Environmental liability debate advances in Europe

The European debate about environmental liability will quicken over the next few months following the publication of a long-awaited European Commission Green Paper on remedying environmental damage on 17 March. The document favours the establishment of a strict liability regime coupled to compensation funds to pay for clean-up where a liable party cannot be found or is unable to pay. The EC will now have to decide how far to establish its own rules or whether to accede to a new Council of Europe treaty on civil liability for environmental damage caused by dangerous activities.