What is ETAP?
On 28 January 2004, the Commission adopted the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP). ETAP is the main political platform for European initiatives within the field of environmental technologies and is a joint initiative between the Directorate General for Research and the Directorate General for the Environment.
ETAP seeks to exploit the potential of environmental technologies in order to improve both the environment and competitiveness, thus contributing to growth and possibly creating jobs.
It sets out a number of actions that the Commission and stakeholders, such as industry and national and regional governments, should undertake.
Visit the ETAP-homepage
Subscribe to the ETAP newsletter "Clean, Clever, Competitive" (look at the bottom of the page)
The implementation of ETAP
To implement ETAP, a number of actions have been highlighted by The European Commission. Some of the most important are:
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To strengthen research on environmental technologies. This includes support of demonstration and replication of promising techniques, and the co-ordination of EC programmes in this field.
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To establish technology platforms for complex technologies. Technology platforms should co-ordinate research and improve partnerships and funding.
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To establish network testing centres capable of assessing the performances of new technologies, and to ensure that new or revised technical standards refer to the performances of these technologies.
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To define performance targets.
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To improve the financing of environmental technologies by introducing enhanced funding and risk-sharing mechanisms.
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To prepare the future cohesion policy. This includes developing market-based instruments and reviewing state-aid guidelines and environmentally harmful subsidies.
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To encourage procurement of environmental technologies, for example whether to apply life-cycle costing or technology procurement.
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To increase business and consumer awareness.
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To promote environmental technologies and responsible investments in developing countries and countries in economic transition.
Background - Part of the Lisbon Strategy
Heads of State and Government of the European Union met in Lisbon in 2000 where they decided to make the European Union "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world" by 2010. The EU’s Lisbon Strategy identifies economic, social and environmental aspects as key to growth.
ETAP is one of the elements of the Lisbon Strategy as it aims to improve the environment and the economy at the same time. This was reconfirmed at the European Spring Summit in 2005 where environmental technology as a key to growth was a part of the agenda.