Environmental implementation review: Initial findings

Briefing 22-03-2017

The environmental implementation review (EIR), launched by the European Commission in 2016, aims at providing an overview of how well Member States are implementing EU environmental law, and at supporting them if necessary. The review consists of three parts: 28 country reports, a Commission summary of the most common problems, and suggestions for improvement. The review’s first edition was published in February 2017. It reveals implementation gaps, in particular, regarding waste management, nature and biodiversity protection, air and water quality, as well as tackling noise pollution. It also examines governance issues related to implementation gaps, including effectiveness of administration, compliance assurance as well as access to justice and information. The review identifies structural problems and governance weaknesses, as well as insufficient coordination and integration, as possible reasons for inadequate implementation of environmental law. Another important issue is a lack of available data. The briefing also contains a short description of the OECD environmental review and the European quality of government index.