IMS - Voluntary Instrument or obligatory for all local authorities?

During the elaboration of the European Thematic Strategy for Urban Environment, it was discussed to make environmental management obligatory for all cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants. Unfortunatley this proposal was not successful because of the oposition of several member states and municipality federations.
Why an environmental management system or - even more appropieate - a sustainability management system should not be obligatory for all local and regional authorities, as well as sound financial management is legally requested?
Since many years, environmental organisations like ours are observing, that voluntary instruments (doesn´t matter if for public bodies or companies) do not have the expected effects. By now, only a very limited number of organisations is engaged and motivated to develop truly towards sustainable development. And additional to their efforts - which are very much appreciated - they need to pay for certifications which underline that they are acting in a responsible way.

And the other 90 % of public bodies and companies which are just doing the legally requested - or often even not that? Why they do not need to pay the costs for the environmental and social impacts they produce because of short term benefit orientation?

This is an "illegal competition" - said Jochen Seitz, CEO of PUMA company. PUMA recently published as first company an Ecological Profit and Loss Account - internalizing the costs for use of water, land use, waste and CO² emissions.
Only in 2010, the costs for these environmental aspects was more than 120 million euros - nearby 50% of the benefits of the company. Jochen Seitz underlines that all companies should be legally obliged to publish a Environmental Profit and Loss Account. First it would allow transparancy and it would be the basis for sound regulation measures such as taxes for the overuse of natural resources.

This would be an important step to favor responsible companies - as well as public administrations - and to punish all those which are benefitting now from unsustainable and unresponsible behaviour.
Best, Marion Hammerl