19. 12.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/43
Opinion on the the implementation of job-creating environmental measures
A. LEGAL BASIS OF THE OPINION
At its 202nd plenary session, held on 24 and 25 November 1982 the Committee
decided to issue an opinion on the above topic on its own initiative, following a pro-
posal from its Bureau and in accordance with the fourth paragraph of Article 20 of its
Rules of Procedure.
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its
210th plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 1983.
The full text of the opinion is as follows:
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE,
Having regard to the decision taken by the plenary
session on 25 November 1982 to instruct the Section
for Protection of the Environment, Public Health
and Consumer Affairs to draw up an opinion on the
implementation of job-creating environmental mea-
sures,
Having regard to the information report adopted by
the Section at its 70th meeting, held at La Rochelle
on 17 September 1982,
1.2. These unemployment rates, reaching levels
unknown in recent years, vary from Member State
to Member State (figures drawn up by each Member
State according to differing national definitions;
February 1983):
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
United Kingdom
Italy
Denmark
Germany
France
Greece
Luxembourg
15,1
14,5
14,1
12,4
12,0
10,7
9,6
9,2
2,5
1,6
Having regard to the opinion adopted by the Sec-
tion at its 76th meeting held on 12 July 1983,
Having regard to the oral report made by the rap-
porteur, Mr De Grave,
Having regard to the Committee's discussions on
29 September at its 210th plenary session held on 28
and 29 September 1983,
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION
by 41 votes to two with eight abstentions:
1.3. The continuing common trend towards high
and rising unemployment levels is a new feature.
From mid-1979 to the end of 1982 unemployment
rose by:
Greece
Netherlands
Germany
United Kindgom
Denmark
Luxembourg
Ireland
Belgium
France
Italy
133%
132%
122%
121 %
105%"
104%
64%
53%
49%o
33%
1. Introduction: the employment situation
1.1. In February 1983, the unemployment rate in
the Community was 10,9 %. In 12 years, the rate has
risen from 2% to 11,1% (excluding Greece). In
December 1982, 38,9 % of the unemployed (exclud-
ing Greece) were young people under the age of 25.
1.4. There are not enough internal and external
outlets for products and services (final and inter-
mediate goods, services) to create jobs. Moreover, at
the moment, the tertiary sector seems less able than
in the past to offset net job reductions in other sec-
No C 341/44 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83
tors, i. e. to discharge the role which industry employment for large numbers of workers leaving
played in the 19th century, when it provided agriculture.
(Percentages of the labour force employed in industry and services)
Federal Republic of Germany
United Kingdom
Sweden
Japan
USA
France
Industry
1955
60
49
42
24
35
37
1975
45
42
37
35
28
38
Services
1955
35
46
43
35
54
35
1975
46
55
56
50
70
50
employment policies have their own individual
objectives; but what it does mean is that measures
which 'kill two birds with one stone' deserve special
attention and should be given priority.
2.2. Inthisconnectionwemustlookbeyond'environ-
mental policy' (taken in its wide sense, and not
just seen in terms of anti-pollution measures). A
great many needs still remain to be satisfied in the
area of improvements to the quality of life (help for
and care of the elderly, young people and immi-
grants; housing conditions; town and country plan-
ning; leisure, etc.). History has shown us on many
occasions that production and needs become more
varied (e. g. successive development of the primary,
secondary and tertiary sectors) as improved produc-
tivity releases labour in old-established sectors. With
the exception of a number of specific sectors, parti-
cularly those linked with the increase in free time
(leisure activities, do-it-yourself, etc.), these new
needs are often difficult to meet financially and
pose tricky problems for national budgets. Budgets
— Community, national, local authority budgets —
are unable to finance every scheme thought to be
desirable from a human or social point of view.
2.3. A policy of increasing the number of people
employed in improving the environment and the
quality of life must obviously take the structure of
unemployment into consideration. Furthermore, the
cost of unemployment falls directly on both workers
and State budgets. An unemployed person often
costs the State directly and indirectly almost as
much as the pay of a worker.
2.4. The non-budgetary costs of unemployment
must also be given increasing consideration: the
human cost, the social cost and the political cost.
1.5. Thus, as the FAST document says (p. 133),
'the term "crisis" is fully justified for societies
whose future and whose very credibility is placed in
question, since they are based on an assumption of
full employment which is no longer valid: the
employment crisis will be the dominant influence
on the 1980s, and will largely displace the "energy
crisis" as central preoccupation ('). The problems of
employment and work will, much more than in the
past, be central to the elaboration of policies in the
Member States of the Community over the coming
years.. . . Many analyses, both local and global, car-
ried out by various European research centres, are in
agreement in forecasting the persistence — and
often the worsening — of unemployment over the
short and medium term' (2).
1.6. However, so many needs remain unsatisfied in
the area of the environment and improving the
quality of life, that it is impossible not to see a link
with the employment situation.
2. Employment and environment policy
2.1. This opinion thus puts the following question:
in an economy where there are many unsatisfied
needs and a high level of unemployment, how can
an environment policy contribute to growth and job
creation?
This does not of course mean that environmental
policy has to be subordinated to employment
policy, or vice versa, since both environmental and
(') The employment crisis should not be seen as a
reincarnation of the energy crisis. The mechanisms,
actors, and rhythm over time are fundamentally differ-
ent, and tlie increased price of energy is certainly not,
in the long term, a major cause of unemployment and
of inflation.
(2) The FAST programme — Results and recommen-
dations (Volume 1), December 1982.
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/45
2.5. Let us not forget that, apart from its human
and social aspects, a policy aimed at improving the
quality of life can often be economically beneficial
by:
— reducing absenteeism, job-related nervous com-
plaints, accidents,
— improving job satisfaction, and thus motivation
and occupational adaptation,
— reducing costs and damage caused by pollution
to companies, buildings, health, and other sec-
tors (need to purify water that is no longer suita-
ble for drinking, acid rain, sulphur dioxide, res-
piratory diseases, cleaning of beaches contami-
nated by oil, harm done to fish farming, tour-
ism, and so on),
— protecting our cultural heritage,
— reducing all sorts of costs generated by social
maladjustment (drop-outs, drugs, alcoholism,
unsuitability for work, etc.),
— reducing insurance costs (claims, premiums).
It would therefore be wrong to consider a policy to
improve the quality of life as a luxury to be rele-
gated to the background at a time of recession.
2.6. As with educational, research or investment
expenditure, expenditure on schemes to improve the
quality of life only begins to pay for itself in the
long run, and only at a macro-economic level. The
short-term financing of such schemes is often diffi-
cult.
2.6. bis The 'polluter pays' principle and the adop-
tion of measures to limit polluting waste may mean
that economic activities are moved to some non-
member countries. The Committee cannot accept a
simple geographical transfer of the source of pollu-
tion, involving the loss of Community jobs and an
increase in imports from non-member countries.
This problem is linked to that of low-wage dump-
ing, a phenomenon which is already wellknown.
The Committee urges the Commission to consider
ways to avoid these negative effects.
2.7. To be a growth factor, an environmental
improvement policy must fit in with a new supply
an demand model that will ensure increased
employment and well-being without speeding up
the rate of inflation. In a service economy where
trends in international trade seem unlikely to meet
these requirements, new growth models, better
geared to local potential, are needed. These should
take into consideration (a) more qualitative factors,
with less importance being attached to a rapid
increase in the consumption of goods with a high
raw-material and/or import content, and (b) the
growth of economically and socially useful produc-
tive services. Widespread acceptance of this type of
growth depends on a greater degree of equality
among regions, and steps to provide the disadvan-
taged regions with a minimum stock of physical
goods. This implies an increase in living standards
in some regions and among some population
groups. The higher social groups also seem to be
more interested in quality orientated growth.
2.8. Many countries, both inside and outside the
Community, have amended their legislation to take
account of the changed economic situation.
2.9. At international level, the IUCN (Interna-
tional Union for the Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources), a non-governmental organ-
ization set up under the auspices of Unesco in 1948,
has just launched a conservation programme of
unprecedented scale and ambition. Some 450 gov-
ernmental agencies and conservation bodies in more
than 100 countries have been asked to help draw up
the programme. The World Conservation Strategy,
as it is called, has been devised within the frame-
work of the United Nations environment pro-
gramme, which has provided financial support. The
Programme itself is jointly supported by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and
Unesco.
2.10. The Strategy sets out to refute the view that
(a) the conservation of nature and land is sufficent
to protect the environment and (b) this very conser-
vation might be a bar to economic development.
Rather, the strategy is based on the idea that growth
is impossible in countries which do not at the same
time conserve their natural resources. The Strategy
therefore underlines the need for a policy that will
reconcile conservation projects with development
projects without waiting until the environment is
threatened.
No C 341 /46 Official Journal of
3. Situation and Community level
3.1. Although the Community has perhaps been
rather slow in this field, three measures must be sin-
gled out for special mention.
(a) The Commission has produced a very important
survey C1). This came after a whole host of
national initiatives from which a great deal has
been learnt. The Commission survey proposes
environment improvement programmes in both
the private and public sectors, selected so as to
take account of the local employment situation
and implemented so as to have a sufficient
spin-off effect on the economy.
Such programmes could have the following
effects:
— direct effects: jobs are saved,
— indirect effects: stimulation of trade
between branches of the economy,
— induced effects due to greater consumer
spending by the workers who fill the extra
jobs created,
— better response to production needs.
The survey suggests a number of possible pro-
jects which could be set up:
— by the private sector (channelling of innova-
tion and investment towards protection of
the environment and encouragement of
employment),
— by independent private bodies (often small
projects),
— by the public sector, via measures to pro-
mote employment and large-scale public
projects.
According to the Commission survey, the addi-
tional expenditure entailed by such programmes
would have a multiplier effect on employment,
but should not fuel inflation.
The measures by independent private bodies
would consist mainly of projects involving
young people in non-technical work requiring
little capital (improvement of public and private
parks, etc.). The public projects, whose role
European Communities 19. 12. 83
would be crucial, would be partly carried out by
private-sector subcontractors. They would have
a multiplier effect on employment.
The Commission survey proposes the following
projects:
— improvements to water distribution and
purification systems; strengthening of dams
and river banks; nature reserves, open
spaces, forests, etc.,
— reclamation of derelict areas (towns, indus-
trial zones),
— elimination of illegal dumping,
— restoration of historic sites and monuments,
— compilation and interpretation of environ-
ment data.
(b) A draft Regulation on action by the Community
relating to the environment (ACE). This draft
has just been sent to the Council.
The European Parliament has earmarked funds
in the Community budget to finance a future
environmental fund. In the light of this move
and in accordance with the aims of the Com-
munity environment programme, the Commis-
sion has now proposed that certain specific pro-
jects be given financial support.
The Commission is specifically concerned with
projects relating to (a) development of 'clean'
technologies which abate pollution and deple-
tion of natural resources, and (b) environmental
conservation in areas of Community interest.
In this context, the Committee would refer to its
opinion of 27 April 1983 (2).
(c) A programme of projects and pilot studies to
combat poverty, in a context of unemployment.
Member States have undertaken a series of pro-
jects aimed at developing vocational training,
retraining, work experience and labour mobility,
and at encouraging early retirement and
(') Characteristics of a job-related environment pro-
gramme for the Community (1978). (2) OJ No C 176, 4. 7. 1983, p. 8.
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/47
creating socially useful jobs. The Community
collaborates with Member States through its
various financial instruments.
The level of unemployment in the Community,
and the large number of young people still look-
ing for their first job, represent a form of social
exclusion which may have harmful cumulative
effects in the long term. Moreover, a minority in
the individual States is not covered by social
security.
It is for these reasons that an anti-poverty pro-
gramme was set up.
This programme was allocated around 20 mil-
lion ECU between 1976 and 1980.
A final report was published on 15 December
1979. A group of pilot projects was supported
and funded by the Community and the Member
States.
Raising the standard of living in the Com-
munity (Article 2 of the Treaty of Rome) is a
qualitative as well as a quantitative matter.
Some aspects of the above programme (housing
rehabilitation for example) have a direct impact
on the environment and have job-creating
potential.
A certain number of projects adopted a com-
munity development approach and made use
of, or set up, a series of local measures, for
example in the housing and environment sec-
tors. Several projects involved the building of
new dwellings, while others involved improve-
ment of housing and the environment. The
overall programme created between 300 and 400
jobs, at a cost per job of 10 000 ECU per year.
4. Conclusions: measures to be developed or under-
taken by the Community
The Committee wishes to give the Commission
some suggestions. These are not definite recommen-
dations, but rather guidelines to be examined, dis-
cussed and made more precise. This does not mean
that they should not be discussed with a sense of
urgency. Far from it.
The aim of the economy is to satisfy needs. Needs
in the field of environmental improvement and liv-
ing conditions are very great and have to be tackled
with limited resources and in the light of the wor-
sening employment outlook. The matter therefore
deserves the careful attention of the Commission.
Furthermore, we must not forget the effect on the
well-being of future generations.
The Commission should hold ongoing in-depth
talks on the matter with the 'social partners', the lat-
ter to be understood in the widest sense of the term,
i.e. including federations of environmental protec-
tion organizations.
The Committee proposes some guidelines more
forcefully than others, because it has not always
been able to study the full implications of concrete
measures.
It is up to the Commission to take on sufficient staff
and provide itself with the investigative means
needed to regularly submit practical proposals to
Member State Governments for the adoption of
measures which are likely to improve both the envi-
ronment and employment.
Measures should be checked to ensure that:
— they give priority to the problem groups on the
labour market,
— their financing does not produce any adverse
employment effects elsewhere,
— they do not adversely affect other priority tasks
of the Community; if at all possible, they
should be mutually supportive.
A careful prior appraisal should be made of the
effects of planned measures, and the results should
be subsequently evaluated.
If possible, a costs/benefits assessment embracing
the non-financial aspects should be made of each
proposal. However, it should be noted that assess-
ment of this sort is often very difficult. For example,
how do we assess the value of conserving plants and
animals from extinction, of safety in our cities,
social harmony, etc.?
The Committee feels that the Community should
channel its action in five directions:
4.1. Support for projects to improve the quality of life
4.1.1. With Member State experts, the Commission
should examine the measures being carried out at
No C 341/48 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83
national level to improve both employment and the
environment (air, water, soil, noise, flora and fauna,
landscape, etc.) and the quality of life (housing, psy-
cho-medico-social sector, and problems specific to
certain categories of the population — young peo-
ple, immigrants, the elderly, those without resources,
and so on); this has not yet been done.
It is difficult to separate the strictly environmental
aspects from the quality of life in a much wider
sense.
4.1.2. This comparative examination should bring
out the strong and weak points in the experiences of
individual countries, and allow an improvement in
the action taken by Member States.
4.1.3. The Commission could also recommend that
Member States who have not already done so be
invited to implement — subject to their budgetary
constraints — a policy allocating job seekers to use-
ful projects.
4.1.4. In addition to this exchange of information
and invitation to expand national policies, the
Commission could provide a financial incentive.
Even a modest financial contribution in the form of
support for pilot projects would be welcome.
4.1.5. Support could well be given to pilot
development projects which for instance (i) generate
employment, (ii) are more integrated into the local
environment, (iii) give preference to the use of local
resources (alternative farming, biomass, hill farming,
forestry), or (iv) are designed to preserve the envi-
ronment, especially in areas where the hydrological
balance is deteriorating, etc.
4.1.6. Considerable potential exists for urban and
rural renewal (recreation areas), redevelopment of
disused industrial sites, and protection or develop-
ment of beauty spots and monuments. Some
improvement work also has great potential: sign-
posting, footpaths, cycle tracks, and so on.
4.1.6. bis Particular consideration should be given
to those goals which involve the restoration or remo-
delling of natural landscapes, with regard to their
potential as recreation areas, habitats for endan-
gered animals and plants, or green belts to counter-
balance heavily-congested inner city areas.
4.1.7. The economic effects are important, and
European financial resources should be more
readily available for these purposes.
4.2. Information and the effect of demonstration
4.2.1. Simply making information available on
what has already been achieved, both on a national
scale and by local authorities, would be enough to
overcome reticence and help the implementation of
potential projects. The Committee therefore asks the
Commission to encourage such a campaign to
inform the general public and the authorities
involved. This should be done in conjuction with
the international organizations that concern them-
selves with local authorities. The Committee also
feels that the Commission should assist education
and training bodies.
4.2.2. It is particularly necessary to provide con-
sumers with information and instil in them an aware-
ness of what is at stake so that consumer demand
takes account of the environmental effects of pur-
chases, as well as the price.
4.3. Medium-term economic policy
4.3.1. The current economic situation is character-
ized by the high level of structural unemployment,
balance-of-payments problems, the international
competition suffered by a large section of industry,
the non-satisfaction of certain types of potential
demand, a low level of investment and internal
demand, and low rates of production capacity utili-
zation in many sectors.
4.3.2. As part of its medium-term economic policy,
the Community should facilitate the structural
changes needed to meet the present challenges, by
equipping itself with the best tools for economic
analysis.
4.3.2. bis National accounts should cover the
long-term effects of economic activity on the life of
the community, so as to bring out both the positive
and the negative repercussions on the environment
and GNP in the long run.
The main way to apply this principle is through the
taxation of polluting activities.
4.3.3. More rational management of natural
resources should be a key component of a growth
policy. A new approach is needed to the methods of
19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/49
use of raw materials and energy and their networks,
to recycling, the use of waste, the durability of
goods, and so on.
4.3.4. For example, one should test the overall
impact on the economy of an improvement in
quality and an increase in product durability, and of
a policy favouring repairs or restoration (housing,
cars, etc.) rather than discarding or destroying and
replacing (favourable effect on (a) the level of
imports and the trade deficit, (b) employment in ser-
vices and building, which are highly labour-inten-
sive and less exposed to international competition,
(c) the reduction of waste and the cost of its dis-
posal, (d) savings in foreign exchange and raw
materials, etc.). If economic models and national
experience suggest that favourable results can be
hoped for, one should consider the most appropriate
ways of achieving these objectives and propose their
introduction.
The absence of any comparative analysis makes it
difficult to establish whether the policies being pur-
sued are the best. However, the restoration of old
buildings, beauty spots, etc. offers almost unlimited
employment potential. Many jobs in all regions
could also be created if repairs were carried out by
small local firms on semi-durable goods such as cars
which are only partly built in the Community (with
fewer and fewer jobs).
4.3.5. Other measures may be employed to
improve the urban and rural environment:
— the use of 'clean' technology resources,
— product use and waste policy:
— collection and recycling of waste,
— toxic and dangerous waste,
— measures to reduce the volume of waste and
hence the cost of processing,
— prevention of illegal dumping.
4.3.6. In the field of energy, RUE (the rational use
of energy) should be promoted in tandem with
industrial and town planning policies, transport poli-
cies, policies for new and existing housing, land-use
policy, and so on.
4.4. Develop the environment industry
4.4.1. According to the FAST document (page 13)
the environment industry probably accounts for
1,25% of the GDP and provides 1 300 000 jobs.
4.4.2. The document goes on: 'the annual cost of
these activities is lower than the annual cost of the
damage that would be caused by the pollution they
control. Consequently they can be regarded as justi-
fied both ecologically and economically. This fact is
insufficiently reflected in the environmental policies
of European countries (').
4.4.3. The Community is already a major exporter
in this area. Its position should be strengthened.
4.4.4. It should be noted in this connection that
Member States are major exporters in those sectors
where the fight against pollution dates back a long
time, and is well-established (e.g. water treatment in
France); Member States have remained importers
when tougher local legislation has led third coun-
tries to develop such processes as the removal of
sulphur from smoke in the United States and Japan,
instrumental pollution control and information con-
trol (microprocessor).
4.4.5. The fight against pollution can thus help
encourage technical innovation. The export of Euro-
pean technological systems can help create new
jobs.
4.5. Inclusion of environmental and employment
concerns in Community policies
4.5.1. The common agricultural policy, research
policy, transport policy, social policy, energy policy,
economic policy, and so on, can have repercussions
on employment and the environment.
4.5.2. Measures in the farming sector and some
infrastructure projects are directly linked to environ-
mental policy (impact studies).
4.5.3. In various earlier opinions, the Committee
has deplored the Community's failure to adopt a
(') The FAST programme — Summaries of the 36
research projects (Volume 2), December 1982.
No C 341/50 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83
forestry policy, despite the fact that the Community
has a considerable trade deficit in this area, second
only to that for oil products. Jobs could be created
in both the forestry and the processing sector.
the main importer of high technology anti-pollution
material such as purification plants, air filters, insu-
lating materials, measuring instruments, smoke
de-dusting equipment and apparatus for the treat-
ment of waste.
4.5.4. While pursuing their own individual aims,
the various Community policies and financial
instruments could make a greater contribution to the
furtherance of the aims outlined in this opinion.
4.5.5. Thus, among the criteria used for imple-
menting projects (ERDF, EDF, etc.) there should be
an evaluation in terms of the environment and
employment. This would preclude situations where
aid for example is given for deforestation, only for
aid to be requested for reafforestation a few years
later, as recently happened with an ACP country.
4.5.6. Lastly, research and development policy
should aim to improve the Community's position in
the field of clean technologies and new materials
(e.g. nitrogen fixation, urban noise-abatement
materials). The Community is unfortunately already
5. The Committee is confident that the Commis-
sion will examine these proposals, and do its utmost
to ensure that the potential of environment policy to
help growth is not neglected. Like all Community
policies, an improvement in living and working con-
ditions (internal and external environment) can and
must help reduce the disturbing level of unemploy-
ment.
6. While addressing this opinion to the Council
and the Commission, the Committee wishes to
make a serious appeal to the latter and to Member
State governments:
— to work jointly towards the rapid implementa-
tion of concrete measures to improve the environ-
ment and employment,
— to draw up medium and long-term objectives to
avert the dangers currently threatening our
society.
Done at Brussels, 29 September 1983.
The Chairman
of the Economic and Social Committee
Francois CEYRAC
APPENDIX
to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
— Rejected amendment:
The following amendment, tabled in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, was rejected by the
Committee during plenary session discussions:
Page 16
Point 4.1.3 to read as follows:
'The Commission shouid also encourage those Member States who have not yet done so to
draw up medium-term programmes for improving the environment and the quality of life,
with definite goals and deadlines for individual areas. These programmes should promote
forward-looking investment, and guide national measures on job-creation and public pro-
jects in general. The Commission could also recommend that Member States who have not
19.12.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/51
already done so be invited (subject to their budgetary constraints) to recruit job-seekers for
projects under these programmes, provided this does not jeopardize existing jobs (e.g. selec-
tive collection of waste for recycling, lay-out, restoration and maintenance of green areas,
parks, play-areas, nature and landscape conservation areas, restoration of the natural course
of streams and rivers, recurvation, systematic large-scale surveys of air, water and soil pol-
lution, care of the needy, conservation of monuments, and so on).'
Reasons
Concrete goals for improving the environment and the quality of life should be laid down in
order to provide guidance for both the private sector and the national authorities.
Voting
For: 3, against: 36, abstentions: 7.
Opinion on the communication from the Commission to the Council on structures and
procedures for the common policy in the field of science and technology containing draft
Council Decisions dealing with
I. Structures and procedures for the common policy in the field of science and
technology
II. Structures and procedures for the management and coordination of Community
research development and demonstration activities
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION
On 7 April 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the
European Economic Community.
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its
210th plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 1983.
The full text of the opinion is as follows:
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, Having regard to the request made by the Council
of the European Communities on 7 April 1983 for
an opinion on the draft Council Decisions dealing
on the one hand with structures and procedures for
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro- the common policy in the field of science and tech-
pean Economic Community, and in particular nology, and on the other with structures and proce-
Article 198 thereof, dures for the management and coordination of
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy