§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in achieving Her Majesty's Government's policy objectives for EC environmental protection policy during the presidency of the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardThe United Kingdom presidency has so far secured agreement to the regulation on the transboundary shipment of waste and made good progress on a number of other proposals. In addition we have highlighted the importance of integrating environmental concerns into other policy areas and carried forward work to follow up the Earth summit. We have secured a Commission commitment to report on implementation706W and enforcement of Community environmental legislation, and have established a network of EC environment enforcement authorities. We expect to make further progress on a number of proposals at the Environment Council on 15–16 December.