- to protect, conserve and enhance the EU’s natural capital
- to turn the EU into a resource-efficient, green and competitive lowcarbon economy
- to safeguard EU citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and wellbeing
- to maximise the benefits of EU environment legislation
- to improve the evidence base for environment policy
- to secure investment for environment and climate policy and get the prices right
- to improve environmental integration and policy coherence
- to enhance the sustainability of EU cities
- to increase the EU’s effectiveness in addressing regional and global environmental and climate challenge
The European Commission made a proposal for an Environment Action Programme (EAP) to guide EU environment policy up to 2020. In the Action Programme the Commission identifies nine priority objectives: