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Polluters must bear the cost of their environmental footprint
CorporateDispatchPro
Polluters must bear the cost of their environmental footprint, Member of the European Parliament Cyrus Engerer said.
He added that this was a European Union principle. The European Court of Auditors questioned the degree to which polluters were being held accountable in different Member States. This would lead to tax-paying citizens footing the bill for irresponsible organisations.
“On behalf of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, I was tasked with leading the discussions between the Committee on the Environment and the Committee on Budgetary Control and come up with proposals for a way forward to enhance and strengthen the polluters pay principle across the Union,” Engerer said.
He noted that a green and just transition must leave no one behind. “We need to move away from a situation where public funds are used to make good for the failures in the implementation of this principle,” the MEP said.
“As a Union we must take inspiration from those Member States that have introduced a number of measures in this regard, among which the requirement for mandatory security systems for business,” he added. This includes insurance policies covering environmental liability in cases of insolvency and other means ensure polluters are held responsible, Engerer said.
CorporateDispatchPro
The EP declared on 28 November 2019 climate emergency in Europe and urged all EU countries to commit to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
The articles form part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors’ views.The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information these articles contain.
This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
