Legislative Act: Commission Communication of 25 January 2006, entitled: "External action: Thematic program for environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy" [COM(2006) 20 final - Not published in the Official Journal].

Objectives

The thematic program for environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy is intended to supplement measures towards the protection of the environment and natural resources under national and regional programs.

The program priorities are:

• Working to achieve Millennium Development Goal 7 (Ensure Environmental Sustainability), principally by building capacity to integrate the environment in developing countries, support civil society actors, monitoring and evaluation and the preparation of innovative solutions;
• Promoting implementation of EU initiatives and commitments at international level in the areas of sustainable development, climate change, biodiversity, desertification, forests and their governance, marine resources, waste and chemical products, etc.;
• Improving the integration by the EU of environmental questions, particularly as regards combating poverty, by expanding the EU's responsibilities and through co-operation and specialist aid;
• Improving international governance as regards the environment and the EU's driving role, particularly by assisting regional and international environmental monitoring and assessment, aid for implementing multilateral agreements on the environment, and support for international organizations and processes concerned with the environment and energy;
• Promoting options for renewable energy, particularly through institutional support and technical assistance, the creation of a legislative and administrative framework propitious for investment and business and encouragement for regional co-operation.