Acknowledging that each of the participating States, in accordance with the principles of international law, ought to ensure, in a spirit of co-operation, that activities carried out on its territory do not cause degradation of the environment in another State or in areas lying beyond the limits of national jurisdiction,
Considering that the success of any environmental policy presupposes that all population groups and social forces, aware of their responsibilities, help to protect and improve the environment, which necessitates continued and thorough educative action, particularly with regard to youth,
Affirming that experience has shown that economic development and technological progress must be compatible with the protection of the environ- ment and the preservation of historical and cultural values; that damage to the environment is best avoided by preventive measures; and that the ecological balance must be preserved in the exploitation and management of natural
resources,
Aims of co-operation
Agree to the following aims of co-operation, in particular:
to study, with a view to their solution, those environmental problems which, by their nature, are of a multilateral, bilateral, regional or sub-regional dimension; as well as to encourage the development of an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems;
to increase the effectiveness of national and international measures for the protection of the environment, by the comparison and, if appropriate, the harmonisation of methods of gathering and analysing facts, by improving the knowledge of pollution phenomena and rational utilisation of natural resources, by the exchange of information, by the harmonisation of definitions and the adoption, as far as possible, of a common terminology in the field of the environment;
to take the necessary measures to bring environmental policies closer together and, where appropriate and possible, to harmonise them;
to encourage, where possible and appropriate, national and international efforts by their interested organisations, enterprises and firms in the development, production and improvement of equipment designed for monitoring, protecting and enhancing the environment.
Fields of co-operation
To attain these aims, the participating States will make use of every suitable opportunity to co-operate in the field of environment and, in particular, within the areas described below as examples:
Control of Air Pollution. Desulphurisation of fossil fuels and exhaust gases; pollution control of heavy metals, particles, aerosols, nitrogen oxides, in particular those emitted by transport, power stations, and other industrial plants; systems and methods of observation and control of air pollution and its effects, including long-range transport of air pollutants;
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