The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council recently issued the "Regulations on Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection." Why was this regulation issued? What are the main contents of the regulation? On December 12, a reporter interviewed the relevant person in charge of the Central Leading Group Office for Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection.

 

Q: Please introduce the background and significance of formulating the regulations.

 

A: The central ecological environmental protection inspection is a major reform measure made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and a major institutional innovation to implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization. According to the deployment and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, since December 2015, two rounds of comprehensive central ecological environmental protection inspections have been completed, and three batches of inspection tasks in the third round have been completed, resolutely investigating and dealing with a batch of major typical cases of ecological environment destruction and solving a batch of prominent ecological and environmental problems that the people strongly reflect.

 

In the new era and on the new journey, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of important statements and instructions on ecological environmental protection inspections, and at the 2023 National Conference on Ecological Environmental Protection, he emphasized the need to continuously deepen the inspection work and called for the study and formulation of regulations on ecological environmental protection inspection work.

 

The regulations summarize the theoretical and practical experience of ecological environmental protection inspections in the new era, further improve the institutional mechanisms for ecological environmental protection inspections, and are of great significance to upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership over ecological civilization construction and ecological environmental protection, deepening the ecological environmental protection inspection work, and comprehensively promoting the construction of a beautiful China.

 

Q: What are the provisions of the regulations on the principles of ecological environmental protection inspection work?

 

A: The regulations clarify five principles that ecological environmental protection inspections should follow: First, uphold and strengthen the Party's overall leadership and firmly grasp the political direction; second, adhere to the people-centered approach and establish a sense of purpose; third, adhere to serving the overall situation and establishing a systematic approach; fourth, adhere to problem orientation and a strict approach, daring to act and tackle tough problems; fifth, adhere to compliance with laws and regulations, and ensure accuracy, science, objectivity, and fairness. In the inspection work, these important principles must be grasped to ensure that the inspection work proceeds steadily and far along the correct political direction and on the legal track.

 

Q: How do the regulations stipulate the ecological environmental protection inspection system and organizational structure?

 

A: According to the regulations, under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, a two-level ecological environmental protection inspection system is implemented at the central and provincial, autonomous region, and municipality levels. Provincial-level ecological environmental protection inspections are an extension and supplement to central ecological environmental protection inspections.

 

The Central Leading Group for Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection is established to carry out work under the leadership of the Central Political Bureau and its Standing Committee. According to the arrangements for central ecological environmental protection inspections, with the approval of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, central ecological environmental protection inspection teams are established.

 

The Party committees and governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government organize and carry out ecological environmental protection inspections within their administrative regions, and establish provincial-level ecological environmental protection inspection teams according to work arrangements.

 

Q: What are the provisions of the regulations on the objects and content of the inspection?

 

A: The objects of central ecological environmental protection inspections include four categories: First, the Party committees and governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government; second, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and relevant departments of the State Council that undertake important responsibilities for ecological environmental protection; third, relevant central enterprises whose production and operation activities have a significant impact on the ecological environment; fourth, other units that the Party Central Committee requires to be inspected.

 

The objects of provincial-level ecological environmental protection inspections are the Party committees and governments at the prefecture-level and city level within their administrative regions, the provincial ecological and environmental protection authorities, relevant provincial government departments, and relevant provincial enterprises.

 

In terms of inspection content, central ecological environmental protection inspections focus on major tasks such as the implementation of major regional strategies and the construction of a beautiful China. The rectification of problems fed back from the inspection and the construction of a long-term mechanism, prominent ecological and environmental problems that the people strongly reflect and their handling, are included in the inspection to promote the implementation of the responsibilities of local Party and government leaders, relevant departments and units in ecological civilization construction and ecological environmental protection.

 

Based on the key content of central ecological environmental protection inspections, the content of provincial-level ecological environmental protection inspections further focuses on the requirements and implementation of responsibilities of the Party committees and governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government in ecological environmental protection, key basins, regions, fields, industries, and prominent ecological and environmental problems and their handling within the administrative region, giving full play to the role of extension and supplementation.

 

Q: What are the provisions of the regulations on the organizational form and work procedures of the inspection work?

 

A: The regulations consolidate effective experience and practices, clarifying that central and provincial, autonomous region, and municipality-level ecological environmental protection inspections adopt the forms of routine inspections, "look back" inspections, special inspections, and ecological environmental warning films.

 

Ecological environmental protection inspections generally include inspection preparation, inspection entry, inspection reports, and inspection feedback procedures.

 

To promote accurate, scientific, and law-abiding inspections, the regulations clarify that the inspection team prepares drafts of problems reflected in the inspection report, and at the same time establishes an independent review team to conduct independent reviews of the inspection report. For the policies, regulations, and their applicability, opinions are sought from relevant departments as needed.

 

Q: What are the regulations on rectification of inspections?

 

A: Rectification of inspections is an important part of ecological environmental protection inspections. The regulations establish a special chapter on rectification of inspections, standardizing the content of the responsible entities for rectification, implementation, reporting of rectification, and scheduling and supervision. It is clarified that the inspected entities are the responsible entities for rectification, the main responsible comrades fulfill the responsibilities of the first responsible person, organize the preparation of rectification plans, and implement them according to requirements, and submit rectification reports on time. The Central Leading Group Office for Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection and the relevant working institutions for ecological environmental protection inspection in provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government implement list-based management of inspection rectification tasks, regularly organize scheduling and spot checks, and promote the true rectification of problems.

 

Q: What are the provisions of the regulations on the use of inspection results?

 

A: To effectively deepen the use of inspection results, the regulations establish a special chapter to standardize the use of inspection results. Adhering to departmental coordination, giving full play to the role of disciplinary inspection and supervision organs, organizational departments, and procuratorial organs, establishing a mechanism for transferring clues of ecological environmental damage liability investigation from central ecological environmental protection inspections, and detailing relevant work requirements, clarifying that the work plan for investigating and holding accountable those responsible for ecological environmental damage transferred by inspections will be included as a separate part in the inspection rectification plan, and the situation of holding accountable those responsible will be reported together with the situation of inspection rectification, effectively promoting serious, accurate, and effective accountability.

 

The regulations also clarify that the Central Organization Department, in accordance with the authority of cadre management, will use the inspection results and relevant information on inspection rectification work as an important basis for the assessment and evaluation, selection and appointment, management and supervision, and commendation and reward of Party and government leadership teams and relevant leading cadres, and strengthen the use of inspection results in cadre management work. Provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government will strengthen the use of inspection results in combination with their actual conditions.

 

Q: What requirements does the regulation put forward for the construction of the inspection cadre team and discipline?

 

A: The regulations clarify the content of the inspection personnel guarantee mechanism, training and use, and supervision and management. The Central Leading Group for Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection and the provincial, autonomous region, and municipality-level ecological environmental protection inspection leadership mechanisms strengthen the overall planning of the construction of the inspection cadre team and establish and improve relevant institutional mechanisms.

 

The regulations strictly regulate the conduct and discipline of inspections, clearly requiring that ecological environmental protection inspections should strictly observe political discipline and rules, strictly implement the spirit of the eight-point regulation of the Central Committee and its implementation details, and the requirements of the "Several Provisions on Rectifying Formalism and Reducing the Burden on the Grassroots"; and strictly implement various regulations on integrity. The regulations clearly define the relevant responsibility clauses for the violations of regulations, discipline, and law by members of the inspection team, relevant departments and units, and the inspected entities.