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European Legislation related to Speciation
Unlike other intergovernmental institutions (e.g., the United Nations or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - ECD), the EU is provided with legislative powers. Among the legal instruments available to the EU there are (a) regulations, directly binding upon the Member States, and (2) directives, to be transposed in national legislation.
European legislation concerning food safety, environment and occupational health is mostly based on total element concentrations, frequently expressed as maximum limits or guideline levels. Only a few regulations refer to molecular species. Most often, only specific contaminants "and their compounds" are mentioned, leaving a lot room for interpretation.
Environment
A series of principles and priorities regarding the environmental protection have been set out within the first five-year environmental action programme (1973-1977) adopted by the European Community; these principles are summarised below and remained valid in subsequent action programmes:
- Prevention is better than cure.
- Environmental impacts should be taken into account at the earliest possible stage in decision-making.
- Exploitation of nature which causes significant damage to the ecological balance must be avoided.
- Scientific knowledge should be improved to enable actions to be taken.
- The cost of preventing and repairing environmental damage should be borne by the polluter.
- Activities in one member state should not cause deterioration of the environment in another.
- Environmental policy in the member states must take into account the interests of the developing countries.
- The EC and member states of the European Union should promote international and worldwide environmental protection through international organisations.
- Environmental protection is everyone's responsibility, therefore education is necessary.
- Environmental protection measures should be taken at the most "appropriate level", taking into account the type of pollution, the action needed, and the geographical zone to be protected. This is known as the "subsidiarity principle".
- National environmental programmes should be coordinated on the basis of a common long-term concept and national policies should be harmonised within the Community, not in isolation.
By looking in detail on existing rules refering to element species, the following examples can be cited:
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