Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-07-04-Speech-1-154"
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"en.20050704.20.1-154"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, I am very disappointed that we have failed to make progress in the area of air quality. Action is really desperately needed. Air quality must improve. The Commission has worked very hard on a sound strategy, but is now, in the final stages, bowing to industry, and its most conservative section at that. The world needs clean technology. The Chinese, Indians and Koreans are also struggling to meet air quality standards. European industry could capitalise on this with a sense of renewal and urge for innovation.
As Mr Bowes said a moment ago, the environment is an important part of the Lisbon strategy. Environmental innovation helps the European economy move forward, something that the Commission recognised back in February, but which has not, unfortunately, found practical expression. How can the public have confidence in a Commission that refuses to urge polluters to produce in a more environmentally-friendly manner? How can they have confidence in a Europe that tolerates 370Â 000 premature deaths annually as a result of air pollution? What kind of Europe is it that refuses to take action in order to vastly improve this situation? Is that the Europe that you want?
To improve air quality is not an easy thing to do. In the Netherlands, it is evident how difficult it is to meet the standards. The Netherlands has made huge efforts, albeit somewhat belatedly, to comply with the European agreements, but it is abundantly clear that, in order to be able to guarantee clean air, measures are needed that get to the root of the problem. We need clean cars, clean diesels, clean production processes, but we also have to conclude, unfortunately, that the internal market rules get in the way of bold policy, and sometimes even make it impossible.
Given the seriousness of the situation and the Commission’s inability to take action, the interests of public health are so serious that I call on the Member States to set aside the internal market rules. That is not an easy appeal for me to make, for the internal market is very close to my heart, but I am convinced that it is necessary to put public health before the market, certainly now that the Commission refuses to take the lead."@en1
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