HC Deb 25 October 1988 vol 139 c145W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of European Community Environment Ministers at Delphi, on 1 October.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

My noble Friend the Minister for Housing, Environment and Countryside represented the United Kingdom at this informal meeting at which views were exchanged on the future of the Community's environmental policy, with particular reference to the question of financial resources. There was also a discussion on the implications of the Single European Act and the completion of the single European market in 1992.

Ministers underlined the importance of current environmental issues which cross national borders and require collaboration both at Community and at the wider international level, such as the ozone layer, the "greenhouse effect", the need to promote sustainable development and the safe disposal of waste.

The meeting was an opportunity for a frank and open exchange of views without the need for formal conclusions.