[Environmental management in the public sector: a question of social and economic relevancy]

Discussing the need to implement an environmental management system in civil service entities, this paper offers a brief description of some management practices used by companies in various sectors that are endeavoring to establish the best possible relationships between business activities, environmental issues and human needs, today and in the future. Some economic arguments are presented, including the benefits obtained by private sector companies adopting eco-efficiency criteria that are in themselves sufficient to justify the implementation of an effective environmental management policy in government institutions. The relevance is also stressed of drawing up the Civil Service Environment Agenda (A3P), striving to introduce a new cultural approach that will mobilize civil servants in order to optimize resources, combating waste and encouraging better work environments. For this Agenda to be effective, civil servants and managers must obviously be fully engaged.