OECD Environment Director Lorents Lorentsen said that while progress has been made in some areas such as reducing water and air pollution since a strategy was agreed on in 2001, greater policy integration is needed to bring about real change.

"Environment ministers are quite lonely. They need to join up with industry and finance ministers," he said.

His comments came in advance of a meeting of OECD environment ministers later this month in Paris, where they will review progress toward meeting the environmental goals. Ministers from non-members Russia, China, India and Brazil will also be in attendance.

According to the OECD, the development of agri-environmental schemes remains modest, and while total greenhouse gas emissions in Europe have fallen since 1990, this is largely due to economic restructuring that would have occurred anyway (John Mason, Financial Times, April 6).

Copyright, National Journal Group, 2004