European Parliament
Manders (ELDR ),
rapporteur
(NL)
Mr President, in recent days, I have made one last attempt to achieve compromises, and I have offered a package deal to this end. Unfortunately, that was not successful, despite every effort on the part of the shadow rapporteurs, and for this I should like to thank them nevertheless. At all events, we can say that, whatever happens, today is a real ‘E-day’, an ‘environment day’, because now, for the first time in the history of the European Union, we are adopting legislation that gives us a legal basis for making polluters pay for the damage they cause. I think that that is one point we have scored.

