Delegates, who are mainly from the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment in the North, recommended a number of changes to the draft revised Law on Environmental Protection, which will replace the 2005 law, at a workshop in Hanoi on June 6.

The event was co-hosted by the General Administration of Environment under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyen said after nearly 7 years of enforcement, the 2005 Law on Environmental Protection helps minimise any harmful effects on the environment while raising public awareness of environmental protection and State management efficiency.

The law, however, reveals some shortcomings like impractical regulations on environmental standards, among others.

Delegates agreed that the new draft inherits basic contents of the 2005 Law with up-to-date environmental policies and relevant issues beyond 2005 based on foreign experience included.

They suggested incorporating environmental planning content into the alternative draft as the Party and State consider economic development in tandem with environmental protection for sustainable development.

Others recommended more concrete penalties for environmental violations.

Amid the country’s industrialisation and modernisation, environmental pollution in craft villages, industrial and residential areas has become a burning issue and concern for the whole of society.-VNA