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Accession
Could Harm Dear Editor As strong political will and popular support have been clearing the way to a united Europe, the aspirants’ generic vision of EU membership is now focused on nitty-gritty talks on the potential gains and losses of complying with the EU acquis. As is obvious from The Bulletin, Vol. 11, Number 4, March 2003, the meaning of this process for the environment of Central and Eastern Europe is an open question. Yes, EU accession means in most cases better environmental laws and more funding for environmental projects, but a law is as good as its practice and funding. If mismanaged or abused, it can harm instead of heal. While EU accession galvanises trade and pushes up production and consumption levels, poor enforcement, corruption and low environmental awareness in the CEE countries could give a green light to ingenious law-bending, resulting in grave long-term environmental damage. Harmonising environmental legislation with the acquis has offered an unparalleled opportunity for candidate countries to establish a good legal framework for environmental protection. Legal change, however, does not automatically guarantee onthe-ground improvement. We should not forget that despite its strict environmental regulations, the EU itself continues to make lavish use of limited natural resources. The EU’s footprint is second only to North America’s. Three planets would hardly suffice to support the current level of European wastefulness if the whole world would expend resources like Europe does. If European enlargement means enlarging unsustainable transportation, consumption and production patterns, the enlargement process will be a mixed blessing for CEE countries. If, on the other hand, EU enlargement means enlarging European best practices, there is indeed a glimmer of hope that the growth engine which will bring the CEE region into Europe will not do so at the expense of human and environmental health. I believe that political will and growing civil society engagement can eventually outweigh corporate lobbying and reverse the general inertia of business-as-usual solutions. I fear, though, that the time this process will take might be too pricey for CEE’s environment. — Boriana Savova, Switzerland |
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