Over the years, EU environmental policy has become increasingly interlinked with other sectoral policy areas. This relationship can be seen in the treaties which contain specific provisions on the environment and other clauses linking environmental policy to the broader policy agenda of the EU. Article 11 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU stipulates that ‘Environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Union’s policies and activities’. Thus, responsibility for advancing environmental protection and sustainable development is no longer the exclusive responsibility of EU Environment Ministers and the Commission’s Environment Directorate General (DG), but is shared with other sectoral ministerial councils and Commission DGs, as well as a growing number of active stakeholders and various levels of government in the Member States.

Agriculture exerts a considerable influence on the environment, both positive and negative. The nature of land use in combination with agriculture management practices, alongside other factors, such as farm size and structure plays an important role in maintaining and improving the environmental condition of the farmed landscape. The EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) has been incrementally reformed since the mid-1980s and, alongside other regulatory developments, now plays a role in promoting both basic and more enhanced forms of environmental management. The next major reform of the CAP is due in 2013 and will need to take into account a number of expected trends and changed conditions. The nature of the CAP reform will also be highly influenced by the outcome of the ongoing debate on reforming the EU budget.

Fishing remains one of the most significant factors influencing the state of the European marine environment. The main framework for managing the EU fisheries sector is provided by the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The major CFP reform adopted in December 2002 strengthened the legal basis for environmental measures under the CFP. Recent policy developments indicate that the pressure to manage fisheries sustainably and responsibly and to consider fisheries management in the broader marine context is growing. The 2009 Green Paper on the reform of the CFP highlighted the shortcomings of the current CFP and the need for critical changes during the next reform in 2012.

The role of environmental issues as part of transport policy has evolved considerably, particularly with respect to the mitigation of greenhouse gases. EU legislation with respect to road transport and vehicle emissions performance symbolizes a move away from voluntary measures to real compliance measures for the automotive industry. With the increased prominence of climate change policy in the EU and the need to address greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, emissions from the transport sector have become a key element of climate change and energy policy. While EU policy designed to mitigate greenhouse gases from transport has typically been less forthcoming than that for other sectors such as power generation and industry (with the exception of aviation), the new Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard appointed in 2009 has stated her intention to more deliberately integrate transport in climate policy and further actions in this area are expected in the coming years.

The production and use of energy is a major source of environmental problems, with the combustion of fossil fuels contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, acidification and waste. There is consequently widespread agreement for the need to reduce the impacts of energy use, by managing demand, improving efficiency and increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. Increased policy attention to climate change has also expanded the ambitions of Community energy policy. The Lisbon Treaty formally makes energy policy an area of ‘shared competence’ between the EU and the Member States (Article 194 of the TFEU). This will empower the EU institutions to adopt legislation not only for the sake of the internal energy market, but also to ensure security of supply, promote energy efficiency and energy saving and the development of new and renewable forms of energy.