THE Government has been "actively blocking" the inclusion of a clause in the new European Union treaty guaranteeing the right of all EU citizens to a clean and healthy environment, Earthwatch claimed yesterday.
Beginning its campaign to green the treaty", the Irish environmental group - an affiliate of Friends of the Earth International said it was an "absolute disgrace that the Government was apparently seeking to exclude such, a fundamental right.
Ms Sadhbh O'Neill, an Earthwatch campaigner and former Dublin city councillor for the Green Party, said it was "inconceivable" that the Government would seek to deny this right while at the same time championing the concept of a "Citizens' Europe".
Referring to the draft text relating to the environment, she said the proposal to include a reference to "balanced and sustainable development" meant very little, as it "simply rewrites the existing, inadequate provisions" of the Maastricht Treaty.
"We completely reject the idea of trying to achieve a balance between unsustainable development and sustainable development, as this means inserting a fundamental contradiction into the heart of the new treaty," Ms O'Neill said.
If the EU was serious about meeting the problems of the 21st century, then sustainable development was the only way forward, alongside social and economic; progress. Anything less would mean reneging on commitments made at the 1992 Earth Summit.
Outlining the aims of the "greening the treaty" campaign, which involves environmental groups throughout the EU, she said the principle of sustainability must be integrated fully into all policy areas, especially transport, trade and agriculture.
Another demand is that states with higher environmental standards should be able to "go it alone" without running the risk of EU legal action on anti-competitive grounds. There should also be direct access to the European Court for citizens' groups.
