Directorate-General for the Environment
Directorate-General for Environment is a Directorate-General of the European Commission, responsible for the Environmental policy of the European Union. Initially known as DG XI, in 2010 "relevant activities in DG Environment" were moved from DG ENV to the new DG Climate Action. It retains competence for zero pollution, circular economy, and biodiversity. It is currently led by Director-General Eric Mamer. The DG ENV supports the work of the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall.
Mission
The DG's main role is to initiate and define new environmental legislationand to ensure that measures, which have been agreed, are actually put into practice in the member states of the European Union. The overall mission statement for 2005 is: "Protecting, preserving and improving the environment for present and future generations, and promoting sustainable development". The mission statement is divided into the following sub-statements:
- To maintain and improve the quality of life through a high level of protection of our natural resources, effective risk assessment and management and the timely implementation of Community legislation.
- To foster resource efficiency in production, consumption and waste-disposal measures.
- To integrate environmental concerns into other EU policy areas.
- To promote growth in the EU that takes account of the economic, social and environmental needs both of our citizens and of future generations.
- To address the global challenges facing us notably combating climate change and the international conservation of biodiversity.
- To ensure that all policies and measures in the above areas are based on a multi-sectoral approach, involve all stakeholders in the process and are communicated in an effective way.
Structure
- A: General Affairs, Knowledge & Resources
- B: Competitive Circular Economy & Clean Industrial Policy
- C: Zero Pollution, Water Resilience & Green Urban Transition
- D: Biodiversity
- E: Compliance, Governance & Support to the Member States
- F: Green Diplomacy & Multilateralism
History
In its early years, DG Environment hired specialists with technical knowledge who had a different culture to the other Commission's officials. This ‘gave a reputation for being dominated by “ecological freaks”'. Over time DG Environment matured and settled into the Commission's ways of working. In particular by taking politics more into consideration when formulating legislation so that it could be adopted and better implemented.
The Fifth Environmental Action Programme which came into force on 1 January 1993 marked a change in DG Environment's approach to policy-making. It attempted to present the DG and its policies in a more contemporary and constructive light. The programme demonstrated that legislation was no longer to be made solely behind closed doors, but together with all social and economic partners.
In November 2016 the EC harmonised the names of all DGs to make them more consistent and dropped "the" from the name, changing from "Directorate-General for the Environment" to "Directorate-General for Environment".
Resources
The Directorate-General for Environment has a staff of about 460 civil servants.- Commissioner: Jessika Roswall
- Director General: Eric Mamer
- Virginijus Sinkevičius, 2019–2024
- Karmenu Vella, 2014–2019
- Janez Potočnik, 2009–2014
- Stavros Dimas, 2004–2009
- Margot Wallström, 1999–2004