the council,

Having regard to Article 5 b) of the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of 14th December 1960;

Having regard to the Recommendation of the Council of 14th November 1974 on Energy and the Environment [C(74)222] and to the Recommendation of the Council of 12th October 1976, concerning the Reduction of Environmental Impacts from Energy Production and Use [C(76)162(Final)];

Recognising the increasing importance attributed to environmental quality by both governments and the public;

Considering that energy availability and environmental quality are both central factors for economic development and the quality of life, and that these objectives often need to be reconciled in order to find optimum solutions for industrialised society;

Considering that improvement of the efficiency of energy use is already a major contributor to energy, environmental and economic goals, and noting the on-going work of the International Energy Agency on policies to improve energy efficiency and on other work on energy and environment;

Considering that the identification and implementation of environmentally favourable energy options can contribute significantly to both energy and environmental objectives as well as yielding a variety of other economic and social benefits;

Recognising the differences among Member countries with regard to various factors such as the actual state of pollution, the degree of implementation of environmental measures, and the institutional aspects of energy and environmental policy formulation;