The Pirate Party supports the aims and principles declared by the EU to safeguard our water, air, soil, natural environment and raw materials for the sake of our health and pleasure. We also approve of doing this in a sustainable way by taking account of economical, social and regional aspects and by acting responsibly towards future generations and animal welfare.

The Pirates appreciate the progress made thanks to EU environmental laws. However, voluntary measures by potential polluters may work sometimes but they cannot be relied upon. Legal loopholes and weaknesses are being used to serve economic interests with the public ultimately having to pay for environmental and health damages. We therefore seek more effective implementation and enforcement of the principles of precaution, prevention, ‘pollutors paying’, as well as tackling problems at their source. Sanctions in cases of non-compliance need to be strengthened. Environmental whistleblowers play a vital role for the benefit of society. They need to receive more support and compensation arrangements which match more realistically their professional and personal damages.

To increase transparency and reliability, we want to make the scientific approach mandatory in any environmental decision-making process. The public has the right to easy, timely and reliable access to environmental data and the decisions resulting from it. This information should also include protocols of monitoring and investigations before they are carried out. All this should be available at all times on governmental websites. Scientific specifications and advice which form the basis for administrative and legal decisions need to be sourced from independent scientists whenever possible. Participation in relevant meetings needs to be independent of financial means. Independent experts have to come from somewhere. Therefore it is vital to promote independent academic research into acute environmental problems rather than increasingly funding any industry-related research.