Published Sunday, 04 April 2004
Briefing on the European Commission Communication on an environmental technologies action plan for the European Union for stimulating technologies for sustainable development COM(2004)38
The EASAC reviewers welcome the aims of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan. The scale of the challenge for Europe in moving towards sustainable development is widely recognised and it is clear that there are major requirements for new technological solutions, both on a European scale and globally. Reviewers are also conscious that these challenges create major opportunities for EU businesses. They believe, however, that there are difficulties in developing suitable technologies and, especially, in bringing them to market. The main questions reviewers have raised in connection with the ETAP concern the scope of the measures proposed and the likelihood that they will deliver by themselves. In particular there is a broad concern that the ambition of the plan may not be matched by the scale of the investment to be made. The main thrust of this review, therefore, is supportive and it aims to suggest how the Action Plan can be strengthened.