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Document 52004AE0657
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life (Codified version) (COM(2004) 19 final – 2004/0002 (COD))
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life (Codified version) (COM(2004) 19 final – 2004/0002 (COD))
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life (Codified version) (COM(2004) 19 final – 2004/0002 (COD))
OJ C 117, 30.4.2004, p. 11–11
(ES, DA, DE, EL, EN, FR, IT, NL, PT, FI, SV)
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30.4.2004 |
EN |
Official Journal of the European Union |
C 117/11 |
Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life’ (Codified version)
(COM(2004) 19 final – 2004/0002 (COD))
(2004/C 117/04)
On 29 January 2004, the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 175 and 251 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life’ (COM(2004) 19 final - 2004/0002 (COD)).
The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 5 April 2004. The rapporteur was Ms Santiago.
At its 408th plenary session (meeting of 28 April 2004), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion with 102 votes in favour and one abstention.
1. Introduction
The purpose of this proposal is to undertake a codification of Council Directive 78/659/EEC of 18 July 1978 on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life (1). The new Directive will supersede the various acts incorporated in it (2); the proposal fully preserves the content of the acts being codified and hence does no more than bring them together with only such formal amendments as are required by the codification exercise itself.
2. General comments
The Committee regards it as very useful to have all the texts integrated into one Directive. In the context of a People's Europe, the Committee, like the Commission, attaches great importance to simplifying and clarifying Community law so as to make it clearer and more accessible to ordinary citizens, thus giving them new opportunities and the chance to make use of the specific rights it gives them.
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3. |
It has been ensured that this compilation of provisions contains no changes of substance and serves only the purpose of presenting Community law in a clear and transparent way. The Committee expresses its total support for this objective and, in the light of these guarantees, welcomes the proposal. |
Brussels, 28 April 2004.
The President
of the European Economic and Social Committee
Roger BRIESCH
(1) Carried out pursuant to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council – Codification of the Acquis communautaire, COM(2001) 645 final.
(2) See Annex III, Part A of the proposal.