorate-General for the Environment .
