EU Constitution could mean greener European energy policy - Watson

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 9th Nov 2004

In a speech to the European Bioenergy Business Forum (EBBF) last night, Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe UK MEP Graham Watson said that the new powers over energy policy for the European Parliament in the European Constitution could open the door to a greener energy policy in Europe.

Mr Watson said:

"Currently, Parliament's green remit runs in environmental and consumer affairs but not in energy. We can create new green packaging requirements and define European standards for clean bathing water, but we can't yet fully influence the direction of European energy policy."

Mr Watson said that it was "nonsensical" that "the greenest legislature in the world, representing probably one of the greenest societies in the world" does not have a proper say over energy policy "which is, at the end of the day, the mother of all green issues".

Mr Watson argued that the centralisation of environmental policy in the EU under the oversight of the European Parliament had been the key to the greening of European public policy:

"The standards that are agreed in Brussels are often among the most ambitious in the world, and they more often than not raise the bar for member states. Environmental protection measures can impose costs on states, so there is no incentive to raise the environmental bar unless you know your neighbour will too. That is the guarantee that the EU offers.

"The European Parliament brings two things to that process:

First: democratic oversight, which is crucial.

Second: ambition. Where national governments are timid about green standards and sustainable technologies the European Parliament is ambitious.

"Obviously, they counter-balance each other to some extent, but the end result is much higher - much greener - than it would otherwise be.

"If conventional national politics cannot deliver the necessary change on green issues then we need an alternative source of political energy; that can be the EU. All we need is the Constitution to throw the switch."