The European Parliament,

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mr Collins and others on the urban environment (B3- 1573/90),

- having regard to the Commission's Green Paper on the Urban Environment (COM(90) 218 final and the Council's resolution thereon OJ No. C 33, 8.2.1991, p. 4,

- having regard to the Commission's Communication to the Council and the European Parliament entitled "Europe 2000: Outlook for the Development of the Community's Territory" (COM(90) 0544),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (A3- 0224/91),

A. Whereas the European Parliament adopted a pioneering resolution on the urban environment on 16 December 1988 OJ No. C 12, 16.1.1989, p. 370,

B. Whereas the Commission's Green Paper constitutes a welcome response by the Commission to this parliamentary initiative,

C. Mindful of the increasing concern being expressed throughout Europe on the quality of the urban environment,

D. Whereas air pollution, caused principally by motor vehicles, has now reached an intolerable level in the cities of the Community, and whereas, in many cities, traffic is responsible for almost 90% of emissions of carbon monoxide;

E. Whereas studies in several major European cities have shown that very high concentrations of lead and benzene have been found in the blood of inhabitants, particularly children,

1. Welcomes the Commission's Green Paper on the urban environment and hopes that it will soon lead to a framework programme for the management of the urban environment;

2. Is aware that urgent action, including preventive measures, must be taken to reverse the deterioration in quality of life in urban areas and in so doing help reduce the global environmental crisis;

3. Believes it is necessary for the Community to work closely with local, regional and national authorities in the Member States to achieve this;

4. Further believes that the Commission should develop guidelines in collaboration with the above authorities for incorporating environmental considerations into town planning, to develop a planning strategy for urban tourism, and considers that town planning must take account of social structures, cultural life and the historical background of the various city districts;

5. Considers that urban policies must be an integral part of regional policies;

6. Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for minimum requirements for urban development, town planning and measures to ensure a healthy environment in cities and conurbations, with particular regard to environmental and social compatibility;

7. Calls on the Commission to develop a planning strategy for urban tourism, as recommended in the Green Paper, and to identify a number of criteria, other than economic capacity, to limit mass tourism in certain European urban areas which are already deteriorating socially and environmentally for this reason;

8. Sees the Community's role partly as a catalyst, coordinator and disseminator of information about "best practices" or innovative schemes to improve the quality of life in urban areas, and partly as a "pump primer" for pilot projects, the dissemination of results and for the application and spread of pilot projects which have proved to be a success;

9. Is convinced that drastic measures should be taken as a matter of urgency to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles and to reduce their use which should form the basis of efforts to improve urban quality of life; considers that the use of fiscal instruments may help in part to discourage increased car and lorry use in urban areas; calls on the Commission to develop even stricter vehicle emission standards more closely in line with American legislation; calls for consideration to be given to planning which will enhance the quality of life in cities;

10. Calls on the Commission:

- to submit an environment report on the ecological impact of the trend in cars and commercial vehicles showing what measures need to be taken to avert the threat of a traffic and environmental disaster and to effect a sharp and permanent reduction in air pollution;

- to take measures to make city centres as far as possible traffic- free; and

- to take measures to reduce the use of commercial vehicles in cities to an acceptable level;

- to develop proposals to counter the negative effects of the internal market outlined in the Task Force report;

11. Calls on the Commission to encourage Member States to promote affordable and efficient public transport giving preference to the least polluting forms of transport, and to facilitate funding either from own resources or European Investment Bank loans for innovative public transport schemes such as light rail systems to reduce urban traffic congestion, taking scrupulous care to ensure that this funding is not used in ways which conflict with the protection of the urban environment and does not lead to a distortion in the structure of social life;

12. Calls on the Commission to encourage widespread adoption of a charter for cyclists and pedestrians and to implement Parliament's resolutions in this area;

13. Urges strict enforcement of the "polluter pays" principle;

14. Is aware that investment in environmental improvement projects and sustainable development can lead to further investment, creating jobs and making cities more economically attractive as well as better places to live and asks that closer attention be paid to promoting sustainable economic policies as called for in the Brundtland Report;

15. Seeks to encourage involvement of people at all levels in decision-making affecting their urban environment and quality of life and requests that citizens should be given access to all information regarding the state of the urban environment;

16. Demands more stringent use of Environmental Impact Assessment for all Structural Fund projects and calls on the Commission to ensure that they are not used for road construction without careful consideration of all environmental and social factors, and hopes the Commission will furnish itself with the appropriate means of monitoring them;

17. Calls for an increase in the Structural Funds to enable the extra money to be used for environmental projects in all regions ( particularly for urban redevelopment, soil decontamination and "pump priming") and for an extension of Social Fund criteria to include job creating and environmental projects;

18. Calls on the Commission to increase funds available to environmental projects for information exchanges, research and pilot schemes to improve the urban environment, in addition to expanding the environment instrument LIFE;

19. Calls on the Commission to expand Community finance for conservation of historic buildings and to include projects for wider areas;

20. Calls on the Commission to adopt the World Health Organisation Healthy Cities Programme and develop monitoring and evaluating procedures on health damage due to poor urban environments;

21. Calls on the Commission to base all measures, proposals, definitions of limit values and reductions in levels of pollution on the criterion of what is acceptable to people who, for age or health reasons, are particularly at risk (the elderly, the sick, the handicapped, persons with circulatory problems, young people and children);

22 .Calls on the Commission to take particular account of children and to introduce and implement "ecological children's rights": the right to health, a healthy and child-oriented environment, healthy and child-oriented homes, playgrounds, school and routes to school, healthy air and water and food free of toxic substances;

23. Expresses deep concern at the gradual deterioration in urban environments which helps to increase psychological and social problems among city-dwellers, such as delinquency, aggressiveness, lack of communication and drug addiction;

24. Urges the Commission to make the urban environment a major thrust for the Fifth Environment Action Programme;

25. Calls on the Commission at long last to submit a proposal on improving the quality of air in indoor environments, pursuant to the resolution of the European Parliament (resolution of 12 October 1988OJ No. C 290, 14.11.1988, p. 49);

26. Calls on the Commission to ensure stricter monitoring of air pollution, in particular by laying down the methods for monitoring pollution and the number and location of pollution measuring stations in the urban environment, so as to compare the level and changes in European cities, and stricter monitoring of toxic waste emissions by industry;

27. Calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals for legislation to curb noise pollution and lay down maximum permissible levels;

28. Calls on the Commission urgently to submit a draft framework directive on packaging;

29. Calls on the Commission to put forward measures for the recovery of rubbish and materials from demolition, with particular reference to demolition firms, who should propose recycling methods when applying to start demolition work;

30. Calls on the Commission to implement the EC waste management strategy;

31. Calls on the Commission to develop a system of Community-wide comparable data on air, water and soil quality;

32. Calls on the Commission to set targets for reduction of urban pollution, for ambient air quality and for waste recycling and reuse;

33. Is impatient with the Council's lack of political will in agreeing a site for the European Environment Agency, and calls on the Council urgently to decide on the site so that its work may commence;

34. Calls on the Commission to launch a study on the rivers flowing through Europe's main cities in order to lay down joint criteria for restoring life to the rivers and giving them back their useful social function;

35. Calls on the Commission to improve its own intra-directorate coordination and collaboration on all matters affecting the urban environment;

36. Calls on the Council to adopt the Directive on energy efficiency in buildings;

37. Calls on the Council to increase the financial instruments necessary to fund the above demands;

38. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.