Posted on October, 28 2004

Brussels, Belgium - WWF welcomes tomorrow's signing of Europe's new Constitution as it provides a good basis for the European Union to take a global lead in tackling major environmental threats such as climate change, chemical contamination, and biodiversity loss. 

"The European Union Constitution continues Europe’s strong commitment to environmental protection and gives the European Union a clear mandate to move towards a more ecologically sustainable economy in Europe and beyond," said Tony Long, Director of WWF’s European Policy Office. 

The Constitution states that “the Union shall work for the sustainable development of Europe based on...a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment, and "shall contribute to...the sustainable development of the Earth.” 
 
It also states that “environmental protection must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the policies and activities of the EU, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development.” 

“The European Union’s bold statements in favour of sustainable development and environmental protection are about to be given the added status that a constitution brings,” Long added.

“This will make Europe unique in the world because these legally binding environmental commitments apply to such a large economy and population. There is now every reason why European environmental leadership shown in the case of the Kyoto treaty ratification should be shown repeatedly in areas requiring strong environmental leadership, including freshwater protection and sustainable fisheries management.” 

On energy policy, the Constitution offers to promote energy efficiency and energy saving, and the development of new and renewable forms of energy, but carries forward unchanged wording from previous treaties in crucial policy areas like agriculture and fisheries.  

WWF has worked hard during the convention process in the last few years to ensure that the new Constitution maintains and strengthens the wording contained in previous EU Treaties going back as far as the Single European Act in 1986. 

The signing of the Constitution takes place in Rome, Italy, on Friday, 29 October 2004, in the presence of leaders from the 25 European Union nations, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

For further information:
Julian Scola, Communications Manager
WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 743 8806  
E-Mail: JScola@wwfepo.org