ABSTRACT
Environmental issues play a very important role nowadays in all aspects of economic policy. Although the Treaty of Rome did not provide the then European Community with the possibility of dealing with these issues, this was remedied by the Single European Act in 1986. Since then, action for environmental protection has been taken in the form of a new legal framework and the introduction of new development policies. This emphasis on environmental institutions was supported by the Maastricht Treaty (Art. 130), the Fifth Environmental Action Programme and the 'Earth Summit's Agenda 21'.
