91998E2865

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2865/98

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission

(28 September 1998)

Subject: Basing limit values on children - Assessment of impact on children - Children's ecological rights

Limit values laid down in the various European Union directives on the environment are based exclusively on the build of an adult. Because of their size and the fact that their bodies are not fully grown, children often react very sensitively to environmental pollution with illnesses such as allergies, bronchitis or psychosomatic illnesses. Up to now the special constitution of children has not been taken into account in calculating limit values.

Does the Commission plan to base the calculation of limit values on children in future? If not, why not? How does the Commission intend to deal with the problem?

Is the state of health of children in the case of high ozone levels being taken into account in the ozone directive currently being drawn up and will the limit value for ozone be lowered?

Does the Commission believe that the environmental impact assessment for major projects should be accompanied as soon as possible by an assessment of their impact on children? If so, how does the Commission envisage achieving this? How should a directive on the assessment of impact on children be transposed?

Might the Commission envisage taking a legislative initiative with regard to limit values and the assessment of impact on children in the case of major projects?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 1998)

While the Honourable Member is right in saying that children are much more sensitive to environmental contamination, it is incorrect to say, that children are not taken into account when setting standards for environmental directives. As an example, the proposed revision of the Drinking water directive(1) has as scientific basis the latest guidelines recommended by the World health organisation (WHO). In these guidelines children are not only taken into account wherever there is appropriate scientific information, but also they are used as a reference in many cases on the basis that if a limit value is protective for children it should also be protective for adults.

In deriving new thresholds for ozone, the Commission also draws upon the expertise of the WHO. The latest guidelines have been used as a basis for setting a long-term objective and target value for the protection of human health as part of the proposal for an ozone daughter directive. In its guidelines WHO recognises that children represent a particularly sensitive group of the population.

This view is also clearly reflected in a position paper on ozone produced by a working group of experts from Member States, non governmental organisations (NGOs), the WHO and other relevant institutions to support the Commission in the development process of that legislation. Therefore, the requirement of ensuring health protection of children as a sensitive sector of the population is fully taken into account.

(1) COM(97) 49 final.