ABSTRACT
The European Community (EC) was formed in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome. It unified the European Economic Community, the European Atomic Energy Community, and the European Coal and Steel Community. The EC can monitor, coordinate, and enforce the implementation of its laws by member states. Detailed outlines of the EC and its environmental legislation are given by Haigh and Whitehead. The EC’s legislative process involves numerous close consultations with the member states, the European Parliament, and the Economic and Social Committees, as well as with private organizations at the national and EC levels. Since 1990 a council regulation was in preparation concerning environmental risk assessment and restrictive measures for existing chemicals. The value judgment or acceptability is subject to national political influences. National quality standards and quality objectives can be formulated and a variety of threshold values can be used.
