Lamy urges Commission to take strong green line

Former EU trade commissioner Patrick Lamy has urged the new European Commission to maintain a high profile environment policy over its next five years in office. The appeal comes in a strategy document set to become the Party of European Socialists' (PES) formal EU policy manifesto, drawn up against the background of a rightward drift in Europe's political make-up.

A stalwart of the EU executive for fifteen years, first as senior advisor to former president Jacques Delors and then commissioner in his own right, Mr Lamy picks out a "safe and protected environment" as one of four overriding priorities for Europe's coming period. The report is intended to influence the Commission's own policy priorities, due to be announced early next year.